In the aftermath of the 2016 elections, The Old Globe in San Diego commissioned playwright JC Lee to write a play examining the vast political divide that is present in contemporary America. They had previously worked with him on his play Luce, that was part of their yearly reading series. The resulting work, What You Are, was developed through the Powers New Voices Series and now is being fully staged at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. This world premiere begins May 30th and runs through June 30th.
Don (Jonathan Walker), a hard working husband and father, just manages to make ends meet. He works in an office where the things he’s used to being one way suddenly seem very different – from co-workers to the technology used to get the job done. There’s a lot of change in the country that challenges his essential core beliefs. A misunderstanding at work gets wildly out of hand and Don sets out to makes things as he feels they should be. But is that really what he should be doing?
Patricia McGregor, who co-wrote and directed Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole and directed Skeleton Crew at the Geffen Playhouse, directs. The cast features Adrian Anchondo, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Omozé Idehenre and Mike Sears.
Lee, in the program notes for What You Are, explains that his play is not a polemic piece of writing.
“Just because a work of art is political, that doesn’t mean it’s trying to convince you that a particular argument is correct or incorrect. The best political art dissects an issue, looks at it from all sides, and then leaves you with a lot of questions to wrestle with. Part of why I write the plays I do is that I’m really trying to understand something. So when we talk about art being political, I think that we have to step away from the idea that people are trying to convince us of something, and be open to the idea that we the artists may not know. We can explore together, which I feel like is more productive anyway.”
What You Are seems like a play that could be exactly what we need in this place and time in history. Something that inspires discussion, not argument, with the goal of understanding differing points of view.
There is a note on the website indicating this production contains strong language
All images courtesy of The Old Globe.
For tickets go here.