In this week’s play let’s think through an old text in new ways. So your task this week is to engage with these questions (that means answer 1 or all of them in 250+ words) – Why do you think Brandon Jacob Jenkins needed to adapt this play in 2014? Why did audiences need to see his version of this play today? How does it speak to ideas of the United States/Americas?
Week 6-Weekly Assignment
Why do you think Brandon Jacob Jenkins needed to adapt this play in 2014? Why did audiences need to see his version of this play today? How does it speak to ideas of the United States/Americas?
Brandon Jacob needed to adapt the play by the year 2014 because he thought that theatre was mainly focused on controversial ideas. I think his play “An Octoroon”, has been called the most eloquent drama based on the racial discrimination related to the decades, but it’s said about the playwright, which tells about his work based on the human condition. This play reflects on the harsh and cruel life of the blacks among the whites. Thus Brandon Jacob Jenkins illustrated his understanding because this helped him to denote the notion which stated that no one should be differentiated on any note, especially on racial grounds. “An Octoroon, by Brandon Jacob Jenkins, is an adaption from Dion Boucicault’s play “The Octoroon”. In my opinion, Brandon has made an excellent note, like a sequel to the real story because this has helped to get a glimpse of the real story too. Thus, as I have read I could state that Dion Boucicault’s ‘The Octoroon’, mainly addressed the residents of the Louisiana plantation, while his play mainly talked about the abolition of slavery and his role of theatre in politics (Theguardian.com, 2016). While Brandon Jacob Jenkins mainly spoke about removing racial discrimination through his play “An Octoroon”, which was affirmed in the pieces within the theatre with this belief. On the other hand, the African American stepped into the drama playing a vital role, with Zoe a young woman, who is the octoroon and it is really interesting like the way she fought for the Louisiana plantation. While the way she could free or enslave herself permanently. On the contrary, this drama is mainly presented to establish the concept of freedom for all while removing the dilemma of the slave community.
I think that the audience is required to see his version of the play because here he chanted several ideas and understanding through the stage performances. Likewise in his play, as stated by Krometis, (2016), he gave an outlook, for all people, to merely learn about non-discrimination policy, while he states that “Race is not like a thing you opt into as a conversation”. I think these lines to be true because like face, one’s race is also a part of their identity, so after all are human and one should be discriminated against on that note. Apart from this, I want the audience to see the play because here I liked the villain, the character name is McClosky, who could successfully thwarts the efforts of the Louisiana plantation and places Zoe for an auction. Thus, in this scene, McClosky created tension, where most of the audience randomly gave cards that could bid her character onstage. While this gave interest to the entire audience, as the price tag in the auction started to lose its moral authority, the sensation was unsettling but manageable (Krometis, 2016). Therefore, for all these reasons, I want the audience to look at the play, while the play is exaggerated, as it was based on two dimensions, designed with tinny music, creating a theatrical conceit. While this auction was the first step.
This play acts about the phrase where black humans were been discriminated against and, threatened and had to face fear from the whites. They were often bullied and had to face an offense on their racial grounds. Perhaps this is where the play lands which states the significance of removing racism and bringing forth gender equality. Thus, implementing such change can bring forward a greater number of people on a specific track, while giving meaningful action, and bringing benefits, from open access, truthful news, and responsibilities about all the citizens to each other. This play “An Octoroon”, by Brandon Jacob Jenkins, helped to establish the idea of establishing a good society without any humiliation to the blacks and developing a society that can perhaps help them to re-affirm and rebuild themselves within the society. Moreover, as the play does not represent the American social structure, but mostly this can help the society to develop itself, while most of the play has focused on the black community and the suffering associated with the society. Lastly, to conclude on the play’s note, it is my opinion, that the audience should see the play because here, Branden Jacob has tried to involve the idea which denotes how “An Octoroon”, is an eloquent drama, as this focuses on the human life and their condition in past.
References
Krometis, D. (17 April 2016) The Dissonance of An Octoroon. The Audience Position. Retrieved from https://howlround.com/dissonance-octoroon. (Retrieved on September 28, 2022)
Theguardian.com (2016). Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins: ‘Theatre is about controversial ideas. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jun/03/branden-jacobs-jenkins-an-octoroon-interview (Retrieved on September 25, 2022)
