Calpurnia (play)

Calpurnia is a 2018 play by Canadian playwright Audrey Dwyer. It is named after Calpurnia, a character in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird.

Calpurnia
Written byAudrey Dwyer
Characters
  • Julie
  • Lawrence
  • Mark
  • James
  • Precy
  • Christine
Place premieredBuddies in Bad Times, Toronto
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy

Synopsis

Caplurnia centres around Julie, a twenty-something Black woman living with her father, an Afro-Caribbean judge, in Toronto. She is a screenwriter attempting to write a film about Calpurnia, the Finches' maid in To Kill A Mockingbird. Julie's brother, Mark, is an up-and-coming lawyer struggling to live up to his father's expectations. Julie's research on racial prejudice spark debates between her and her brother as Mark feels Julie is "not Black enough". Julie asks the family's Filipina housekeeper, Precy, about her life to further her research while Precy cooks dinner for Lawrence and his friend James. Mark's white girlfriend, Christine, also attends the dinner and sparks discussions of white privilege and respectability politics.[1]

Productions

Calpurnia premiered in 2018 at Buddies in Bad Times in Toronto. The premiere was directed by Dwyer and co-produced by Nightwood Theatre and Sulong Theatre.[2] The premiere starred Meghan Swaby as Julie, Carolyn Fe as Precy, Matthew Brown as Mark, Andrew Moodie as Lawrence, Don Allison as James, and Natasha Greenblatt as Christine.[2] Anna Treusch designed the set which stadium-style seating on either side of the stage.[3]

In March 2021, Calpurnia is set to be performed at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.[4]

Analysis

Calpurnia examines what it means to be Black in Canada and focusses on how its characters shift their identities to suit their environments. The character of Lawrence embodies the traditional image of an immigrant parent trying to make the best life for their children while also trying to educate them about their culture. However, Laurence does not speak Patois to his children, indicating his attempt to make his children "more Canadian".[5]

Julie and Mark engage in several conversations about the usefulness and worth of updating canonical texts as well as who has a right to tell what stories.[1] To Kill A Mockingbird is Mark's favourite book and he does not feel as though it needs any retelling. He also feels that Julie, a rich woman living in Toronto with no Black friends, does not know any more about being African-American in Alabama in the 1930s than Harper Lee did. Julie, on the other hand, faults Atticus Finch for his "slut-shaming" and refusing to call out the prejudice of white jury members.[2]

The character of Precy acts as a model for Lee's Calpurnia, in that she serves Lawrence and his children the same way Calpurnia serves the Finch family.[3] Dwyer was interested in using Precy to examine how different racial minorities interact with each other as well as to examine the concept of allyship.[6][7]

Development

Dwyer began writing Calpurnia in 2012 after playing a maid in a show.[8] She developed the play with Obsidian Theatre as part of their playwriting unit.[9]

References
  1. Fricker, Karen (January 22, 2018). "Racial drama Calpurnia is smart and important — but imperfect". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  2. Nestruck, J. Kelly (January 18, 2018). "Review: Calpurnia's inconsistent characters undermine a play with promise". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  3. Sumi, Glenn (January 19, 2018). "Calpurnia will make you laugh, think and shift uncomfortably in your seat". NOW Magazine. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  4. Schmidt, Joff (January 31, 2020). "'Relevant and diverse stories': Network, 2 premieres, new festival coming to Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre". CBC. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  5. Brown, Brandon (March 2, 2018). "Calpurnia's Class Conundrum". Bashy Magazine. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  6. "Audrey Dwyer and Catherine Hernandez on the intentional awkwardness of their new play Calpurnia". CBC. January 25, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  7. Liebembuk, Shelley (April 12, 2018). "REVIEW: Labour Politics in Audrey Dwyer's Calpurnia Problematize Allyship". alt.theatre. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. Green, Bailey (January 19, 2018). ""Race, Allyship & How the Past Informs the Present" In Conversation with Audrey Dwyer, playwright & director of CALPURNIA". In The Green Room. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  9. Dwyer, Audrey (February 9, 2018). "Calpurnia and The Quest to Write the Truth". Shameless Magazine. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
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