Black Lives Matter Play Analysis

In the recent light of the controversial “Black Lives Matter” movement and the killings of innocent African Americans by officers, the relevance of Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park, directed by David Reed, couldn’t have come at a better time. This drama dissects the issues of gentrification, and more importantly, race. These issues can be emphasized through acting, directing, costumes, lighting, sound, and scenery. As a result, the production characteristics helped to contribute to its success in conveying these issues.
Since the setting of the play starts in Chicago in 1959() and the 2000s, the issue of gentrification and race was a dominating theme in this drama, as there was segregation of blacks and whites during 1959’s Chicago, successfully
Costumes took an interesting approach, as they were somewhat close to the fashion styles found in the 1950s: In Act 1, Bev and Francine had short hair and were close to their heads, while the men’s hairstyles, such as from Jim and Karl, had a side part and slicked the way back. In the case of African American entertainers during the time, such as Albert in the play, they kept their hair short. The men in general wore buttoned down shirts, while the women wore blouses/dresses.
The use of lighting was used to focus the conversation the cast was involved in while isolating other cast members not involved in it. One such example was Bev and her son on the night of the suicide. As Dan discovers the suicide note from the trunk and reads it, he simply stays affixed at the note, while the lighting darkens to focus on Bev and her son’s final conversation with each other, in order to set the mood of the conversation, by using a soft light. Another use of the lighting was to signal the end of Acts I and II.