‘This Kind of HATE’ W&J senior’s directorial debut explores race relations
Washington & Jefferson College senior Ty Greenwood made his writing and directorial debut Wednesday at Olin Fine Arts Center with his new play, “This Kind of HATE.”
The play, which Greenwood wrote for his senior capstone and is producing for his honors project, examines race relations, instances of police brutality against African-American males and how these issues are portrayed in the media.
The play is a year in the making, but is influenced by a lifetime of experiences and conversations Greenwood has encountered, discussed or seen on the news.
“For me, a lot of (the play) has to do with my identity being a black man here in America,” Greenwood said. “I can’t help but think how these recent events (of police brutality) affect me. It does cause a certain fear. The play is a narrative that shows, from my perspective, how I’m thinking about the subject matter and how it has impacted my life.”
The last performance of “This Kind of HATE” will begin at 6 p.m. today in room 102 of the Olin Fine Arts Center. Following the performance, Quatez Scott, assistant director of Inclusive Campus Engagement, will lead an audience discussion with Greenwood and the cast members. Performances are free. Because of strong language and mature content, the show is not recommended for audience members younger than 14.
Greenwood’s experience with the media also influenced the play. He served as an apprentice in the television news department at KDKA in Pittsburgh from 2013 until this spring, writing anchor packages and working on “Pittsburgh Today Live.” Before working with KDKA, he interned with Pittsburgh Black Media Federation. Last summer, he won an award from the Emma Bowen Foundation: The Emma for Ubuntu, awarded to students who show a sense of community and togetherness in their work.
For “This Kind of HATE,” Greenwood interviewed local police officers and their families. He hopes the play will inspire conversation on campus and in the community.
“I think I want (audiences) to realize that the kind of things that happen in my play can and do actually happen, but I want it to spark a lot of conversation past the performance,” said Greenwood, a communication arts major with an emphasis in rhetoric. “I want people to go back to it, not just at the talk-back, but later, and talk about how we can change the rhetoric.”
Greenwood’s adviser, communication arts professor Bill Cameron, said he was listening to Greenwood’s radio show on WJNR, the campus radio station, a few years ago, when a segment caught his attention. Greenwood and another student were discussing racial relations on campus. It was engaging radio, Cameron said, but more than that he thought it was insightful social commentary on a mature and sophisticated level.
“This is when it occurred to me that Ty had something extraordinary to offer this campus. The work that he’s done since then – as student, artist, and advocate – has made a significant impact at W&J,” Cameron said. “With ‘This Kind of HATE,’ Ty is combining artistry and activism to continue the conversation that he started on WNJR a few years back. In my time at W&J, I can think of no other student whose influence has been so keenly felt across the culture of the institution.”
This isn’t the first time Greenwood’s influence has resulted in a stage production at the college. Last year, Greenwood and several other W&J students worked with Cameron as he wrote “Intersect,” which was staged last April. “Intersect” explores the lives of characters from diverse backgrounds who find themselves caught up in ongoing struggles to achieve, to get ahead, or to simply belong.
To write the play, Cameron interviewed W&J students from diverse backgrounds about their childhoods, families and their education at W&J and elsewhere. He encouraged them to tell their stories about ways in which they were both disadvantaged and empowered by their diverse backgrounds. One goal of that play, as with “This Kind of HATE,” is to continue a conversation about diversity both on campus and in the greater community.
“I think there are people who will disagree with my interpretation of the play’s subject matter, and I welcome that,” Greenwood said. “I want people to disagree, and I want people to talk about my experience and their experience, and understand what is true for each of us. I hope people will go in with an open mind and be willing to talk about that. I hope people come to realize a new perspective after they’ve thought about something one way for so long.”