PLAY GUIDE

502.584.1205 actorstheatre.org

Nov. 15–Dec. 112016

DETROIT ‘67by Dominique Morisseaudirected by Kyle Donnelly

IN THIS PLAY GUIDE

DETROIT ‘67

PLOT SUMMARY, SETTINGS, AND CHARACTERS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

GLOSSARY

TIMELINE

WRITING PORTFOLIO & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

BRIDGEWORK

ABOUT THIS PLAY GUIDEThis play guide is a resource designed to enhance your theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of theatre arts, and to encourage essential questions that lead to an enduring understanding of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find information about the plot and characters within the play, as well as articles that contextualize the play and its production at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Oral discussion and writing prompts encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions, analyze key ideas, and relate them to their personal experiences and the world around them. These prompts can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way that best fits the needs of your community of learners. Please feel free to make copies of this guide, or you may download it from our website at actorstheatre.org. We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience.

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If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please contact Jane B. Jones, Education Director, at 502.584.1265 x3045.

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COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS

TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH.Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.TH.Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.TH.Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. TH.Cn11.1 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

DETROIT ‘67 STUDENT MATINEES AND THIS PLAY GUIDE ADDRESS SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

316 West Main StreetLouisville, KY 40202-4218

ARTISTIC DIRECTORLes Waters

MANAGING DIRECTORKevin E. Moore

EDUCATION DIRECTORJane B. Jones

EDUCATION MANAGER Betsy Anne Huggins

EDUCATION ASSOCIATELexy Leuszler

RESIDENT TEACHING ARTISTSLiz FentressKeith McGill Talleri McRaeLetitia Usher

EDUCATION/TEACHING ARTIST APPRENTICESElliott TalkingtonVictoria Masteller

PLAY GUIDE BYLexy Leuszler

GRAPHIC DESIGNAmie Villiger

DETROIT ’67 PLOT SUMMARYIt’s the summer of 1967, and the irresistible music of Motown is breaking records and breaking down barriers. Siblings Chelle and Lank make ends meet by running an unofficial nightclub in their Detroit basement, a risky business as police crack down on after-hours joints in black neighborhoods. When Lank offers shelter to an injured white woman, tensions escalate both in their home and in their community—and they find themselves caught in the middle of the ‘67 Detroit riots. Dominique Morisseau’s deeply-felt drama explores an explosive moment in a great American city.

SETTINGJuly 1967 in Detroit, Michigan. Chelle and Lank’s house is located at the intersection of 12th Street and Clairmount Avenue. Though the characters and the house are fictional, 12th and Clairmount was at the epicenter of the actual riot that occurred in 1967.

CHARACTERSCHELLE (MICHELLE) – Lank’s older sister. A widow and a mother, Chelle remains steadfast in her determination to use money inherited from her parents’ deaths to support her son’s college tuition.

LANK (LANGSTON) – Chelle’s younger brother. A dreamer and an optimist, Lank sees the inheritance money as an investment potential to purchase and run his own business. He dreams of a Utopian Detroit for Black Americans.

BUNNY (BONITA) – Chelle & Lank’s family friend. Determined to never let anything get her down, Bunny is often the life of the party.

SLY (SYLVESTER) – Lank’s best friend. A sweet-talking hustler and numbers man, Sly dreams of opening a business with Lank.

CAROLINE – A mysterious young white woman with a potentially dangerous and secret past.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristin Leahey: What inspired you to write this play?

DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU: Aside from me and my entire family being from Detroit, I really wanted to dive into Detroit’s history and look at the important moments that changed the landscape of our city. And 1967 was definitely one of the more definitive moments. Growing up in Detroit, there is no real intellectual study of our history. There’s not a lot of talk about the “riots”—though many people would tell me not to call them “riots,” they’d tell me to call them “The Great Rebellion...”—So many people don’t grow up

learning about The Rebellion. It’s not taught in schools. It’s not being kept alive through conversation. So I went out to learn about it on my own. Additionally, I think what made me really want to start working on this project was a desire to contribute a different narrative about Detroit than what is out there right now. I don’t think the media always depicts our city with fairness. The Detroit I grew up in and understand was built on the backs of these small communities made up of real people. And I wanted to tell a story from that perspective. I wanted to bring the soul of that into the national conversation about Detroit.

DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU, Playwright/Actress, is alumni of the Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop. Credits include: Skeleton Crew (Sundance; Lark Barebones; Atlantic Theater Company (Scott Rudin); Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem/NBT); Sunset Baby (Gate Theater; LAByrinth Theatre); Follow Me To Nellie’s (O’Neill; Premiere Stages). She has produced other original works with the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Penn State University, American Theatre of Harlem and The New Group. Her 3-play cycle, entitled “The Detroit Projects” include Detroit ’67, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew. Paradise Blue premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July 2015 starring Blair Underwood and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Dominique is currently the Story Editor on the Showtime series Shameless. Awards: Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, two-time NAACP Image Award, Primus Prize commendation, Stavis Playwriting Award, Spirit of Detroit Award, U of M Emerging Leader Award, Weissberger Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-Cooper New American Play Prize, The Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Award, the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, and the Obie Collaboration Award.

Northlight Theatre Resident Dramaturg Dr. Kristin Leahey’s conversation with Detroit ‘67

playwright, Dominique Morisseau. Reprinted from Northlight Theatre’s Detroit ‘67 Study Guide

with kind permission from Northlight.

Dominique Morisseau

AN INTERVIEW WITH DOMINIQUE

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KL: It seems like music is a really big part of your life, not to mention the play. Can you talk a bit about the music in the piece?

DM: Music helps to give me a sense of the world within a play. Whenever I write, I use music as the backdrop. Even if I don’t write the songs I’ve been listening to into the play,it still is a huge influence for me. It informs the world, gives me a local color, a language for the period, the attitude and the spirit of what I’m writing. Motown is definitely a no-brainer when it comes to Detroit in the ‘60s.

KL: Are there particular songs that were/are a part of your life or your parents’ lives that made it into this play? DM: My instinct was to look for groups or singers that I wasn’t already hip to. What people listened to on a record in 1967 is not necessarily the song that was the most popular. So filling a play with music brings in another character and lets characters relate to one another through the music. I wanted these characters to listen to music that had a particular message or point of view that spoke to where they were or what they were going through, not just what was the most popular. “My Baby Loves Me” transports me to another world whenever I listen to it. It reminds me of

my mother. I don’t know if she used to play it for me all the time or not. But my aunt heard me mention that song and how it inspired me, and she said she used to play it for me when I was growing up and dancing with her. Somewhere subconsciously, that song lives in my mind and in my heart. It’s like this song is family.

KL: Do you still have any family that lives in Detroit?

DM: Oh, all of my family lives in Detroit. All of them. There’s very little empathy for the people who live in Detroit, and there’s such a bleak hopelessness that’s been assigned to their situation. That’s what bothers me most. And the people who say those things really don’t understand our city. And I think when we hear certain things about ourselves over and over we start to believe in them - even the best of us. That’s the power of writing. The media really has the power to manipulate peoples’ beliefs. So I too want to manipulate peoples’ beliefs and get people to start believing in our city again. It’s the city’s music in this story that unifies people of different backgrounds, politics, and worldviews. And I think that when we are presented with stories that can teach us about that kind of heart, we can shrug off the city’s labels and begin to really believe in the people that live there.

Detroit ’67 is part one of a three part play cycle focused on the city of Detroit. The second play, Paradise Blue, is set in 1949 in a thriving black community referred to as “Paradise Valley” for jazz performers. The third play Skeleton Crew is set in 2008 in the last standing automobile plant in Detroit due to economic recession.

Paradise Blue, Williamstown Theatre FestivalSkeleton Crew, Atlantic Theatre Company

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AFTER-HOURS JOINT: Also referred to as a “blind pig” or a “speakeasy,” these establishments were illicit clubs, bars and gambling sites that were unlicensed and operated in homes or the backrooms of businesses. After-hours joints were created as result of Prohibition during 1920–1933 and thrived in Detroit well after Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

BLACK FIST: A symbol of Black Nationalism that is largely associated with the Black Panther Party and the Black Power Movement, a radical strand of the Civil Rights Movement that reached its height in the 1960s and ‘70s.

JOE LOUIS: Also known as “The Brown Bomber,” Joseph Louis Barrow was an African-American heavyweight boxer who reigned as the world heavyweight champ for 12 years from 1937–1949. Originally born in Alabama, Louis and his family moved to Detroit in 1924 where he began his boxing training.

EIGHT-TRACK: A magnetic tape player developed in 1964 and popular until the late 1970’s when it was replaced by the Compact Cassette.  Each tape was able to play 8 songs, or up to 80 minutes of music.

45’S: A vinyl record that spun at 45 rotations per minute and contained one “single,” or song, on each side of the record.

MOTOWN RECORDS: A record company founded in Detroit in 1960 by Berry Gordy, Jr., Motown is a combination of the words “motor” and “town” and was also a nickname for the city of Detroit. The popularity of the “Motown Sound” –soul-influenced music with a pop beat– helped launch the careers of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and many more. 

THE TEMPTATIONS: An all-male group of 5 vocalists from Detroit, Michigan; they were the first Motown group to win a Grammy with their song “Cloud Nine” in 1969. Their signature song, written and recorded in 1964, is “My Girl.” They are one of the most successful groups in musical history.

THE FOUR TOPS: Created in 1952, the Four Tops were a vocal quartet from Detroit whose members met at a high school birthday party. They signed with Motown Records in 1964 and, with the help of the production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, released their two chart-topping hits “Baby I Need Your Loving” and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There.”

SMOKEY ROBINSON: Founder and the lead singer of the popular Motown group “The Miracles,” Robinson also served as the Vice President of Motown Records.

TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE: A private, historically black college, now known as Tuskegee University, founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1941, The U.S. Army Air Corps established a training program for black military pilots on Moton Field at the Institute which yielded “The Tuskegee Airmen,” a famous group of African-American pilots, during World War II.

THE BIG FOUR: In the 1950’s, the Detroit Police force created a tactical unit nicknamed “The Big Four” that consisted of 3 plainclothes police officers riding in an unmarked police car with a uniformed officer. They frequently patrolled African-American neighborhoods and gained a reputation for their brutality and physical intimidation of black suspects and civilians.

PIGS: Slang term for police officers.

THE VIETNAM WAR: Referred to as “Nam” by Sly in Detroit ‘67, The Vietnam War lasted from 1955–1975 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The war ended in the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam and the reunification of North and South Vietnam under Communist rule. During the war, African-American soldiers accounted for a quarter of soldiers killed in action, as they had a much higher likelihood of assignment to front-line positions than other soldiers.

GLOSSARY

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Motown “The Four Tops” Record

Eight-Track Player

Time Magazine Cover, May 1967 Black Fist

The Temptations

Jet Magazine, August 10, 1967

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Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas rules that

segregation in schools is

unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr.,

delivers his “I Have a

Dream” speech at the

Lincoln Memorial.

Malcom X is

assassinated.

Loving v. Virginia rules that prohibiting

interracial marriage is

unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks is arrested

for refusing to give

up her seat on a

Montgomery, Alabama

bus.

Lyndon B. Johnson signs

The Civil Rights Act, which

outlaws segregation in

public places, schools and

places of employment.

Lyndon B. Johnson signs

The Civil Rights Act,

which outlaws segregation

in public places, schools

and places of employment.

TIMELINE OFTHE DETROIT RACE RIOT AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTThe infamous 1967 Detroit riot was not a random moment of violence; the riot was encompassed by the tumultuous

atmosphere of America in the 1950’s and 1960’s and the national tension around the emerging Civil Rights

Movement. The 1960’s were a decade of immense progress and immense setbacks for civil rights leaders and their

surrounding communities. African-American citizens were responding to years of societal discrimination in schools,

public housing, places of employment and violence against their basic liberties.

May 17, 1954 August 28, 1963 February 21, 1965 June 12, 1967

December 1, 1955 July 2, 1964 June 12, 1967

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Governor Romney asks President

Lyndon Johnson to send U.S.

troops as rioting continues.

People are killed by guardsmen

while civilian snipers shoot at

firemen and cut fire hoses.

After five days of rioting, order is

restored with 43 people dead, over

7,000 arrested, 1,400 buildings

burned, 1,700 looted and $50

million dollars in damage. It was the

deadliest riot in 100 years in America.

In Detroit, Michigan, at 3:35 a.m.,

police raid an after-hours joint at 12th

Street and Clairmount Avenue that

is hosting return party for African-

American Vietnam Veterans. By 6:30

a.m., upset onlookers and community

members began protesting the arrests

of party attendees by rioting, looting

and lighting fires on 12th Street.

Governor George Romney calls for

over 300 state policemen to assist law

enforcement. By the end of the first

day, more than 1,000 rioters had been

arrested and five people were dead.

Over 2,000 paratroopers

in armored vehicles arrive

in Detroit. By the end of

the day, 10 more people

are killed.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is

assassinated in Memphis,

Tennessee.

TIMELINE OFTHE DETROIT RACE RIOT AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

The Civil Rights Movement in American history, refers to a national protest against racial segregation, discrimination

and oppressive practices against African-American citizens. The movement rose to prominence in the 1950’s and

60’s when national leaders and groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and

the Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized rallies, lobbied for equal rights legislation and established

nonviolent civil disobedience practices during their protests. The name “civil rights” is a reference to the rights

granted to all American citizens by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

July 23, 1967 July 25, 1967 April 4th, 1968

July 24, 1967 July 27, 1967

WRITING PORTFOLIO

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NARRATIVE: CCRA.W.3Dominique Morrisseau mentions that she wrote Detroit ‘67 and her Detroit play cycle “to contribute a different narrative about Detroit than what is out there right now,” because she doesn’t believe the media accurately portrays the real people and soul of her hometown city. Consider how the city of Louisville is portrayed, or how your neighborhood is portrayed, by local and national news and media outlets. Do you agree with their perception of Louisville? Are there people or parts of your city that aren’t showcased to the nation? If you were to write a fictional play or short story, what people or settings would you use to highlight the soul and people of your city on a national level? What do you want other people to know about Louisville? Write a short scene that contains characters and a location that you think reflects your Louisville. Is there specific music playing in the background? Are the characters discussing a local issue that pertains to their neighborhood? Consider how your characters sound, dress and move in your scene to reflect your city.

ARGUMENTATIVE: CCRA.W.1The 1967 Detroit riot has a contested history. To the African-American community members of Detroit, it was the result of many years of discrimination in the realm of urban housing, unfair employment practices and police brutality. Some scholars refer to the riot as “The Great Rebellion.” To outsiders of Detroit and the national media, the events of July 23rd–27th of 1967 was a “riot” led by

senseless looters that cost the city millions of dollars and robbed many citizens of their homes and businesses. Do some further research into the cause of the 1967 Detroit riot. After considering all of the events leading up to the night of July 23rd and the national climate, do you think the citizens of 12th and Clairmount had good reason to fight back against the police? Do you side with the police and government of Detroit in considering the riot an act of senseless violence? Write an essay stating whether you think it should be deemed a “riot” or a “rebellion” and offer evidence and examples to support your decision.

INFORMATIVE: CCRA.W.2Write a review of the performance of Detroit ‘67 that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville. What parts of the play (the actors’ performances, the set, props, costumes, lighting and sound design, etc.) were your favorites and why? How effective were these elements in telling the story? Back up your claims with evidence and details from your experience of watching the performance. Then, make a copy and send it to the education department at

Actors Theatre of Louisville c/o Jane B. Jones316 West Main StreetLouisville, Kentucky 40202

We will share your thoughts with the creative team.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS1. Even though Detroit ’67 was written in 2013, it takes

place in a very specific time period 46 years earlier. It is considered a “contemporary play” in American Theatre, meaning that its themes are fresh and relatable to its current audience. Based on your knowledge of the play, what connections might the playwright be trying to make between our current American society and the America of 1967?

2. Listen to the greatest hits of Motown by artists such as The Temptations or Marvin Gaye before you arrive. Do their lyrics and music give you any clues about the atmosphere of Detroit in 1967? What do they tell you about the world and attitude of the characters you are about to meet?

POST-SHOW QUESTIONS1. Do you agree with Lank’s decision to use the

inheritance money to start a bar and see the potential of his future in Detroit? Or do you side with Chelle to invest the money in the future of her son, Julius, and his education at the Tuskegee Institute?

2. Do you think that Lank should be romantically involved with Caroline? Did you agree with Chelle and think that Lank should have stayed away from Caroline? Consider all of the historical factors surrounding the characters at this moment. Loving v. Virginia had only passed a month before the events of the play and interracial relationships were only just now accepted as legal.

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BRIDGEWORK

AT YOUR DESK 1. Dominique Morriseau uses specific music in Detriot

‘67 to not only capture popular music of the time period, but also to highlight the language, color and internal feelings of her characters. What 5–10 songs would you choose to help a listener in 2066 understand the mood and atmosphere of your world now?

2. Look at the lyrics to “Dancing in The Street” (by Martha and the Vandellas), “People Get Ready” (by The Impressions) and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” (by The Four Tops). Besides being popular Motown hits, why do you think the playwright chose these specific songs for Detroit ‘67? Pick one of the songs and make a list of all of the moments, characters, or settings in the play that the song could be connected to, and provide evidence as to why you are making that connection.

AWAY FROM YOUR DESK 1. At many points in this play, the past is clashing

directly with the future, from Chelle and Lank’s arguments about traditional 45 vinyl records and new eight-track tapes, to the conflict between Lank and Chelle’s hopes for economic stability and equal civil rights in the future of their city and the history of police and racial discrimination in Detroit. Think of other instances in the play where past ideals are in opposition to future ideals. Split into groups of 4 and have students create a tableau (frozen image) that embodies four moments: a) The past ideal as it stands, b) the introduction of the new future ideal, c) the moment of confrontation between the two ideals, d) what they envision the outcome to be, is it a compromise of both? Does the future win? Do elements of the past remain?

2. Throughout the play, Lank dreams of a better future for his home city of Detroit. He dreams of a Detroit free from racial oppression and segregation and a city where he will run his own successful business with Sly. Have the students break into small groups of 3–4 and discuss their own neighborhoods and community with guided discussion questions such as: a) Are there parts of your neighborhood that you would like to improve? b) Think of your dream city. Are there values that you would like your dream community to represent? Write three values down. c) What would your city be best known for? Write a slogan for your dream city. d) What does your dream city look like? After students have discussed their city, ask the groups to lead other groups through a “tour” of their dream city through the classroom. Have students think of creative ways to present their city’s values, and the slogan it upholds while pointing out the landmarks or famous parts of their city.