Playwright Richard Gallion's "what if" question about slavery turns into acclaimed play in Morgan Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago playwright is posing some provocative questions: what if African Americans today could go back in time and have a conversation with their enslaved ancestors? What might the people of today learn? Would they look at their lives differently?
CBS 2's Jim Williams went to APC Theater in the Morgan Park community for some answers.
Writer, producer, and actor Richard Gallion said he gets a sense from talking to people after they've seen the show that they think about the issue differently.
He calls his play "1800s vs 2020." Two groups of African Americans – one enslaved in the 19th century the other living in the 21st century – talking and sharing experiences.
"I thought about, 'what if the slaves from the 1800s were to come here today, and have a conversation with us?' Like, how disappointed would they be?" he said.
Gallion said he believes enslaved African Americans would be disappointed with what they would see today, because too many people are not are taking full advantage of hard-fought freedoms – opportunities that slaves could only have imagined.
"We do not appreciate the past, we do not appreciate what people died for, our ancestors, our family," he said. "You hear a lot of people say that they don't want to talk about slavery. They say it's been too many slave stories, but the reality is unconfronted history repeats itself."
Nicole Reed is an associate producer whose daughter is in the play. She says audiences should think of the play as a conversation Black families might have at the dinner table.
"If you had a grandma or auntie come to you and say, 'Hey, I just want to pull our coattail, and remind you of the importance of the privileges you have. You can actually read, you can actually get an education, and not just that — just care about people," she said.
"You're never too old or young to gain more and improve upon yourself," said actor Royce Hargrove, adding his participation in the play has sparked his own introspection.
"It makes you think and reflect on your own life, and 'am I doing as much as I can with the freedom that I've been given. Am I really taking those chances, taking the initiative to really maximize this life that my ancestors afforded me to have?" he said.
WILLIAMS: "What do you want the audience to take away from this?"
GALLION: "Show gratitude for today. Stop complaining."
"1800s vs 2020" runs this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, April 9th and 10th, at the APC Theater at 114th and Vincennes.
