From March 27 to April 4, Workshop Theatre will be presenting “Stick Fly”, a comedy-drama directed by USC alumnus Bakari Lebby. The production will run at 701 Whaley.
In the production, The LeVays, an affluent African American family, are gathering at their home in Martha’s Vineyard for the weekend, and the youngest brother Kent brings his fiancée Taylor, a woman who grew up in relative poverty and is made uneasy by the LeVay’s wealthy lifestyle. Also joining them for the weekend is the elder brother Flip and his “melanin-challenged” girlfriend, who fits in much more easily with the family’s privileged world. Hosting these two couples is the formidable patriarch Joe, who becomes evasive when his sons question where their mother is. Along for the ride is Cheryl, daughter of the LeVays’ housekeeper, helping to serve the family for the weekend. As the characters confront issues of race, sibling rivalry, class and parental expectations, tensions rise as opinions and lifestyle clash and secrets are revealed.
Though many themes are brought up throughout the drama, Lebby says that a main idea involves confronting realities about one’s self versus outside opinions. He highlights honesty and the importance of finding a middle ground as a theme in the show and an important tool in life. Lebby wants the audience “to walk out and question what they think when they look at someone.” With racial tensions in the media, Lebby cites the need for honesty and hopes the show can “bring things to light that people don’t really want to talk about.”
