By Ashley Wood/south news editor
The 1950s were a turbulent time in history, full of change as racism was confronted around the world.
South Campus will show Master Harold … and The Boys by Athol Fugard Nov. 13-15. The play focuses around the 1950s in South Africa, where a young white man owns a tea room and is friends with two African-American men who work for him.
Fine arts instructor Richie Haratine said he picked this play because it’s a classic.
“It’s a political play, a play about racism, hatred, separation of people,” he said. “It’s all those things, and people love to argue about the different sides, and it’s one of those pieces.”
Haratine said he likes to present something that has a heartbeat and engages people.
“In this play, it’s more about not what they’re talking about but how they are talking about it, what they’re talking about, and how they relate to each other when they’re talking about those things, and a lot of this play is about what is not said,” he said.
The reason Haratine loves this play so much, he said, is that it focuses around real people and does not necessarily make a statement. It feels like a real conversation happening on the stage for him.
“So this is a story about a young man that happens to be white and is kind of raised by an elderly black man and his friend and happen to be placed all in a room in the 1950s,” he said.
Haratine said the play is not just about a changing society. It’s a portrait of a relationship working out.
South student Matthew Dingler, who plays Master Harold, said it’s about a time period when his character could have ended up racist or not.
“I think it will be something a lot of people can connect to, and that’s really important to me to get that audience/actor connection. And I think this is a really good kind of intense play that will draw that connection together,” he said.
South student Tommie Cook, who plays Sam, said it is about overcoming the past and making a better future.
“The play is about things still going on today, and that makes people think, ‘Do I need to check myself and see if I’m doing the same things they’re doing?’” he said. “We’re trying to put a point in that we can overcome what we’ve been taught and learn how to get along.”
South student Oberian Lee III, who plays Willie, said some of the play focuses on the discomfort of seeing a white man and black men together.
“I just hope that the audience can grasp that two people of different races, doesn’t matter the race or nationality they are, that they can get along together through anything,” he said.
Tickets go on sale at the box office the night of the performance. See calendar, page 9, for ticket information.
