In her own words, here’s what happened:

My friend K., who happens to be a white, Mohawk-wearing lesbian, invited me and four other blacks. K. stayed in the lobby waiting for another friend but directed three of us upstairs, center front row – great seats! A young white female usher looked at our tix, stamped general admission, and refused to seat us. Okay. We politely pointed out the reserved seats. No go. Okay. We waited a bit, saw two friends (black) sitting in the seats and went in. As soon as we got seated, the usher came over to unseat all five of us. We showed her K.’s names on the reserved signs on each seat. She said the seats were for the tech crew. We begged to differ, politely. She walked away. Momentarily, a young black female usher came over and politely asked us to move. We politely told her about K. She was adamant that we needed to sit somewhere else, but we adamantly pointed to K.’s name on the seats.

Ironically, the production is about how black youth transition from school into crime, and the theatre wanted to make the public aware of the “school-to-prison pipeline,” and gave away 1,000 free tickets and 1,000 half-price tickets, said Polly Winograd Ikonen, Director of Marketing, Communications and Patron Engagement for the theater.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has since issued an apology letter, which stated that an usher believed that Juanita’s seat was reserved for a technical crew member. Juanita posted on Facebook that she was initially refused to be seated, and multiple ushers then told her to leave her seat, even after she explained that her friend, who is white, had reserved their seats.  Ikonen also wrote in the letter that the play’s message needed to reach a diverse audience. The theater also expressed in the letter that it has one of the largest and most successful examples of audience diversity among arts organizations nationally.  According to Ikonen, the theater has many programs on an ongoing basis to reach “as wide of an audience as possible.”

The theatre did the right thing by issuing an apology to Juanita, however, what might also be helpful is to train staff on customer service.  Perhaps giving Juanita and her friends the benefit of the doubt instead of outright refusing to seat them would have spared both the theatre and the ushers the embarrassment of being seen as racists.

The post Playwright Alleges Racist Treatment at Berkeley Repertory Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

McCraney’s play Head of Passes is currently on stage at Berkeley Rep. Described as a “poignant and poetic new play about the journey of family and faith, trial and tribulation,” Head of Passes takes place in a “dilapidated house near the ever-shifting mouth of the Mississippi,” where “Shelah’s family gathers on a stormy night for her birthday—bringing ghosts and secrets of the past with them. As her roof buckles under the weight of the rain, Shelah’s convictions begin to wash away, leaving her to excavate the truths buried below.”

Featuring a powerhouse cast including Cheryl Lynn Bruce (The Gospel of Lovingkindness, Gem of the Ocean, The Convert, Intimate Apparel) reprising her role from the Chicago world premiere, Michael A. Shepperd (Choir Boy, Take Me Out, Master Harold and the Boys), Jonathan Burke (Choir Boy, Langston in Harlem, The Wiz), Francois Battiste (Bronx Bombers, Magic/Byrd, Detroit ’67, Broke-ology, The Good Negro), Nikkole Salter (Tough Titty, Stick Fly, Jitney), Brian Tyree Henry (Fortress of Solitude, The Book of Mormon, The Brother’s Size), Kimberly Scott (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ruined) and Sullivan Jones (One Night in Miami, Intimate Apparel), this production is making a lot of good noise down in the Bay.

“McCraney writes the richest dialogue of any scribe of his generation.” — Chicago Tribune.

“A stunning production…Every one of the performances is spot-on, effectively shaping distinct personalities who give credible, affecting and sometimes amusing shape to McCraney’s tale, which was inspired by the Book of Job. But this is Shelah’s drama, and Bruce dispatches it with heart, power and conviction that is as close to biblical as we’re likely to see on a stage. It’s a tour-de-force to remember, in an expertly crafted play.” — Huffington Post.

Head of Passes is on the Thrust Stage at Berkeley Rep now until May 24th. If you’re in the Bay, or can get to the Bay, this is a MUST SEE.

WATCH: Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney talks about the heart of his play.

The post Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Head of Passes Plays At Berkeley Rep appeared first on Broadway Black.