Ebony Road Players sheds light on historic, ongoing racial tension with “Detroit ‘67”
The play, opening this Friday, tells the story of real people responding to the injustices of systemic racism, and yet somehow finding moments of joy even in the middle of the struggle.
“Detroit 67,” produced by Ebony Road Players, opens today, October 6, 50 years after the Detroit uprising , in the very same neighborhood where the Grand Rapids uprising broke out two days after the events in Detroit.
The play is a poignant story told on sacred ground. Producer Eyde Evans Hyde and Director Amisha Groce have collaborated with SiTE:LAB, local directors and the African American History Museum of Detroit, Michigan to present the story at 415 Franklin Street SE. That building was a former social services building and, before white flight after the uprising, the site of the first Christian school in the area. Historic photos grace the walls of the performance hall, inviting viewers the opportunity to visually encounter the painful depictions of the Detroit uprising.
The performance space is a bit run down, but definitely usable, with its strong foundation still noticeable. The stage is set against one wall that has two open rooms with two staircases, adding visual interest. Groce shares that when scoping out the venue, the original plan was to build a set against the opposite wall before realizing they already had one in place within the structure itself.
As I sat in a cold, hard, old-style school chair waiting for the show to begin, there was a chill and echoes could be heard against the hard cement floors and walls of peeling paint.
The bright and catchy costumes and use of Motown music were excellent methods to put the audience back into the year of 1967. Interestingly, the records kept skipping: another reminder of the repetition of history. The space felt right for all that was about to occur.
As the play started, at times the music was louder than the voices on stage; the crew was having to deal with what are definitely not classic theater acoustics. The sound bounced and ricocheted off the hard walls and cement floor.
The makers were molding a space into their own creation and out of that creation came a new art form. The content of this play superseded the conventions that even I as a performer have abided by, AKA, the rules of the trade. They were making something bigger.
Facing, or angling, is so important—not only with the audience, but the characters and set itself. For this production of Detroit ’67, the set was placed stage right (audience left) at the beginning. It would have been helpful to have the chairs angled towards the direction of the actual set or to have created an arch with the seating. Without a raised stage, they faced the additional challenge of an even plane between actors and audience. This challenge highlights another reason why angles are extremely important. My biggest obstacle was the distraction of the blank space on the stage; it was dark and looming. I could tell it was going to be used, but I kept questioning why it was just sitting there.
After intermission, my answer was given. Stage left was a mirror of stage right, minus a few set details, but it was a type of “aha” moment. I did enjoy the mirror image, but seating angled towards the right and left for viewing the different acts at different times would have been helpful.
The placement of the 8-track player, down stage center on both sets, caused a few of the characters to face their backs to the audience quite a bit, making it difficult to see their expressions or hear their lines at times.
What I thoroughly enjoyed, after getting past the logistics, was the varying emotional scenes of laughter, angst, anger, sadness, love, and real down to earth dialogue. I felt the bond between Lank (David Nordé) and his sister Shell (Syreeta Drake). Bunny (Tova Jones) was full of spunk and vigor; very believable. Sylvester (Julian Newman) had great expression and emotion. Lank convinced me that Caroline (Linnae Caurdy) was that special “perfume” to him. Caroline seemed relaxed in her role as a type of abused white misfit taken in by a Black family.
The emotional highs and lows of the scenes, along with the effect of stage hands moving the set around during scenes under black light and sound effects, added suspense. So did the painting that was brought in—it was talked about, but was put on a back wall, out of the audience’s sight. I wanted to see what they were talking about.
After the play, I had a chance to get to know some of the cast members and learned that the Jones family is from Detroit, and some of her family members actually experienced the Detroit uprising.
“It is important that people realize that these were real people with real lives; we are echoing in this present day what they were saying 50 years ago.” says Newman.
The play is a tragic comedy bringing forth the joy in the struggle. I wonder how a person can still have joy in such a tragic struggle. History repeats itself even today, making the storyline and setting of the play all too relatable 50 years later for too many of us.
“Look at where we were 50 years ago, where are we now. Is it any better?” asks Hyde. The joy, she says, is found in their fight through their hope. The joy is found in their families and community. The joy is in their bonds and every victory they have partaken in and will continue to partake in.
According to Groce, the actors themselves are on a journey, one that will continue as they perform the play. Actors in Ebony Road Players’ production of Detroit ’67 are poets, orators, drawing artists, and creatives. Their artistic abilities allow them to delve deeper into the subject matter.
“Systematic racism was occurring during the time of the riots and this created huge road blocks and immense frustration,” says Hyde. She wants the audience to leave with a better understanding that the people who participated in the uprising were real people with real lives and dreams.
Groce agrees.
“I would hope that people walk away at least enlightened by the fact that when there are people responding to injustice, specifically in this case with the Detroit riots, that it is not about the characters themselves, but about their roles as siblings just trying to live and follow the rules,” she says.
Even before the uprising, there was already plenty of racial tension stirring in the hearts of the African American people. Loving v. Virginia had just been decided a month before, with its monumental ruling that a biracial couple had a right to matrimony. The cry for freedom, a cry to be recognized as human beings with dreams and desires, was a cry to be treated equally. Their desire was and is to establish their lives, just as every other person desires.
Ebony Road Players has shed light in the darkest places by revealing the underlying tensions that not only existed in 1967, but continue to exist. Setting the play in a building with such significant history itself is a chance to better understand both the historical and present racism, making it a must-see show. I left with a feeling of wanting to dig deeper to obtain a greater understanding so that I, too, can help to bridge the gap.
The echoes of the past have reverberated and bounced off the hard, cold, and at times, uncomfortable surroundings. But change is not always the most comfortable and inviting place; it can be the most painful. Is it possible to hear the voice of change calling and heed its call to make our communities, cities, nation and world a more loving and accepting place for all peoples? The responsibility is heavy, but the hope is alive.
Ebony Road Players presents “Detroit ‘67”
Performing at 415 Franklin Street SE
A play by Dominique Morisseau, winner of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History.
Performance times:
Friday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Purchase tickets here.
