'SEMBLANCE'

though many arts institutions relying on the financial exploitation of their patrons will disagree, the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. as of September 2021, I am not ready to return to in-person theatre and the surging covid rates in my area confirm each day that I am making the right decision.

it’s not an easy decision to make, especially as someone whose profession seems to rely on the existence of these ‘live’ shows. as major arts institutions return to hosting their annual outdoor festivals and Broadway prepares to open it’s doors, accessible programming has dwindled. many theaters are shutting down their digital and low cost programming to make way for the return of their in-person events. and though the lack of regard theaters have for their performers, practitioners and audiences is generally repulsive, the fulfillment of this lack is one of the many reasons Whitney White’s SEMBLANCE at New York Theatre Workshop is so special.

SEMBLANCE is not theatre and it doesn’t claim to be. NYTW’s website refers to this production as “a filmed theatrical experience.”

so, again to be clear, SEMBLANCE is a film, and like all film, it’s foundation is theatre.

when SEMBLANCE opened at New York Theatre Workshop, patrons had the opportunity to enjoy the piece true to theatre’s communal form in NYTW’s newly renovated reduced seating performance space. NYTW’s website rightfully boasts of physically distanced seating through the use of  ‘social distance bubbles’ while implementing a strict entry policy. after its in-person run, SEMBLANCE moved to streaming where it can currently be enjoyed for $10 until October 24, 2021. and while NYTW seems to be boldly committing to digital, accessible programming with the production of SEMBLANCE, I do wonder how NYTW will sustain it’s commitment to accessibility after this production. 

through a series of monologues that break the fourth wall, SEMBLANCE pushes viewers to confront their biases toward Black women. it is a one person show featuring actress Nikiya Mathis who portrays an ensemble of characters known as ‘The Women.’
it is a bit difficult to talk about ‘The Women’ as individual character names (or means of identification) are not made known to the audience. I completely understand the artistic choice White makes in doing this, but I think that identifying each of these characters as individual units would result in deeper, more specific discussions around the piece.

SEMBLANCE provides the audience with irrefutable evidence of the havoc capitalism wreaks on the life of the Black woman. White offers Black women in various stages of labor: working at Sweet Green, waiting for a manicure, taking care of someone else’s child, preparing for a speech, etc. the message is clear: Black women labor, and the expectation of this labor hinders their ability to rest. 

within this discussion of capitalism, White reminds her audiences that Black women should not have to earn the right to rest. 

“I will not dream of labor”

in a scene at a nail shop, a Black woman is deemed undeserving of her manicure because of the time of day she is receiving it. with a little digging (digging that I’m almost certain other audience members won’t do), I found that this woman is also referred to as ‘Young Mother.’ the assumption is that this woman should be at work, and because she is not at work, she shouldn’t be getting her nails done. 

I am all too familiar with the sensation of the white gaze in these spaces of leisure.

on those rare occasions in which I have gone to get my nails done after 1 PM it is almost always busy and the white lady beside me is always listening a little too intently, happy to chime in though her conversation was never invited. there’s the comments about the color I chose, the length— I am forced into conversation and must labor in my time of rest.

only two characters in White’s piece find the space to rest, and both are required to labor through that space. ‘Young Mother’ is one of these two women. during the scene at the nail shop, ‘Young Mother’ accosts the audience for suggesting that she doesn’t deserve to rest. she doesn’t get to enjoy her manicure/she doesn’t get to relax/she has to spend her leisure time explaining herself. the irony in this scene leaves little room for misinterpretation: ‘Young Mother’ explains why she shouldn’t have to explain herself, and she shouldn’t even have to do that. it’s a poignant example of how internalized and implicit capitalism can keep Black women from rest.

realistically, I nor ‘Young Mother’ want to have these conversations but the people we’re having them with expect them from us and react poorly when we don’t engage.

when people expect Black women to labor, they often rob them of rest in ways that are subconscious.

let that simmer for a bit.

most of ‘The Women’ are working themselves to death and for me, a Black woman, it’s a bit scary. it’s sad to see so many Black women dying in this production even if that death is implicit. White’s characters acknowledge this sadness often reflecting it, but little is done to provide care for Black women viewing the piece. with the exception of one scene there is very little explicit joy or pleasure in this production and because of this lack, I question whether the show is intended for audiences of Black women.

SEMBLANCE does, however, encourage the exploration of processes that directly serve Black women. it would be impossible for Mathis to play the roles of ‘The Women’ — of Black women — without bringing herself to the character. in an essay for Backstage.com, Mathis writes that she presented herself in all the different roles that she portrayed, “approaching them in [her] body.” in the final scene of the play, Mathis removes her makeup and makes eye contact with the viewer, first indirectly by looking into a mirror, then directly by turning around and facing the camera. allowing the audience to experience these final moments with Mathis reasserts the humanity of the Black woman, and gives the Black woman further confirmation that she can be and often is, all of these women at once.

I would LOVE to see more programming for this show that gives Black women a space to process what they’ve seen and figure out how to move forward in life leading with radical, unapologetic rest. 

experience SEMBLANCE at NYTW until October 24, 2021

and let me know what you think.