I got off the plane on Sunday and we had an event at Trinity Rep that Monday , in which we invited actors to come and read the work and invited an audience to see the work . It was called the Every 28-Hour Plays ; the premise is that someone of the BIPOC community dies by police violence every twenty-eight hours . I think about fifty actors signed up to read these ninety plays . Then ninety actors showed up . We had about 150 people who signed up to watch the plays . About 350 showed up . It was one of the most incredible moments in the theater of advocacy I ’ ve ever experienced .
I think it was one of the first times the material didn ’ t lead the community , but the community came together to experience a piece and to respond to a piece . We reproduce those plays every year ; we ’ ve tackled subjects from health care to housing to immigration — based upon what I felt like the community was talking about , what was really in the zeitgeist .
Where it stands now is it has been placed into the strategic plan of our institution . This was an idea that was developed by myself about six years ago , and we ’ re still trying to fully realize that . We went through this period seven years ago when we really became hyper-conscious of equity , diversity and inclusion . And with the advent of COVID and where
5 . Of the land acknowledgment , a Providence Journal critic wrote , “ But , beginning with an opening monologue — inviting people to remember Native American tribes that once populated the state , mentioning slave trade connections and urging support for people of color — there is a layer being added to Dickens ’ s message of humanity and kindness that feels forced .” we ’ ve been politically the past five years , we ’ ve come to understand that many of our institutions , mine included , have not done the work that we really needed to do to create a truly equitable environment .
Have there been conversations amongst the BIPOC company members about racism at Trinity Rep ? A group of us formed an affinity group during COVID , and we began having conversations about our experiences . I think the beauty of an affinity space is you can finally look at another person and go , “ Wait a minute , I ’ m not crazy when I felt that .” You know , almost seventeen seasons of being here , I was able to put some things together for myself and understand them better from a context of equity , inclusion , diversity and access . And so we ’ ve been in an active dialog with our institution about these issues . We now have a new executive-level position person responsible for all of our DEIA initiatives . The sense of activism performance is in the new strategic plan .
In thinking about activism in performance , as director of the 2021 A Christmas Carol , you included a land acknowledgment at the beginning . Can you speak a little bit about the reception , from viewers and reviewers 5 ? It was developed by the theater in consultation with our native elders in the community . I think the important part of this work is speaking into existence acknowledgment of where we have been . And there ’ s also an important part of the process that ’ s called restorative justice and acknowledgment of past harm . >>
FACING PAGE : Wilson Jr . poses in front of the Sam White mural , “ Octopus Song ,” outside the Dean Hotel in Providence . TOP : Providence-based muralist AGONZA painted this portrait of Wilson Jr . for display in the windows of Trinity Rep . ABOVE : Wilson Jr . plays Martin Luther King Jr ., opposite Trinity Rep company member Mia Ellis , in the two-person production of The Mountaintop in 2017 .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l FEBRUARY 2022 63