Arts Runoff: DECONSTRUCTING BUTTER

I can’t review this one since it’s a one-time performance. Also–full disclosure–I’m in it.

The play: Written in 1999 by Rebecca Gilman, Spinning Into Butter describes the aftershocks of a racist incident at a small Vermont college, and then the after-aftershocks, as details about the true nature of the event come up. Essentially, Butter depicts fictional characters’ reactions to an event very similar to one that occurred at Middlebury in the 1980s, while Gilman was a student here. But what’s more important than the script itself is…

The performance: Although Butter has plenty of thought-provoking scenes, it’s not the greatest play ever written. It’s structurally messy and includes a tepid romantic subplot. For that reason, the organizing team cut out about half of the text and inserted opportunities for feedback and discussion.

Why you should go: This is a presentation about race, but it isn’t a lecture. Both the style and content encourage participation and re-interpretation by students, faculty, staff and people unaffiliated with the College. This is not an attempt to persuade; it’s an invitation to engage.

And in case this all sounds too heavy for Friday night, there are plenty of funny moments in this play–and all the boring parts have been cut.

Do we still need to talk about race at Middlebury? Is a play reading, even an experimental one, a good way to start such a conversation? And what happens after the play/conversation ends? Leave a comment, or come to the show and say it out loud.

Downstairs lobby of the CFA. No tickets required. Friday, April 9th at 7:00 pm.