In anticipation of the New York City debut of FERGUSON on October 23, I interviewed playwright Phelim McAleer about his work, as well as the controversy surrounding it.
As background, McAleer and his partner, Ann McElhinney, are no strangers to controversy. Together, they wrote a book and film about abortionist Kermit Gosnell. While the film has not yet been released, the book, Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer, is available on Amazon. Additionally, they’ve produced several documentary films, including FrackNation and Not Evil Just Wrong.
FERGUSON, which debuted in Los Angeles in 2015, is what’s known as a “verbatim” play. Every word spoken on stage is actual Grand Jury testimony from key eyewitnesses to the shooting death of Michael Brown in 2014.
What made you pursue a Ferguson play?
It’s a very dramatic story — the last hours of a man’s life as told by multiple eyewitness points of view. It’s also a great way of bringing the truth to people.
Why did you choose the “verbatim” style?
Again, it was more dramatic than anything I could have created — during the staged reading, people were hanging on every word — because they knew this was real, not the invented words of a playwright.
What was the reaction for the first showing in Los Angeles?
Well, when we had the staged reading in L.A., nine members of the cast walked out because the truth didn’t match what the media had told them, and what they had wanted to believe in. One actress described taking part in the play as akin to taking part in a KKK rally.
One critic, Kevin O’Keefe of Mic.com, called the staged reading “dangerous” and a “powder keg ready to reignite racial tensions.”
However LA Weekly, whose critic actually attended the reading in L.A. (unlike Kevin O’Keefe), said it was “riveting” and “an incendiary night of theater.” They also said it was revitalizing theater in L.A. — a city normally dominated by the movies.
How have audiences reacted to seeing real testimony? Have any minds changed?
Yes. I have spoken to people who have thanked me for doing this — introducing them to things they did not know.
Regarding the actors walking out at the L.A. show, did they not know what it was about? Can you explain the situation more?
They probably heard Ferguson and thought it would be a play reflecting what the media said was the truth. I opted to go with the actual truth. To quote Jack Nicholson, it looks like they just couldn’t handle the truth.
What do you expect from a New York City crowd?
Let’s see.
Do you expect more actor walkouts, or are these actors well-versed in what’s going on?
Well, I assume they know how to use Google, so they will be clear about what the play is. I also assume they will be professional and do what they agreed to do — although this assumption cost me dearly in Los Angeles.
What is your intended impact for this play?
To get the truth out. I’d also like to bring the play on tour — eventually to Ferguson itself.
Information:
FERGUSON debuts October 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the 30th Street Theatre in New York City.
Previews begin October 19, and the show runs through November 5. For more information, including how to acquire tickets, visit the show’s Indiegogo page here.