Event Title
The Brothers Size: Directing in the Africana Aesthetic
Location
King Building 106
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-27-2019 11:00 AM
End Date
4-27-2019 11:50 AM
Abstract
As a part of the ‘18-’19 Kander Theater Lab Series, The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney takes an in-depth look at the effects of mass incarceration in discussion with Black queer masculinity and brotherhood in the modern American South. Oshoosi Size, a young Black man, reacclimates to life outside of prison with his older brother,Ogun—an auto mechanic—and his friend Elegba, also recently released. Together, these Black men attempt to both find and define themselves in a world that refuses to accept them for who they truly are: human. Unlike Western theater based primarily in the Stanislavski method, The Brothers Size was both originally written and performed within a Yoruban spiritual framework steeped in ritual. This particular production involves a processional dance, Africana-enriched music and dance, African American Vernacular English (AAVE), and heavy audience participation.This production was also experimental in nature and based in SoulWork, coined by Dr. Cristal Chanelle Truscott,encouraging the community aspect of theater rather than focusing on each individual actor’s objectives. Using SoulWork to question whether an audience could and would respond to the call of the performers onstage, the production creates a live conversation between the audience, the actors, and the spiritual energies that the show revolves around. The Brothers Size is a prime example of how Black queer theater can successfully be performed and received at a private white institution like Oberlin College.
Keywords:
Theater, Black Theater, Mass Incarceration, Black Queer Masculinity, Africana Aesthetics, Yoruba
Recommended Citation
Ames, Ti and Jackson Smith, Caroline, "The Brothers Size: Directing in the Africana Aesthetic" (04/27/19). Senior Symposium. 1.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/seniorsymp/2019/keynote/1
Major
Africana Studies; Theater
Advisor(s)
Caroline Jackson Smith, Theater and Africana Studies
Project Mentor(s)
Caroline Jackson Smith, Theater and Africana Studies
April 2019
The Brothers Size: Directing in the Africana Aesthetic
King Building 106
As a part of the ‘18-’19 Kander Theater Lab Series, The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney takes an in-depth look at the effects of mass incarceration in discussion with Black queer masculinity and brotherhood in the modern American South. Oshoosi Size, a young Black man, reacclimates to life outside of prison with his older brother,Ogun—an auto mechanic—and his friend Elegba, also recently released. Together, these Black men attempt to both find and define themselves in a world that refuses to accept them for who they truly are: human. Unlike Western theater based primarily in the Stanislavski method, The Brothers Size was both originally written and performed within a Yoruban spiritual framework steeped in ritual. This particular production involves a processional dance, Africana-enriched music and dance, African American Vernacular English (AAVE), and heavy audience participation.This production was also experimental in nature and based in SoulWork, coined by Dr. Cristal Chanelle Truscott,encouraging the community aspect of theater rather than focusing on each individual actor’s objectives. Using SoulWork to question whether an audience could and would respond to the call of the performers onstage, the production creates a live conversation between the audience, the actors, and the spiritual energies that the show revolves around. The Brothers Size is a prime example of how Black queer theater can successfully be performed and received at a private white institution like Oberlin College.
Notes
KEYNOTE
Session II - Black | Theater
A featured student-faculty pair selected to present the story and results of their collaboration.