Thomas Wiggins, right, plays Quamar in the “Posthumous.”
Instead of a fancy proscenium, painted backdrop, velvet curtains and elevated stage, concrete cinderblocks, a sidewalk and metal overhang became a make-do amphitheater for an urban street theater troupe that performed on a Newhallville streetcorner. A wedge-shaped sign on the back wall of the “theater” identified the space as the New Haven police substation located at 596 Winchester Ave. — perhaps the last place one would expect to see scenes of gritty urban life complete with dope-dealers, gang-bangers, crack addicts and “welfare moms.”
Theatrical appetites of passersby, nearby residents and invited guests were whet with Friday’s partial presentation of “Posthumous” a one-act play written and directed by New Haven playwright Steve Driffin, under the auspices of the Winchester Revitalization Art Program (WRAP), the City of New Haven Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and Livable City Initiative (LCI).
Playwright and Director Steve Driffin.
WRAP’s mission, which began in 2010, is to revitalize the Newhallville area through the arts and to engage residents in arts projects and programs. Throughout the Summer, WRAP has been bringing interactive performance and fine arts to a neighborhood that, like many urban areas, is typically under-served by cultural and arts communities.
According to WRAP staff member and performance artist Sharece M. Sellem,who portrayed a crack addict in the play, most of her summer was spent on outreach efforts. She taught youths choreographed movement, theater arts, and entertaining with music and regular open-microphone sessions. Neighbors’ curiosity was often piqued as large pieces of plexiglass were configured into spontaneous structural forms or when giant chess pieces were moved about on a homemade checker board — squares painted on the city sidewalk.
Poet Frank Brady delivers his “spoken word” to an attentive audience.
The “Posthumous” cast, comprising both new and seasoned thespians and poets, drew a sizable crowd as Director Driffin readied the performers. Part poetry slam, part revival meeting, and part live-action drama, “Posthumous” delivered an authentic and seamless street performance of “hip-hop lyricism” as one Facebook fan opined.
Asked if there was a danger of the play reinforcing negative urban stereotypes, Sellem remarked that “we are holding a mirror to the community” and that certain scenes in the play reflected much of the activity emblematic of the realities of the neighborhood. That sentiment seemed to be confirmed as onlookers shouted periodic comments of affirmation and recognition.
Driffin, who has written over a half-dozen screenplays and over a dozen theatrical plays, offered this synopsis of the play: “Posthumous is a one-act dramatic, urban play about a young man, Quamar Daniels [played by Thomas Wiggins], who is caught in the vicious web of despair, poverty and drugs of the inner-city. With no way out, the pressure rises and explodes, fatally ending Quamar’s life; however, he is given an opportunity to come back from the dead and speak to those closest to him.”
Dysfunctional family dynamics play out as Quamar’s circumstances and personal choices drive the narrative and envelop the audience in its pathos. The full play, with its inner-city texture and bounty of lessons, will be performed at an open lot on Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. at 550 Winchester Ave., between Division and Star Streets. The public is invited to this free event; seating is limited, and theater-goers are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs.