Intro with Dominga Martin

The theme of my daily devotional on Thursday, Oct 22nd was “the elephant in the room.” We all know what that means; a topic that one would rather dismiss than tackle head on. I didn't realize that as I prepared to produce video interviews for the highly anticipated play Race; that the elephant in the room would become me and my film crew, later on that day.

What started as anticipation to interview the heavy cast (Kerry Washington, James Spader, Richard Thomas and David Alan Grier) turned into a race for time as our videographer was stuck in traffic.  Luckily, I had my back up camera (Plan B on the spot), usually used for behind the scenes footage.

The “little camera thing” didn't get passed Mr. Grier who clowned us saying ‘we had the cheapest camera in the room.’ (See video).  I laughed it off, because it was funny and me? My biggest pet peeve is being late and here we are adding to the old cliché of "CP" time. It was bad!

But, we kept it moving and the clock was ticking!  What do we do?!

"Here we are talking about a play called RACE and there's only one black photographer here," Joked, Mr. Grier as he took photos. The photographer he mentioned was ours [and] I was trying to buy time.

The camera crews start to break down and our video guy finally arrives.  I thought that being the only black crew in the room would get the head woman in charge to budge, but she was not having it. She ran a tight ship and this was our loss. The video portion of the day was over!

I was so embarrassed, but what can I do but take a deep breath and go with plan C (on the spot): Vanessa, our interview host, would join the round table with the print and online crew and I finally exhaled! 

We got what we came for. Interviews with Kerry Washington, who is making her Broadway debut and remaining cast James Spader and Richard Thomas about a hot new play, that's sexy, controversial and in your face.

The elephant may have been in the room, but RACE is no longer a topic to ignore and definitely not a play to miss! In this very poignant interview, journalist Vanessa Turner talks with James Spader to dissect the word race and define a play [without saying too much] about the word, the production and its context.

Crème Magazine: What attracted you to the role?

James Spader: The plays of David’s that I love the most are very familiar and yet not of our world or our community. His world seems to be inhabited by hustlers and con men, and sometimes they have named professions. The best of them are hustlers and con men. I think that’s who these people are too.  The subject matter of race is something that I think is…here’s a satisfaction in talking about it because we all end up having to think about it a lot in our lives, and sometimes talk of it is awkward, stilted and distorted and most often not very frank--and seemingly, often quite superficial. It’s a subject we all are compelled by or affected by. We expend an enormous amount of energy avoiding and skirting. This play doesn’t do that. This play gets to something.

Crème Magazine: Is it an honest production?
 
James Spader: I think at its best it should be a provocation. The reason why he’s been very cautious about the content of the play being fodder for discussion before it ever hits the stage is (because) provocation works best when it’s freshly absorbed--when it’s not talked about before you’ve been presented with it or provoked by it. Do I think it’s an honest production? The play has a lot to do with lies and their juxtaposition to a sense of honesty, or a sense of truth. Or a perception of truth and I think that’s an important part of a subject as controversial and incendiary as race. 

Crème Magazine:  How did the project come to you?

James Spader:  In the mail.

Crème Magazine: When?

James Spader:  Late winter. Early Spring.

Crème Magazine:  And what were your impressions of it?

James Spader:  Just what I think they were supposed to be, just what I think his intention was--curiosity for more, and not sure how I felt about it. I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Crème Magazine: Do you play a racist?

James Spader: I’m not sure whether I can answer that. Because I’m not sure I know how thinly that word is sliced. We slice it pretty thickly most often by society. But also it’s sometimes used when referenced to the most overt and it isn’t necessarily.

Crème Magazine:  To only the most overt?

James Spader:  Yea. Sometimes that word is appropriate when it’s very, very thin and very, very questionable. Frankly, the word itself, I think it’s why the play is titled what it’s titled, the word itself is incendiary.

Crème Magazine: The word race or the word racist?

James Spader:  Both.

Crème Magazine: What do you think the implications are of this play in the era of Obama? And what do you think the implications would have been if Obama hadn’t won the presidential race? 

James Spader: I think it would have been the same. I mean, I think it would’ve been the same. Arguably the most important speech that Obama gave during his entire campaign is what was heralded as being his race speech. But it was political too. It was political at the time. It was demanded at the time. What it was in reaction to were press releases and video and information that was quite old and yet it hit the campaign trail. And then a speech had to be given. But it wasn’t because it was just in this moment it became relevant. It’s always been relevant. It’s been relevant throughout our entire history. And it continues to be relevant. And will continue to be relevant for some time now.

Crème Magazine: This play was written long before Obama gave his speech on race. And this play was written I suspect before Obama was nominated as the Democratic National candidate. I could be wrong about that but it is my suspicion.

James Spader: I know that what prompted David to write this play had nothing to do with President Obama.

Crème Magazine: Then what was it?

James Spader:  I don’t know. But I know it wasn’t that.

Read part two of this story here.