Admissions
- May 16, 2020
- 2 min read
★★★★☆
My brother is the marketing director of the Unicorn Theatre. For the past several seasons, their creative has been handled by a local agency who, in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, said they were barely hanging on and would have to pass on the upcoming season. My brother asked me if I was interested, and I said I was—this is a dream assignment that’s been on my wishlist for years. Of course, as part of the process, I have to read the plays, and so I have been. I love going to the theatre but I’ve never read a lot of plays (not unusual, I’m sure), so this has been a relatively novel experience for me. In any case, at the conclusion of reading each play, I’ve dashed off initial impressions via text to my brother. For these plays, unlike my more measured, more thoughtful book reviews, I’ll be using those slapdash messages.
Admissions—funny as hell and yet … in 2020 white privilege, diversity, inclusion, personal responsibility vs. institutional responsibility haven’t changed a lick since I was in college. Charlie cuts right at the heart of the matter: It’s easy to “do your part” or “play a role” or at least con yourself into feeling like you’re making a difference with what amounts to little more than liberal proclivities.
Can one person really make a difference? Yes and no, and the reasons why you answer yes and no say everything. Do you try to affect change from within or without? Charlie’s parents obviously believe in the former, he the latter. But obviously nothing about THE SYSTEM has changed and if it can’t be changed and you want to do something about it, you make Charlie’s choice and put your money where your mouth is.
To which my brother replied, “It’s about the convenience of position. It’s easy to believe something until you’re placed in a vulnerable position. In order to give someone else a seat at the table … I might have give mine up.”
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