Draft:Baltimore (play)
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Baltimore was written by American Black playwright Kirsten Greenidge. It centers on a racially charged incident that happened in a first-year dormitory at a college campus[1], where the students involved talk about racism in America and on campus, microaggression, racial color blindness, social class, etc. It was commissioned by the Big Ten Theatre Consortium, which is an initiative that encourages female playwrights to create roles for women.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]A racist caricature is placed on the door of a first-year African American student, sparking conversations among students from diverse cultural backgrounds living on the same floor. As tensions rise, the students repeatedly turn to their residential advisor, Shelby, who hesitates to address the race-related controversy due to her own personal experiences.[3]
Shelby: African American, resident advisor. In the story, she spends most of her time in her corner to avoid her first-year residents’ calls for help. Her previous experience of getting fired from the athletic center for changing a Black football player’s record makes her afraid of dealing with racism-related issues. Eventually, she is forced to go back to the floor and start a conversation.
Alyssa: 18-year-old African American. Everyone on the floor is discussing the picture on her floor, but she does not voice out until the end.
Fiona: 18-year-old white female. She is raised in a Black neighborhood but has a lot of misconceptions about what is considered racist. She drew the racist caricature onto Alyssa’s door.
Rachel: 18-year-old Latina who is identified as having light skin. She is very socially conscious about the racist dynamic and tries hard to fight against stereotypes of her identity.
Leigh: 18-year-old African American who grew up in a historically Black neighborhood. She speaks very forthrightly and acts as a lead to address why such racist incident happens around them.
Bryant: 18-year-old African American. He is flirting with Fiona but also has a feeling for Alyssa at the beginning of the school. He tries to smooth things in the scenes after the incident but eventually needs to face his own identity and question himself.
Carson: 18-year-old white American. He is raised by two moms in Apex, NC. He seems to fit into the friend group with Leigh and Rachel, but through conversations with Fiona and the ending scenes, his real beliefs are questioned. Carson represents white people in the U.S. who seem to be anti-racist but their behaviors do not uphold it.
Grace: 20-year-old Asian American. She is Shelby’s friend and acts as a main force to push Shelby out of her imagination of the world.
Dean Hernandez: 50s first Black dean on campus. He pushes Shelby to face her residents and begin a conversation.
References
[edit]- ^ "Baltimore by Kirsten Greenidge | Playscripts Inc". www.playscripts.com. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
- ^ Gilroy, Maggie (2016-02-18). "Kirsten Greenidge Tackles College Racism in 'Baltimore'". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
- ^ a b Greenidge, Kirsten. Baltimore. Playscripts, Inc., 2016.