"Fairview" Brings Energy and Emotion to Purchase College

By Julia Wojcik

Bachelor of Arts Theatre & Performance and Bachelor of Fine Arts Theatre Design/Technology students blended storytelling and performance in “Fairview.” Students, friends and supporters gathered at the Center for Media, Film and Theatre (CMFT) Performance Theatre to witness the combination of expressive staging, carefully crafted sound and strong ensemble chemistry.

"Fairview" is a family comedy performance directed by Steven Sapp and based on Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play that explores race, perception and the dynamics of who gets to watch, define and control Black life on stage. It begins as a seemingly conventional family sitcom about an African American family preparing for a birthday dinner but gradually moves into a surreal exploration of race and power, especially when unseen white voices intrude and take over the narrative.

Fairview playbill (playbill by Cassius Hatosy and title image design by Izzy Marchesi). (Photo by Julia Wojcik)

The performance focuses on Beverly Frasier and her family as they plan and prepare Mama’s birthday dinner, highlighting relationships, personalities and everyday tensions in the home, especially when relatives arrive. Ari Laurie, a theatre and performance senior specializing in alternative performance, played Beverly and recalled her preparation as a deep reflection on character roles and human nature.

“Understanding where Beverly was coming from and understanding her relationship to all these other people; building those relationships and taking up space with those relationships was the most difficult,” commented Laurie.

 A classic family sitcom setup for the performance of "Fairview" in the CMFT Theatre. (Photo by Julia Wojcik)

Director Sapp positively remembers his experience with the actors and design team during the entire rehearsal and performance process, especially when it came to the stage interpretation and the direction the cast wanted to go. Although it was difficult for him at first to give the cast space to be themselves, it resulted in the most practical changes.

“Everything I had in my head, as a director that had the script, none of that is on stage,” said Sapp. “Everything happened in the room - the energy in the room and the laughter and the conversations - everything you see is a group effort from them, from the design team; it was really that. You have to let it be free when it needs to be free.”

Keisha’s (Beverly’s daughter) monologue towards the end of the show broke the earlier tone, as she directly addressed the audience in a raw and emotional appeal, expressing her exhaustion and frustration of being watched and limited by others’ perceptions. Ultimately, she asks the white audience members to join her on stage so she can speak directly to Black viewers, and so they can experience a moment free from any gaze upon them.

Sapp recounts the process that sophomore Sade Williams had to go through in order to connect with the audience at a deeper level.

“I was so proud of Sade working on that monologue because where she started from, on the first day of table work, I was scared because she did not understand all the beats in it,” said Sapp, “and then to watch that process over rehearsal and going 'WOW,’ and today I had a little moment [tear falling down] because look at that transformation.”

When asked about how she approached the emotional depth of her character, junior Rhiannon Reynolds, who played Suze, said, “I met with Sade, the actress who played Keisha, and we had multiple conversations about the last moments of the show. I used Suze's mindset to tap into the feelings of white guilt she has had.

“The most rewarding part has been getting to have an audience to perform for and hearing their feedback on the show. The response from the Purchase community was highly positive, and I'm glad they understood the importance of the material.”

Audience members responded enthusiastically to the performance, filling the space with a standing ovation as the cast bowed.

Bowie Berg, a junior philosophy and critical thought major, expressed that “the provocative aspect of the play, the way it embraced any sort of reaction or contention from the audience and integrated them into the world of the characters, was very well done. It was a deeply intimate and engaging discourse on race relations and the breaking of social and cultural boundaries. The amount of effort put into this production from all angles was palpable, and the comedic moments were just as important and spot-on as the intense bits.”

The main cast and understudies of Fairview. (Photo by Julia Wojcik)