Since the 1970s, Karamu Drama Group has aimed to broaden cultural perspective on campus through producing works by minority, especially black, playwrights. This semester, the troupe is presenting Douglas Turner Ward's poignant Day of Absence.
Written in 1965, the play revolves around a small Southern town. The social status quo is typical of the time in which Ward wrote: Whites constitute the upper class while blacks are relegated to second-class citizenship. One day all of the blacks in the town disappear, throwing the remaining white residents into confusion.
What follows is a charged story that watches as social hierarchy collapses. The whites realize their dependence on blacks, and the blacks realize their own power and potential.
Ward is known for his tendency to throw political correctness by the wayside, but the effect is more lighthearted than cutting.
"I think the piece is positive, definitely comedic and not really offensive," said freshman and first-time actress Simone Lewis.
Karamu aims to show the continuing importance of its mission, especially to the Duke community within Durham.
"It's a very, very relevant piece, even today, on Duke's campus," said Karamu Publicity Chair Ashlee Jamieson, a senior.
The group hopes that by performing Day of Absence, students will better appreciate the hard work that goes into cleaning the dormitories and other jobs on campus, as well as the people who do them.
"We are all privileged here, and we take a lot things for granted, especially services [provided by] the housing staff," said Karamu President Lola Owalabi, a senior.
Day of Absence will be performed in Sheafer Theater on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 26 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.
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