After going to watch Julius Caesar with my drama elective, the producer, Linda Bisesti, had invited us to go watch her production of Southern Girls up at the Cal Poly Main Stage Theatre. This play is about 6 childhood friends (3 white and 3 black) that grow up during 1950s-1990s Alabama and how they grow apart in these times of race issues. It was a very powerful play that I thought really brought into light that our racial problems aren't that different from those harsh times.
Changes
After the show, we were allowed to stay for a Q&A session with the entire cast and crew. Something that the director had mentioned was that she had to cut a lot because it was too sentimental and unnecessary. I thought that this change was a really big risk because it made the play less interesting. I felt as if she tried too hard on trying to make a point about how America can't talk about race, instead of portraying the story. This was my (and many others of the drama elective) concern with the show because it didn't feel as if the play gave us any closure with the characters. It seems as if they only got so far but didn't say what happened after.
Acting
I don't have any complaints with most of the actors. At first I thought they had put on excellent performances, which they did. However, after a discussion with my drama elective, I did notice that their portrayals of the characters came off a bit stereotypical.
I had no issues with the actresses who played June Adele-Taylor (Jasmine Mosebar), Wanda Sue Johnson (Kapri Enjoli Margary), and Ruth Hurdle (Ajouraye D. Jefferson). These women put on excellent performances and I really enjoyed their characters and their acting in general.
The stereotypical characters that I saw was the weak (Charlotte Cecil Martin, played by Samantha Girod), the angry (Naomi Hurdle, played by Janeth Garcia), and the racist (Dolly Granger Jackson, played by Ashley Tello). Although these women did put on great performances, their characters were just not there. For Charlotte, I felt as if she was always weak and never got any character development which didn't add to the story. Naomi was very angry all the time and did have character development, but I don't think she portrayed it effectively. Dolly was just always a racist. She was nothing but a racist until her very last scene.
Two things that I believe really hurt these actresses are that maybe a lot of their great scenes were cut out and that the director didn't allow them to cry. Not allowing the actresses to cry was a really huge risk and choice to make especially in such a sentimental play as this. I believe that not crying took away from the characters and that it really all goes back to the director wanting to make a point and not the story of the play.
Technical (Lighting, Sound, Set, and Costume Design)
Not having a lot of experience with tech, I think that the sound and set were well used. The costumes weren't anything special either, they were just true to the time period.
The set I thought was a little plain but very clever. Having the split stage really gave that feel of separation. Making the white platform higher than the black gave that subtle hint that the white are definitely higher than the black during that time period.
In Conclusion
Cal Poly's production of Southern Girls was very influential on America's racial problems. However, this did make the story a lot less impactful. The acting was excellent but was held back by some very risky choices made by the director. Overall, it was a good play with some very deep messages that really get you to think: "Can America really talk about race?".
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