A gay African American New Yorker, who is a recent college graduate, finds himself out of his element when he joins Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. It becomes an eye-opening experience for Warren because he is required to knock on doors in impoverished East Cleveland in “Obama-ology,” which is being staged at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre June 10-25.
Performances of Aurin Squire’s comedy are 7 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston.
“He thinks he has the world figured out,” said David Guiden, who plays Warren. “He thinks this will be easy. He slowly realizes that it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
Guiden said he relates to his character because, even though he’s a little older, he can remember what it’s like to be an idealistic recent college graduate. “You’re bright-eyed,” he noted. “You haven’t seen the real world yet.”
Although the show deals with serious subjects, it is a comedy. That can present a challenge for the actor. Guiden noted that the moments when Warren is funny and those when he is serious can change very quickly. “Sometimes in the same scene; sometimes in the same line,” he said.
Guiden revealed that the audience will be involved in the show. “We do break the fourth wall,” he said. “A lot of times the audience is a participant and a lot of times the audience is a witness.”
The show is directed by Fleetwood-Jourdain Associate Artistic Director Bria Walker.
Walker was initially interested in this play because she found the title compelling. Her interest grew when she read the blurb about the play.
“It’s about this young, gay African American male joining the campaign and wanting to change the world, wanting to be a part of history, but realizing that that is much harder than he originally anticipated,” Walker said. “He’s got a lot of book smarts but he hasn’t cultivated street smarts yet.”
She realized that the play was especially appropriate for Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. “We’re all about amplifying stories of the African diaspora,” Walker explained. The fact that it requires only four actors, playing multiple roles, is also wonderful for the theater, she added.
Walker cast Guiden in the lead role because, “When he spoke the words, they came to life,” she said. “And he has a natural ease with comedy.”
The director praised all four actors reporting that “they’re exploring, they’re taking risks, they’re playing around with the language and relationships.”
Playwright Aurin Squire developed “Obama-ology” at the Juilliard School’s New Play Festival in 2014. Shortly after that, it was produced in London at the Finborough Theatre and then the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, earning acclaim for both productions. In 2016, the show was produced in Los Angeles at Skylight Theatre, followed by a Dallas production.
The playwright said that Warren “is based on an amalgamation of me and other people on the campaign who are nervous about our future, don’t know what’s going to happen next, and join this movement.”
Squire reported that these were people in their 20s and 30s “who were doing this for the first time because they wanted to believe in something bigger than them.”
(Fact Box)
‘Obama-ology’
When: June 10-25
Where: Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Ave., Evanston
Tickets: $30
Information: 847-866-5914, fjtheatre.com
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
