September 20, 2017
Page 9
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
photo by
r ussell J. y ouNg / courtesy A rtists r ep t heAtre
Joseph Gibson stars in “An Octoroon,” a shocking comedy that focuses on the expectations that black artists face.
Confronting a Shared Heritage
Artists Rep presents shocking comedy ‘An Octoroon,’
Artists Repertory Theatre has launched
its new season with an awarding winning
play that focuses on the expectations that
black artists face, a shocking comedy filled
with uncomfortable truths and jarring vi-
sual poetry.
“An Octoroon,” now playing through
Oct. 1 on the theater’s Alder Stage, down-
town, confronts our country’s undeniable
racist heritage through unconventional
means.
Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins puts
on display and then subverts one of 19th
century America’s popular, crowd-pleasing
pieces of entertainment, “The Octoroon,”
in all its racist and distressing stereotypes,
including the manner in which it was tradi-
tionally performed: in blackface and red-
face.
The purpose is for audiences to laugh
uncomfortably and involuntarily at this
skewering and rewriting of a shared her-
itage, and to consider how it haunts con-
temporary life.
“Choosing to produce this profound and
difficult piece of theatre has rewarded all
of us at Artists Rep with the opportunity to
confront our own relationship to the insti-
tution of racism – discussing our past, our
privileges, our biases and our mistakes– and
to move forward together urgently toward
creating an inclusive, diverse and equitable
culture,” said the play’s artistic director and
co-director, Damaso Rodriquez.
For tickets and more information, visit
artistsrep.org.