Dealing With History

Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons says his new play, A House With No Walls, started with a specific concept rather than a set of characters."I started with the controversy — how to commemorate the existence of a group of slaves. But it arose from a real-life controversy in Philadelphia," he says. "When the new pavilion was being built for the Liberty Bell, someone pointed out that that site was on the spot of the quarters of some of George Washington's slaves. The play is based on that and fictionalized because I'd been reading some African-American conservative writers. Their arguments have had very little visibility. One character in the play is an African-American conservative woman who argues that the community needs to get past slavery and not base its identity on the existence of slavery. And she encounters a street activist who argues that — far from getting past slavery — it's an essential part of the identity of African-American citizens and that these slaves must be commemorated. They stand, in a way, for all the other slaves who were anonymous and died without commemoration."The play weaves its contemporary story with historical flashbacks. "It goes back and forth between the present and the past, and they become intertwined — in many cases, they're onstage at the same time."The play, directed by Mark Robbins, premieres at the Unicorn (3828 Main) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30 at the box office. Call 816-531-7529.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 16. Continues through Feb. 10, 2008