Racial tensions erupt in an explosive ensemble drama based on a real-life incident at a Louisiana high school.
Infused with hip-hop music and movement, Blood at the Root sheds light on escalating tensions between Black and White students at a Southern high school, delving into double standards applied to racially charged situations.
“This play feels so relevant for right now because we keep reliving these incidents,” says Michael A. Shepperd. “This is a fantastic ensemble piece that uses rhythm, sound and poetry to explore friendship, racism and the miscarriage of justice.”
On a scorching autumn day, Raylynn, an African-American senior, dares to break tradition by grabbing some shade under a historic oak tree in front of the school — an area typically reserved for white students. The next day, three nooses are discovered hanging from the tree — sending shockwaves through the school, angering Black and white youth. The administration dismisses the incident as a thoughtless prank. In stark contrast, when six Black teenagers are accused of beating a white schoolmate during a subsequent fight, attempted murder charges are sought.
Students organize protests opposing these charges, urging at most suspension. They say “time to make ourselves seen and heard, and “black male body always to blame.”
The white student who was beaten is conflicted, knowing that that although the Black student is seventeen, he will be charged as an adult. However, he refuses to drop the charges. An added factor is the white student is gay, and has been harassed at prior schools for his sexual orientation.
The play’s title comes from the Billie Holiday song “Strange Fruit” in which Holiday sings, “Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root.”
Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members. The company’s name combines the notion that an open spirit, embracing all people and all ideas, is essential, with the idea that determination, signified by a fist, is necessary if the theater is to remain a vital voice for social change and awareness.
Background to the Jena 6 From Wikipedia
The Jena Six were six black teenagers in Jena, Louisiana, convicted in the 2006 beating of Justin Barker, a white student at the local Jena High School, which they also attended. Barker was injured on December 4, 2006, and received medical treatment.
A number of events had taken place in and around Jena in the months before the Barker assault, which included the hanging of rope nooses from a tree in the high school courtyard and two confrontations between white and black youths,
Six students—Robert Bailey, then aged 17; Mychal Bell, then 16; Carwin Jones, then 18; Bryant Purvis, then 17; Jesse Ray Beard, then 14; and Theo Shaw, then 17—were arrested for the assault of Barker. Mychal Bell was initially convicted as an adult of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. His convictions were overturned on the grounds that he should have been tried as a juvenile. Before a retrial in juvenile court, Bell pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of simple battery. The other five defendants later pleaded "no contest" to the same offense and were convicted.
The Jena Six case sparked protests by people who considered the arrests and subsequent charges as excessive and racially discriminatory. On September 20, 2007, between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters marched on Jena in what was described as the "largest civil rights demonstration in years". Related protests were held in other US cities on the same day. Subsequent reactions included songs alluding to the Jena Six, numerous editorials and opinion columns, and congressional hearings.
Grace Soens and Azeem VecchioBlood at the Root runs September 9 through October 28. Performances take place at 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday; at 7 p.m. every other Sunday beginning September 10; and at 3 p.m. every other Sunday beginning Sept. 17. Tickets range from $20 to $30.Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles 90039. Parking is free is in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.To purchase tickets and for more information call (323) 882-6912 or go to www.openfist.org.
