The personal is political. In a world full of existential political dread, theater offers a place to break down these systems and consider the multitude of perspectives behind them. “Amerikin,” a play by 2010 NYU alum Chisa Hutchinson, confronts heady questions about American identity through the story of a man and his family. It opens with Jeff Browning (Daniel Abeles) — an average white guy from Sharpsburg, Maryland — in the hospital talking to his newborn son. Jeff seems sweet, until moments later when we hear him shouting a racial slur in his backyard, trying to summon his offensively named dog.
Jeff isn’t just a casual racist either. The play begins as he is well on his way to joining the local white supremacist group, although Jeff would argue that he’s joining for the community and security the group would provide for his family. The only thing that stands in his way is a pesky little genetic test that he is obligated to take to be a part of the group. The test reveals a great irony: Good ole all-American Jeff has African ancestry. In an attempt to salvage his spot in the group, he lies about the results.
Jeff’s impulse to use secrecy to get his way is no surprise to the audience though. Behind the Brownings’ white picket fence is a house of lies: His wife, Michelle (Molly Carden), is suffering from postpartum depression which Jeff is unsympathetic to. The pair only got married in the first place after their affair was discovered by Jeff’s first wife, Alma Tillery (Andrea Syglowski), and Jeff believed Michelle would be “desperate enough” to have his baby — so much for family values.
Despite Jeff’s attempts to appear 100% white, the true DNA results are uncovered and Jeff becomes a target of the white supremacist group. There is further hypocrisy in Jeff’s decision to fabricate the test results rather than accept the truth of his identity and question his belief system. Often, the casual bigotry of the Brownings and their friends is so uncomfortable, you can’t help but laugh. Yet Hutchinson carefully toes the line between the comedic and dramatic so as to not let the characters off the hook. While laughter can be a tool to keep the bad actions of others at arm’s length, Hutchinson does not make Jeff into a caricature. We are forced to see his humanity as he acts with misguided impulses to protect his family. Ultimately, Jeff’s actions have deadly consequences that the audience must reckon with.
Jeff’s lie also draws the attention of a prominent black journalist, Gerald Lamott (Victor Williams) and his daughter, Chris (Amber Reauchean Williams), who hear about Jeff’s deceit via Facebook. After interviewing the various parties — and his daughter being threatened by Jeff in the process — Gerald concludes that he cannot forgive Jeff, but he can understand him more than he wishes he did. The play is set in 2017 and the country has only become more polarized since, making Gerald’s admission of empathy a radical act. At its core, “Amerikin” is an empathetic exploration of how the universal instinct to protect our families can easily sour, turning us into the worst versions of ourselves. Racist ideology often stems from generations of pain and confusion that’s worth considering, even if those actions are worth condemning.
“We will not comply.” That is what the flyer inside the Playbill for “Amerikin” read, acknowledging the “current uncertainty surrounding federal funding.” Watching the play, it was hard to forget how plays like “Amerikin,” which are unafraid to dive head-first into the thorny subjects of race and American identity, are being undermined by the Trump administration. Arts organizations that have long relied on grants from places like the National Endowment for the Arts are now unsure of their status, as the Trump administration has threatened to cut funding for programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or “gender ideology” — and that’s if the Department of Government Efficiency doesn’t cut arts funding altogether.
While it may have been easy to bemoan theater as an echo chamber where artists produce political plays for an audience who already agree with their politics, these attacks demonstrate that theater has the power to influence the national conversation — enough so that it is now viewed as a political threat by an increasingly oppressive regime. “Amerikin” is not only a deeply moving play but an incredibly timely one that encourages us to challenge and empathize with our fellow Americans before it’s too late.
Contact Sawyer Gouw Ranzetta at [email protected].