White People, Qendra Multimedia

Review by Xhensila Dautllari

“Theatre is the art of pretending to be who we’re not” - Priscilla Felding

A director, two young actors and a show that must go on. That's what we're faced with in White People, written by US playwright Steven Leigh Morris, directed and adapted for the Albanian stage by Besim Ugzmajli.

Lewis, the older, more experienced director, played by Shpëtim Selmani, is having a professional and personal crisis. Not only does he have to direct Shakespeare’s King Lear, he also has to play King Lear in his own production, which is being performed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

The opening scenes are intended to confuse. The main character stands in the centre of the stage, holding a big crown. It is unsure in this moment if he is Lewis or King Lear; could it be both? The dramatic background music and the lighting helps raise the tension, enhancing our curiosity about what will happen next. The crown drops down his neck, almost suffocating him.  Even if it’s not physically depicted, we can feel the director’s sense of suffocation throughout the whole show.

The two young actors - Priscilla, played by Verona Koxha and  Doug, played by Bujar Ahmeti - find the rehearsals challenging in different ways. Priscilla is a rebellious spirit and quick to raise her voice about issues of gender identity. In fact, the character often delivers her dialogue by yelling directly at the audience. Priscilla almost quits the show because the others forget what gender she identifies as and repeatedly use the wrong pronouns. She pretends to be aware of the issues of bias and discrimination in theatre, but when faced with having to lose the role of Cordelia and to a woman of colour, she gives the impression of someone who doesn’t really believe what she says, who is more intent on telling others about what’s wrong and what’s right. She is a TikTok star, and not surprisingly, her pronouncements sound like a TikTok comment section.

On the other hand, Doug is just kind of dumb. Bujar Ahmeti makes the audience laugh with his comic approach, but they also feel pity for him. Following everyone around and doing whatever they tell him to do, he gives the impression of someone who just goes with the flow. His character demonstrates the way in which racist and sexist ideas can spread, when people are ill-informed and easily swayed.

Despite all these conflicts, the show must go on. Priscilla is not the only one whose role is at risk. A black gay English woman is supposed to soon replace Lewis, and he is stressed out about this. I couldn’t quite understand if he was mad that he was being replaced by a woman, or whether it was a question of her race or sexuality, or if it was the fact that she was an English person  coming to work in an American theatre. He seems to feel that an English Black person will never understand how it is to be an American Black person, even if they are of the same race. But what was clear, was the fact that this show matters a lot to him.

The idea of having a play inside a play, as well as play about a play, is an interesting and attention-grabbing one. Though originally written about from an American geographical perspective, the play was recontextualized for the Albania and Kosovo stage. An important question is raised during the rehearsals, which the actors break out of character to discuss: If a Roma person applies to work as a director at a Kosovo public theatre, one with all the necessary professional credentials, what would be his chances compared to other applicants? This question doesn’t have an answer in the show. Instead it allows the audience to think of their own answers.
 
I really appreciated the way that Ugzmajli directed this production. There wasn’t a moment I felt bored. He kept the plot flowing in a dynamic and gripping way. As serious as the issues treated in the show were, having them portrayed in such a comic way was far more interesting and informative. The actors switched smoothly from one role to the other, making it easy to follow if we were watching King Lear, Cordelia and Edgar, or Lewis, Priscilla and Doug in any moment. The design of the show, with dramatic background music and lighting, helped in this respect. The way in which the actors would joke around and mock the Shakespearean text, gave the impression that none of them actually wanted to get this show done. This made me ask: Why then, must the show  definitely go on?

The play takes a tragic turn towards the end. As the director’s health crisis worsens, it gets harder to distinguish if he’s playing himself or Lear. This is a moment where Lewis is alone on stage, struggling and suffering. We witness him slowly giving up everything, screaming the last lines of Lear and mixing it up with his own words. Finally a coffin is revealed, and someone falls in it. Who was it that died though? Was it the actor? Or the character? Does this mean that Lewis got to finish his Lear, or that it never began at all? Maybe something of theatre died alongside him? Maybe something of art? 

Credits: 
By: Steven Leigh Morris /Directed by: Besim Ugzmajli/ Cast: Shpëtim Selmani, Verona Koxha, Bujar Ahmeti/ Art director: Mentor Berisha Costumes: Njomza Luci / Music: Memli Kelmendi Translator: Qerim Ondozi / Light: Yann Perregaux Ass. director: Sovran Nrecaj / Sound: Bujar Bekteshi Logistic support: Adem Salihu, Lulzim Rexha, Mursel Bekteshi

The performance was part of the program of the Kosovo/Albania Theatre Showcase, which took place in Tirana, the end of October 2024.