Southern discomfort

Set in South Africa in the 1950s, Athol Fugard’s “ ‘Master Harold’… and the Boys” is the story of three men as they navigate the racial tensions of the apartheid system. While the play is set more than six decades and 8,000 miles away, its message is potent in a nation still reeling from the events surrounding the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

“Obviously, issues of race and class are still relevant,” says actor Gavin Lawrence. “In a country that has a hard time speaking openly about race, it’s great to have a piece like this that explores those issues.”

The cast of the play comprises just three characters: Sam, Willie and Hally. Sam and Willie are black men who work as waiters in a restaurant owned by Hally’s mother. Hally is a young white man, and we soon learn that Sam and Willie were servants in his parent’s house while he was growing up.

While Sam was a servant in the house, and therefore in a lower class, he was also a surrogate father figure for Hally. Hally’s actual father is an abusive alcoholic.

“With that dynamic comes a lot of human complications,” says Lawrence, who plays Sam in this production.

The emotional climax of the play arises from news that Hally’s father is returning home from the hospital. Filled with anger towards his father, Hally lashes out at Sam and Willy with racist vitriol.

Justin Dietzel, who plays Hally, believes there is a metaphor here for our nation. While race relations and civil rights continue to improve, racism is often still simmering beneath the surface.

“On paper it looks like we’ve come so far,” he says. “But as a human race we haven’t melted our cold, stone hearts.”

Bert Goldstein, director of the Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center, has taken the helm as director of this play.

“I saw the play on Broadway in 1982 and I fell in love with it,” he remembers.

With MSU’s campuswide Project 60/50, the university is taking time to reflect on the history and future of civil rights in the U.S. Goldstein saw this as a great opportunity to bring “Master Harold” to campus. He believes that theater can give audiences a new perspective on these issues.

“To see (the conflict) through a personal story is powerful.”

When asked what makes this play exceptional, all involved were quick to mention the humanity and simplicity of the play.

“The message is subtle,” said Dietzel. “Not overworked.”

Despite it’s simplicity, the racially charged material is demanding for the actors. An early rehearsal of the play left Lawrence emotionally exhausted.

“The first time I finished the play, my friends had to help me up,” he remembers.

Audiences will also have a chance to respond and reflect on the play. There will be a 30-minute Q&A session following the Friday performance, and a one-hour panel discussion following the Saturday performance. The Saturday panel will feature social and political activist and educator Prexy Nesbitt and South African native Funeka M. Sihlali, who lived through apartheid.

Goldstein relishes this chance to bring one of the great plays of the 20th century to the Wharton Center stage.

“It’s a brilliant piece of theater. The characters are so rich and fulfilling,” he says. “If you haven’t seen (a play by) Fugard, you owe it to yourself to see this play.”

—TY FORQUER

“ ‘Master Harold’… and the Boys”

7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31 $30 Wharton Center 750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing (517) 353-1982

Friday, Jan. 30-31 >> Art & Craft BeerFest

The Art & Craft BeerFest returns to REO Town for an even bigger two-day, three-venue event. The festival features 32 beers, four ciders and six taproom-only selections from Traverse City’s Right Brain Brewing Co. This year’s event, hosted at three different REO Town locations, will also feature several visual artists and musicians over the course of the two days. Metal artists will be in the Cadillac Room inside Riverview Church’s REO Town Venue (formerly the Cadillac Club), photographers in AA Creative Corridor and a painter in the REO Town Pub. The festival’s kick-off will begin with a ceremonial firkin tapping at 6 p.m., followed by various events within each venue. 6-10 p.m. Friday (5 p.m. for VIP); 5-10 p.m. Saturday (4 p.m. for VIP). $30 advanced/$40 VIP/$70 two-day VIP. REO Town, Lansing. For complete listings and ticket information visit artandcraftbeerfest.com.

Friday, Jan. 30 >> East Lansing 2030 Conversation: Ecologies and Economies

What could East Lansing look like in 15 years? Community members will have a chance to hear and share visions for the city as part of the ongoing East Lansing 2030 : Collegeville Re-Envisioned exhibition hosted by the Eli and Edythe Broad Museum. The exhibition features work from a variety of architects, landscape architects and urban designers and their images of the East Lansing of the future. This month’s featured designers are Chris Reed of Stoss and David Leven and Stella Betts of Levenbetts. They will discuss the ways carbon, water and light impact urban ecologies, specifically that of East Lansing. 6:30 p.m. FREE. Education Wing, Eli and Edythe Broad Museum, 547 E. Circle Drive, East Lansing. broadmuseum.msu.edu.

Friday, Jan. 30-Feb. 8 >> MSU Theatre2Film Project

Theater The MSU Department of Theatre kicks off the student-developed Theatre2Film Project this Friday at Wharton Center’s Studio 60. The Theatre2Film Project will first be performed as a play, and then later turned into a film as an exploration of theatrical and cinematic audiences. Mark Colson, assistant professor of media acting, is the director of this project. The production focuses both on the isolating qualities of technology and the fall and resurrection of Detroit. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday- Thursday. $10. Studio 60 Theatre, MSU Auditorium, MSU Campus, 542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing. 1-800-Wharton, theatre.msu.edu/theatre2film.

FRIDAY, JAN. 30 >> LCC’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH OPENING CEREMONIES

Lansing Community College begins a month full of activities in observance of Black History Month with its “Black History Month Opening Ceremony” event. The evening promises a variety of features, starting with a welcome from the master of ceremonies, LCC Trustee Robin Smith. There will be a performance of African dance and drumming by students from El Hajj Malik el Shabazz Academy, a presentation by local mime Joshua Moore and a musical performance by LCC alumnus Tigi Habtemariam. The event culminates in a presentation from the opening ceremony’s keynote speaker, Dr. David Pilgrim, founder and curator of the Jim Crow Museum. 5-8 p.m. FREE. Dart Auditorium, Lansing Community College, 500 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing. lcc.edu/blackhistorymonth.

Saturday, Jan. 31 >> Pancake Championship Breakfast

Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast served by local celebrities while supporting a good cause. Proceeds from the Pancake Championship Breakfast will go to Haven House, who provide homeless families with emergency shelter and support services. The local celebrities are already engaged in a contest on Haven House’s website to see who can raise the most money. Celebrity servers include Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett and Lansing HRCS Director Joan Jackson Johnson. 8-10 a.m. $10. Applebee´s, 2450 Coolidge Road, East Lansing. havenhouseel.org.