American Stage to preface ‘Dutchman’ with public discussions

As the search widens for a new Producing Artistic Director, American Stage is preparing its final show of the season, the one-act drama Dutchman. Written in 1964 (during the height of the Civil Rights era) by African American playwright Amiri Baraka (he was known at the time as LeRoi Jones), there are just two characters in Dutchman, a Black man (Clay) and a white woman (Lula), having a heated ideological discussion as they travel in a New York City subway car.

While Dutchman won’t open until June 29, director Erica Sutherlin – American Stage’s Director of Community Engagement – will lead the first in a series of discussions about the play Tuesday, June 7 at The Factory St. Pete.

Admission is free to Through the Lens: Amiri Baraka, the Man Behind the Words, at 7 p.m., although registration (here) is required.

Next in the “Beneath the Surface” series is Forbidden Fruit: An Exploration of Themes in Dutchman, at 7 p.m. June 14 at Allendale United Methodist Church (register here), followed on June 21 by The Gorilla, the Ape, the Super-Predator: Black Men in America (7 p.m., thestudio@620, register here).

First Mondays, the free play-reading series American Stage co-sponsors with Creative Pinellas, continues June 6 with a reading of Where is the Bus by Grant Tetmeyer at the Creative Pinellas Gallery in Largo. Register, and read about the show and others in the series, here.

American Stage’s Producing Artistic Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj resigned in April.