When asked about what inspired him to write his new play, “The Haunting of Jim Crow,” playwright Allan Havis, head of playwriting at UCSD’s Department of Theatre and Dance, said, “Many of my plays have been in the direction of political and social conflicts. I like to think of myself as a political writer.”
Certainly this play is nothing short of a political piece. Written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, which invalidated the “separate, but equal” doctrine, this play promises to be a truly enlightening and poignant evening of theater. Presented as a 30-minute staged reading by professional actors and master of fine arts students, “The Haunting of Jim Crow” blends the famous Supreme Court ruling with the recent revelations about Strom Thurmond’s mixed-race daughter, Essie Mae Washington-Williams. This reading, directed by San Diego Repertory Theater’s Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, promises to capture “the tumultuous mood and the paradoxical politics of America during the Eisenhower years.”
Though this script was a commissioned piece, Havis said that his leanings toward being a political writer stemmed from his interests as a youth. Most prominently, he said that he worked in many inner-city schools and underprivileged summer camps as a college student and in years right after college.
“The Haunting of Jim Crow” will not be a phenomenon kept solely within the confines of UCSD. It is scheduled to travel to the California Western School of Law and to be broadcast on KPBS. Each performance at UCSD will be followed by a panel discussion. Havis will most likely be one of the
speakers on the panel. At the California Western School of Law, UCSD and Cal Western History professor Michal R. Belknap will present a brief lecture prior to the performance.
The involvement with KPBS should also help get the story out to the public.
“I have an ongoing relationship with KPBS through other projects, which involve my MFA playwriting students from UCSD and radio plays,” Havis said. “I opened the idea with KPBS and they were very enthusiastic to participate.”
Following the KPBS presentation, there will be a discussion with host Dirk Sutro on “The Lounge.”
Havis stressed that panel discussions are a very important part of the presentation of this piece. The idea of the panels supplements the event of the dramatic reading of the script. They serve to facilitate different views and opinions on similar matters and to get the audience thinking about what they just watched.
Geisel Library will also host an exhibition and events commemorating the landmark court decision.
“The Haunting of Jim Crow” will be presented at UCSD on May 17 at 7 p.m. and May 19 at 8 p.m. The play will also be presented at 12:15 p.m. at the California Western School of Law and will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on KPBS on May 17.
