This March, the Guthrie hosted a showing of “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884 – 1915.” Yes, that is the full title. It’s a unique play unlike any other, yet the Guthrie was only the second theatre company to bring this show to Minnesota. Before the Guthrie, SMSU performed the play, having six shows on campus, and six at Normandale College

Because I was fortunate enough to see the performance at the Guthrie, as well as perform in the show myself here at SMSU, I was able to compare their show to ours. More importantly, I am able to continue the discussion and reflection of the themes that the play delves into.

“We are Proud to Present…” is a show about six young actors who attempt to create a presentation about the genocide of the Herero, a tribe in Southwest Africa that was essentially destroyed by German colonists. As each actor attempts to find connections or inspiration in the story, they each find misconceptions and biases in their understanding of race, history, and culture.

The show’s six characters include two black men, two white men, a black woman, and a white woman. The majority of the actors don’t have names, instead going by the titles “White Man,” “Black Man,” “Another Black Man,” “Another White Man,” and “Black Woman.” The sixth actor is given the name Sarah, meant to represent the “White Woman” in the presentation.

Scenes flip between the rehearsal room and the presentation itself. One moment the actors are performing directly to the audience, the next moment they’re arguing with each other over how they should perform to the audience. As the story progresses, the line between rehearsal and presentation blurs.

The beginning of the show is fun and relaxed, with the actors trying to find inspiration through comedic improv. However, the improvisations soon turn dark, with scenes, such as a German executing a Herero, that are reminiscent of modern day police shootings of unarmed men. At one point, a connection is made between the genocide of the Herero and the Jim Crow south. At the climax of the story, the two white actors take on a southern drawl and begin terrorizing a black actor to the point of breaking character and leaving the stage.

The story of the Herero itself and what happened in Southwest Africa, now known as Namibia, is a true story. In 1885, German colonists arrived in Africa after they claimed the territory. The natives, including the Herero, lost their rights over time and were forced from their homes. Violence erupted between the Germans and the Herero, and after several conflicts, the Herero were defeated and forced into labor camps. By the time the British arrived in 1915 after World War I, most of the natives were wiped out. If one were to google the Herero, they would see photos of survivors who look like holocaust victims, starving and ill.

I myself had to say words and phrases that were horrifying to me and the audience. When I saw the show at the Guthrie, I felt the blows as well as a connection to the other actors, knowing how difficult it was to act out those scenes.

After the show, there were group discussions with the audience. SMSU had their own Q&A session which included the cast, director Nadine Schmidt, and directors of SMSU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Access Opportunity and Success. We were led out of the theatre and into the lobby to talk about the major themes of the show, removed from the space and the actors. The audience was much more diverse at the Guthrie than it was at SMSU, with different ages, genders, races, and sexualities. We talked about these identities in our reflection of the show.

During the discussions, I caught the actor who played the same role as me on his way from the theater, and I was invited to talk with the rest of the cast. We discussed the differences in the shows and how incredible the script is. I was stunned to learn that they had prepared the show in three weeks compared to the month of rehearsals we had. These actors were also stunned when they learned that SMSU had performed five shows in one day at Normandale College. “You guys needed an actors’ union for that!” said Lamar Jefferson, who played Actor 4. They were professionals, but they still had great respect for the SMSU cast once I told them of our performance.

Theater can challenge our understandings of the world, and it can lead to new connections with other people. The issues of race and ethnicity presented in the show can be divisive, but the ability to share our opinions and talk openly about them can unite us. Shows like “We are Proud to Present…,” and other productions by the Guthrie and SMSU, can show the importance of theater and the arts.