"The Niceties" Fosters Discussions on Race

Students flooded into Assembly Hall as the lights dimmed and two women took to the stage. From 8 to 10 p.m. last Tuesday, the Academy showcased “The Niceties,” a play by Eleanor Burgess, challenging the role of race in academic spaces. The play was a required appointment for lowers, who attended the showing as a part of their English 320 curriculum about race and identity.Produced and directed by the New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Art Director, Catherine Stewart, “The Niceties” features a confrontation between black college student Zoe Reed, played by Malikah McHerrin-Cobb, and her white professor Janine Bosco, played by Genevieve Aichele. The two women begin with a disagreement about Zoe’s thesis and her sources, which spirals into Zoe confronting Janine about the impact of racism in academia.Due to the sensitive nature of the play, the English Department prepared dormitory proctors with resources to support students after the play. “This show has topics that make many people feel angry, guilty, confused, agitated or excited,” English Instructor Alex Myers said. “A diverse audience could have a range of reactions, which is good, and I wanted to be sure that students would have support and places to work through their emotions after the play.”According to English Instructor Christina Breen, the play addressed issues pertinent to the Exeter classroom. “The dialogue is indicative of conversations happening in academia today about what is ‘legitimate’ scholarship and what voices have been erased by history,” Breen said.Another important topic highlighted by the play was the power imbalance between the student and the professor, English Instructor Barbara Desmond noted. “I found the professor's actions unsettling,” Desmond said. “Initially, she has power in this relationship, and she uses this power without thinking of its effect and without being fully aware of biases underlying her scholarship.”Similarly, English Instructor Christine Knapp described how the play made her more aware of such power imbalances at Exeter. “I recognize that it’s difficult for a student because of the power dynamic, for them to ask the teacher, perhaps, ‘What did you mean by that?’” she said. “We, both students and teachers, are very good at assuming others’ intentions are what we think they are. Unless we ask, we don’t know, and coming to some kind of understanding is really important. I just felt [the play] was a good model for us to think about this.”English instructors used the play to reflect on their own teaching. “I see myself in parts of the professor,” Myers said. “As a queer, white, middle-aged teacher who has spent most of my life attending and working in elite academic institutions, there is a good deal of overlap between me and that character. So, when I watch it, I listen carefully to what that character says that she thinks is helpful but is actually hurtful.”For English Instructor Rebecca Moore, the misuse of a professor’s power on stage prompted her to reflect on her own role at the Harkness table. “For me, it was important to think about how I came across as a teacher in giving what I think is useful criticism. How well do I listen? How much weight and power should my voice have?”Although students were given release time for the play, some had concerns about how the play’s showing affected their schedule. “As lowers and preps, we have to check in at eight. A lot of our sleep schedules are geared around that,” lower Justin Rigg said. “[The play] cut into my schedule and my rhythm and really messed the whole thing up.”Some students felt the play’s length interfered with their homework time, which undercut the impact of the play’s message. “[The play’s scheduling] means people have no time to do their homework. And then everyone went [to the play] annoyed,” lower Emily Wang said. “[The play] was really long, and so it was just going back to the same thing over and over again. People got tired. It made you hate both of the characters. You didn't care about it anymore.”On the other hand, students reflected how the play was a representation of how an initially-civil conversation can quickly escalate. According to lower Pedro Coelho, “[Zoe and Janine] need to stop putting each other in opposition to each other and recognize that they're allies. I think it's important to listen to others and understand where they're coming from because what you could see was that both the characters were just arguing without thinking about anything.”Lower Catherine Uwakwe commented on how the play contradicted her expectations. “I went in there being like, you know what, I'm a black person. I’ll probably agree with the black girl. But I ended up agreeing with both,” she said. “Both of them are like, ‘It has to be one side or the other,’ and I actually wasn't always necessarily agreeing with the black girl. So, I was very interested in how people's identity don't always tie in with their opinions, and it was like, you can't really judge a book by its cover.”Lower Shalom Headly appreciated how the play portrayed the two women with realistic complexity. “I think … what's so important about this play is that, even while keeping the past in mind, white people aren’t always the villains and black people aren’t always the victims. People's experiences shape their actions, and everyone has the potential to be racist or homophobic or ablist,” he said.The play’s narratives about race also inspired curiosity in some students, who were intrigued by Zoe’s thesis regarding slavery’s role in American history. “My father was a history professor, so I spend a lot of time around history. I’d always heard a lot about the American Revolution from the side that [Janine] was presenting it,” lower Justin Rigg said. “The point [Zoe] raised sparked interest in me and got me to think, ‘How did slavery play a role in the Revolution?’ I've never thought about how 20 percent of the population at that time was completely oppressed and had no freedom of anything, really.”Stewart commended students’ willingness to engage in discussion about the play. “When I’m sitting at the back of a show as a director, I’m more so watching an audience than watching the piece. My observation was that there was a room full of students and staff willing to show up for conversation,” she said. “It gives me hope.”Genevieve Aichele, the New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Executive Director and one of the play’s co-leads, was also impacted by the play’s powerful message about race. “[‘The Niceties’] has made me think about a lot of things that I, as a white person, take for granted,” Aichele said. “I identify more with [Zoe], actually, because I was always the rebel. I didn’t like academia, so [playing Janine] has really affected me. There’s a lot of emotion to it. The first time we ran through it, I burst into tears at the end.”Similarly, co-lead Malikah McHerrin-Cobb found “The Niceties” to be empowering. “Minorities are the people that I think can help make the conversation start by using our voices to not be run over,” McHerrin-Cobb said. “We can stick to the fact that where we come from is not something shameful, or fearful or something ugly. It’s our power.”Ultimately, “The Niceties” was a testament to the ability of theatre to convey complex issues and spark discussion in the community. “We have to question our blind spots. The things we do not see. We have to find some way to shed light on the lived experiences of others so that we can better understand humanity,” Stewart said. “The power of theater is to shed some light on those dark spots so that people can look at them.”