It was going to be “Little Shop of Horrors.”
But after a year of protest and contagion, of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, of anti-maskers and contact tracing, staging even the most jaded of sci-fi musicals seemed both tone deaf and impossible to socially distance. Ron Himes needed a new fall show.
So he created one. “Remember… That Time Before The Last Time,” which will begin streaming Dec. 11, is directed by Himes and written almost entirely by interns from Himes’ professional company, The Black Rep, and students from Washington University in St. Louis’ Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences.
“I wanted to do something that spoke to the epidemic of racism and to the pandemic that we’re living in now,” said Himes, the PAD’s Henry E. Hampton, Jr. Artist-in-Residence. “Every time we have one of these incidents of police brutality, we think — or at least, we hope — this will be the last time. But it just keeps going.
“After a while, it’s like, ‘Remember that time before the last time?’”
‘They don’t see …’
Structured as a series of monologues and short sketches, “Remember…” pays homage to victims of racial violence while also allowing performers to reflect on their own experiences of social protest, law enforcement, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sophomore Chloe Kilpatrick recalls a high school tennis match in Harrison, Ark., site of national Ku Klux Klan headquarters. When local klansmen rattled the fencing and hurled slurs at a Black teammate, Kilpatrick was infuriated by the vitriol but stunned by the silence of other players — even as her teammate, eyes full of tears, valiantly won game after game.
“Systemic racism is real,” Kilpatrick says. “When my family raised me to lead with peace and love, and to stick up for those who are suffering or in danger, I don’t know how they could expect me not to support Black Lives Matter.”
Jesmelia Williams recalls her parents buying a nice car for her older brother — and all the times her brother was pulled over by officers wondering whether the car was really his. Christian Kitchens recalls being searched at a store at age 11. Freshman Leah Coleman witnessed police detain, bicker with, and eventually release a young woman for smoking marijuana, and wonders what might have happened if the suspect had not been white and the neighborhood not so wealthy.
Freshman Nick Cochran describes the effects of COVID-19 through the eyes of his mother, a doctor specializing in infectious disease. Despite more than 250,000 dead, “many people don’t understand how serious this pandemic is because all they see is a number,” he said. “They don’t see the health-care workers, the sickbeds, the tubes in people’s throats, or the body bags piled up where ever there is room.”
But “Remember…” also includes flashes of joy, from childhood snow forts and favorite films to the births of siblings and celebrations with family and friends.
“I see Black joy at any family gathering,” said Theorri London. “It can be that moment when everybody gets up to dance … or that moment you hear the joyous laughter and screams of cousins and siblings playing together. It’s the genuine moments of togetherness and fellowship.”
Cast and crew
Although The Black Rep frequently archives stage productions with a single, stationary camera, “Remember…” is only the second time that Himes has helmed a multi-camera shoot (the other being a revival of the company’s “Canfield Drive” at Webster University earlier this semester).
“Remember…” filming began Nov. 7 and took place in an otherwise empty Edison Theatre. The venue seats roughly 650, but Himes and his cast of just 13 nevertheless worked hard to minimize the number of people in the room at any one time.
“We had to work out a schedule,” Himes said. “Bowles Plaza became our green room.”
In addition to Cochran, Coleman and Kilpatrick, the WashU performers include Evan Moss, Caitlin Souers and Sarah Wilkinson. Cast members from The Black Rep include Kitchens, London and Williams, as well as Kentrell Jamison, Brian McKinley, Tyler White and Christina Yancy.
Choreography is by Heather Beal, a 2018 alum. Lights, sound and videography are by Kyle Himsworth and Robert Babcock. Scenic and project design are by Margery and Peter Spack. Stage managers are by Kasey Dunaski and Joshua Sarris. Props are by Emily Frei.
Tickets
“Remember… That Time Before the Last Time” will debut via the PAD website at 7 p.m. Dec. 11. The production then will be available for on-demand streaming through Dec. 27.
The event is free for WashU students. Other patrons are invited to pay what they can, with a suggested donation of $10. To receive the event link, visit the PAD website.
For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.wustl.edu.
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