Court Theatre production of Appropriate, an amazing experience for ākonga

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Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a Brooklyn based playwright and producer and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. Recent credits include showrunner, executive producer and writer for HULU / FX’s drama series, Kindred, based on Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking novel. 

Jacob-Jenkins was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2016, with the foundation noting his “use a historical lens to satirise and comment on modern culture, particularly the ways in which race and class are negotiated in both private and public settings." Partly for that reason, his work has been described as ‘subversive’ and ‘innovative’. He has also been acknowledged as a playwright who expertly captures the nuances of domestic American life, just as his heroes Sam Shepherd, Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill have. All of them, he says, have been telling stories about race long before him; many of us didn’t notice, because it was through the dominant lens many stories were always told. “So, do you think that you’ve not been making work about race? You’ve been making work about whiteness.”
 -- Court Theatre Education Pack

Year 11-13 senior drama ākonga from John McGlashan College and Columba College were thrilled to venture all the way up to Ōtautahi-Christchurch to experience Jacobs-Jenkins' groundbreaking play. It was a huge day for everyone, leaving at 5:15am in the morning from Dunedin to make the matinee performance and Question & Answer session from 11am, before arriving back in Ōtepoti at 8:30pm.

The show deals with some heavy themes of racism and erasure of history, and proved itself a great example of how effectively art can be used to address difficult topics in our society, and how we deal with them.

After their father dies, the Lafayette siblings gather at their crumbling ancestral estate to clear out the family house for sale. There, they discover the most unexpected of secrets and are forced to confront realities they would prefer had never been revealed. At once familiar yet shocking, Appropriate’s audacious and unexpected humour will leave you as open-mouthed as its revelations. -- Court Theatre Appropriate Education Pack

As well as thematic conventions, the students were able to see a strong use of theatrical techniques, and instances of using voice and pacing to change the energy of the scenes. The high quality of acting on display will be of great benefit to the work they are doing in their current standard.

In addition to seeing the performance, the students got the opportunity to ask the cast and crew questions in a Q&A afterwards. Through some well thought-out questions, the students were able to unpack the process of the show, and get an insight into both the actors' preparation as well as the design and production elements.

Overall, an incredibly valuable experience for everyone involved! Mauri mahi, Mauri ora!