The Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington is creating a more inclusive and socially conscious space ahead of its newest production, White Guy on the Bus.
Managing Director Melissa Zimmerman said the play, about revenge, social norms and bias, is a fitting way to utilize the vocabulary and group discussion training the staff went through before the premier in early February.
“It’s really about “Yes and,” which is a great thing in the theater, we always like to say “Yes and.” So allowing people to witness something powerful on stage, feel strongly about it, and then be able to express that strong emotion in the space. So not shutting people down about having very strong opinions about what they just saw," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said taking the the whole staff through the inclusion and equity training was born out of preparing the production of White Guy on the Bus.
It’s play the New York Times called a “frank stare-down of racial perceptions.” And people will get a chance to voice their opinions. The company plans to hold community discussions after each performance.
The play premieres at the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington Feb. 1.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from theDelaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.