Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.
The University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players (REP) opens its 19th season with August Wilson's reflective How I Learned What I Learned at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark. The 2003 work dives into the people, places, and experiences that shape who we become.
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| Hassan El-Amin stars in The REP's production of August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned. Photo courtesy of The REP. |
Pittsburgh's Hill District is the setting where the audience gets a glimpse into the experiences which made Wilson such a celebrated playwright. Through vivid storytelling, we see and hear about lessons learned, reflections, and personal growth.
"August Wilson is without question one of America’s greatest playwrights ever," says REP company actor and star of the show Hassan El-Amin. "A Black Man, and the stories he told about the Black experience in America deserve to be shared for a lifetime."
El-Amin is wonderful in emoting during his extended monologues. His physicality was bold and lively and measured all at once. He controlled his vocalizations to the point where his cadence got the audience united in the rhythms of the performance. The audience started to turn the show into something of a revival as patrons started to verbally respond to open-ended questions and apparent cues El-Amin tossed our way. It felt like we were part of the original lived experiences Wilson was, himself, reliving on stage.
The set, lighting, sound, and screen projections by Stefanie Hansen and Eileen Smitheimer were perfect complements to the script and acting. "Typed" names, words, and phrases on the massive backdrop broke up the one-act play into multiple bites we could eagerly consume.
One of the chief lessons demonstrated in this production is that Wilson stood up to racial discrimination and navigated the color line as he saw fit. He explained how he (simply?) quit a number of jobs rather than give into bigotry. Even though Wilson calls the people he encounters "good, honest Americans," there is more than a tinge of irony in his voice. But, he isn't bitter. He conveys overall optimism, which makes the show more a celebration of life and (an evolving) society rather than a condemnation.
Practically all the vignettes contain some comedic moments and reflections that are meant to be humorous. Being able to create some laughs about so many very real situations is what makes the presentation so special, especially when some cursing and the "N" word are thrown into the mix.
Deftly dancing between nostalgia, bigotry, poverty, and comedy is a triumph for El-Amin and The REP. "Co-Conceiver" Todd Kreidler should be commended for his editorial work coherently putting these stories together in such an entertaining way.
Interim Artistic Director Michael Gotch states: "[The play is] about the power experience has in shaping each of us over time and the ways in which memory serves as both a touchstone for personal integrity and a place from which we keep moving forward together in the face of both collective and individual hardships and challenges."
After the show, you may be asking yourself: "What have I learned from the people and places that shaped me?"
This production of How I Learned What I Learned runs now through September 20. Tickets prices range from $23-43 (+fees) with discounts available for students, seniors, plus University of Delaware faculty and staff. Audience engagement opportunities include post-show talkbacks and pre-performance prologues.
Deftly dancing between nostalgia, bigotry, poverty, and comedy is a triumph for El-Amin and The REP. "Co-Conceiver" Todd Kreidler should be commended for his editorial work coherently putting these stories together in such an entertaining way.
Interim Artistic Director Michael Gotch states: "[The play is] about the power experience has in shaping each of us over time and the ways in which memory serves as both a touchstone for personal integrity and a place from which we keep moving forward together in the face of both collective and individual hardships and challenges."
After the show, you may be asking yourself: "What have I learned from the people and places that shaped me?"
This production of How I Learned What I Learned runs now through September 20. Tickets prices range from $23-43 (+fees) with discounts available for students, seniors, plus University of Delaware faculty and staff. Audience engagement opportunities include post-show talkbacks and pre-performance prologues.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu; by contacting the REP box office at 302.831.2204; or visiting in person at 110 Orchard Road Tuesdays through Fridays from 12 to 5 PM. The one act show runs just over 90 minutes.
The Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts is located on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus and is ADA-compliant. It is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling 302.831.2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.
"Something is not always better than nothing."
The Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts is located on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus and is ADA-compliant. It is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling 302.831.2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.
"Something is not always better than nothing."