"More on The Boys"

Last night, I went to "The Scottsboro Boys" again. It was great to see the show a second time and really grasp some of the themes and messages that I may have glossed over before. After the production, there was an after-play discussion with most of the cast. It was an open forum where the audience could ask questions of the cast. It was great to hear that the cast had put a lot of heart and soul and research into their parts. They wanted to bring the characters back to life and tell the story of the "boys". The question was asked, "How do you feel about using theater as a means of activism." One of the actors responded that theater is always a means of activism for him. Actors, playwrights, directors, etc. are there to tell a story, and a story that means something to each person watching that production. Although there were racial accusations displayed artistically and ironically for the purpose of making the audience squirm in their seats, "The Scottsboro Boys" starts an audience member thinking about history and what we have learned from it, if anything. At the end of the production, the main character, Haywood Patterson, gives a woman his book that he wrote in jail about what really happened--the truth. As she takes the book and is changed by it, I felt an overwhelming sense of this message: learn the truth and use it in your life. We must know our pasts to dictate a better future. The biggest message in the production was truth--knowing it, relaying it to others, standing up for it, and believing in it. Another large theme was knowledge. During the boys time in jail, many of them wanted to learn more. Haywood Patterson learned to write in jail and was able to tell others the truth even while he was incarcerated. I urge all who are able to see this show, especially since it will soon be a hit on Broadway and you will want to claim that you have seen it. It is a show that is disturbingly funny, exciting, and challenging to your thoughts and emotions. As one of the actors described the show, "It is a nightmare, only to wake you up at the end by the last gong and blackout." I urge you all to see this beautiful nightmare. You will not regret it. *Left ear tug!*