BLACKOUT: HOW I BECAME WHITE IN AMERICA
Written & performed by Ethelyn Friend
“In the wake, the past that is not past reappears, always, to rupture the present.” Christina Sharpe, In The Wake: On Blackness and Being
A middle-aged trust fund baby inadvertently discovers the origins of wealth in her family and falls into a game of hide and seek with US history. A solo performance reflecting one white woman’s process of facing her direct links to slavery. A somatic, musical, and theatrical exploration of denial, guilt & response. This performance directly addresses “white America“. All are welcome. The 90 min show is followed by (optional) facilitated community processing and conversation.
WRITER’S STATEMENT:
This theatre piece is inspired by the work of Reparative Genealogy and Resmaa Menakem’s Somatic Abolitionism. Since 2018, I’ve been researching my white enslaver forefathers from Georgia and Alabama, online and on the land. BLACKOUT mirrors this process and investigates the morass of white supremacy and privilege in an intimate and concrete way. I stand inside this performance as one drop of specific truth to counter the ocean of attempted erasure. It is obviously problematic for a white person to center, to literally “perform”, their response to their own relationship to the history of enslavement. I’m in grateful debt to the ongoing support of a diverse team of artists, activists and writers who have helped me navigate this quicksand, and consulted with me on many of the details of the script and performance. I am not earning in the context of this performance. Proceeds for all events are funneled to fundraising for local justice organizations, especially those related to Reparations and redistribution of wealth.
RECENT AUDIENCE RESPONSES:
“Breathtakingly achingly powerful. I honestly feel changed by it.”
“I couldn’t imagine a better faith attempt at an unwieldy topic.”
“Raw and purposeful. It will help the world heal and make life a little bigger.”
“Hands-down, it’s one of the most moving experiences I’ve witnessed. I literally have not stopped thinking about it…”
“A beautiful, moving, and innovative piece & a stellar performance!”
70% of all proceeds will go to local Racial Justice Organizations and Reparations Initiatives