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permanent collection
A terrific show. HOWEVER, it was extremely difficult to hear everything at the back of the theatre. Whenever an actor spoke with his back to the audience, it was practically inaudable. This is the second production where this problem occurred – the other was The Picture of Dorian Gray. Perhaps you should consider having the actors use small microphones.
2010/2011 season
Just got my renewal notice for next season in the mail. Sounds like a really interesting season. I’m especially interested in seeing Talented Mr. Ripley and Wrinkle in Time on stage. Congrats on a great lineup.
Permanent Collection
Set against the backdrop of an Arts Foundation with an expansive and impressive impressionist collection, the show explores the racial themes that emerge when the new-on-the-block Director of the foundation, appointed at the behest of the foundation’s eccentric and recently deceased founder, challenges the founder’s willed vision that the foundation’s permanent collection remain static in favor of adding 8 additional pieces of African Art. Bucked by a long-time staffer, the proposed addition quickly becomes a divisive force that, in the end, nearly destroys the foundation both the Director and staffer seek to preserve, each in their own way.
Built on the back of a small but powerful cast, the show spectacularly highlights the tensions that bubble just under the surface in today’s society. Particularly poignant in this production was actress who played Kaneka, the new Director’s African-American assistant who inadvertently becomes the arbiter of the conflict. Her ability to lure in the audience with her warmth and exuberance and to keep them with her ferocity will, I hope, make her a staple in the Roundhouse Theater’s casting repertoire.
Permanent Collection
I wanted to see the “Permanent Collection” because of the patterning of the fictional Morris collection on the real Barnes Collection outside of Philadelphia. Director Douglas did not disappoint with an excellent production. It was great to see Jewell Robinson acting again, and she is excellent in the role of Ella Franklin. Lawrence Redmond almost steals the show as Alfred Morris; I hope this role is another award winner for him, he got my vote. I enjoy watching Craig Wallace perform, he is excellent here but I loved him more in Othello. Susan Lynskey is excellent as Gillian. Jessica Frances Dukes does an outstanding job portraying Kanika. Washington audiences are blessed this season with outstanding with Afro-American women artist working in Studio, Arena Stage and now in this Roundhouse production. I hope we see more of these women in other shows. Lastly Jeff Allin was very good as Paul Barrow. While I enjoyed the production I feel the Gibbons story needs more work. I won’t elaborate here but I still feel that one should see this play. Tony Cisek’s set greatly adds to the production. It time to shake off the blues of the past snow storms, so come out to the theatre and see Permanent Collection. Excellent Job Congrats to All….
Permanent Collection
Thanks for this profound and entertaining theater experience. This is the best play I have seen at Round House. I brought my teen-age son and we both enjoyed the performance and had thoughtful discussions about the issues raised the show. Bravo!
Permanent Collection
Bravo, Round House!!! Permanent Collection makes for a great evening of theater, but more than that. This is an important play to see! It’s not only the quality writing of Thomas Gibbons, the thoughtful orchestration of the director, Timothy Gibbons, the fabulous performances by all the actors, and the wonderful set and costumes. It’s that there is so much material to think about, the art in addition to race. That the two main characters can’t come together even one step, I feel, really drew me in as an audience member. It was not just for me to sit and watch things unfold, but to really take a participatory role, if only in my mind, in the thought process behind each side of the argument. And the one time the characters may have had a compromise, a different level of racial issues is introduced, an unconscious sort of racism (the sort perhaps akin to recent, now famous Chris Mathews words about forgetting Obama’s black), which adds a whole new level of complexity to the events. Very worth seeing.
Permanent Collection
We saw the play on February 1. I thought it had alot to recommend it between the superb performance by the actor who plays Sterling and the varied points of view about race relations and art museum policies portrayed in the work. Above all, it encouraged the playgoer to think instead of being preached to which sometimes occurs in plays with these themes. Finallly, Roundhouse provides eye catching sets as evidenced by the excellent visuals in Permanent Collection.
Permanent Collection
Well written, well played. Definitely worth seeing.
collectiion.
An interesting, thought-provoking play. It read as if it were written by a very angry, black american, yet it isn’t. Both Paul and Sterling present contrasting points of view–I found myself agreeing with, yet angered by, each of them., I found it particularly interesting that, at the close of the play, there were numerous members of the audience who gave the cast/play a standing ovation–all of them were black.
The play made me realize that we really are not fully integrated. I pride myself on not being “racist”, but , were my words/interntions parsed and evaluated at all times, I might be read the wrong way. And as Paul states, once you are tainted as such,you could be in trouble.
Blake–a gutsy choice for the current season–well done!. And it certainly makes one think–one of the functions of theater.
Permanent Collection
I loved this play/performance (Friday January 29th’s). From my 65 year old educated white woman perspective, Thomas Gibbons captured the essence of how racial controversy gets ginned up/played out in America. But I’ve learned not to totally “trust” my judgments about race, having grown up in circumstances where my race and privilege were invisible to me. I was glad to hear the director say that he, too, felt Gibbons had gotten it right. I kept waiting for either Sterling or Paul to make that one small shift in perspective that might have changed the conversation, but with the “help” of the media (which will always be present playing some role in the public discourse), they just seemed to get further and further locked into their positions. Kanika, representing the younger generation, seemed to offer hope of shifting the nature of the conversation, but she, too, got caught in her wounds of personal betrayal after she lost her job.
President Obama invited the nation to engage in serious dialogue about race – getting past the polite public gloss of unity and racial harmony and private continuations of stereotyping) and trying to hear each other with respect for the other perspective. I’m part of a group trying to do that. It’s hard work. I applaud all involved in this play/production for keeping that notion that we should continue to work at that conversation before us.
Permanent Collection
Director Tim Douglas and cast NAILED the sweetspot again and again, where the racial heat rises, while our intellectual and empathetic engagement with the all the characters stays intact.
This brinksmanship with the audience makes for a riveting experience. Our conversations about the performance continued for hours — days! — afterward.
Permanent Collection
I saw it Wednesday night. It’s a provocative piece of writing in that it doesn’t take sides. It tackles some complicated and touchy issues with depth and intelligence. Thanks for doing this play.
Permanent Collection
Lots to think about. It was very powerful.