brownsville song (b-side for tray)

Of all the things theatre is good for, its ability to provoke empathy is the most important. When Theatre holds up its mirror, and you see yourself reflected, that’s good and necessary, but more piercing are the views when the mirror is tilted away from you, to show places, people and truths not accessible to you directly. brownsville song is a kind of protest art, and like all protest art, its first demand is that you open your heart to the pain of others....This is a remarkable piece of theatre, and such a cogent production requires the passionate involvement of many people. The script is written in a sort of free-form poetry, and director Storer and the actors had to find its rhythms, cadences and points of emphasis.

Manbites Dog artistic director Jeff Storer has directed a profound and powerful production of a well-chosen play that reflects some of the conditions of American urban life. He found an exceptional cast to tell this important story and, hopefully, help awaken us all.

Audiences get to know one young victim and his family intimately in Kimber Lee’s 2014 play, “brownsville song (b-side for tray).” Manbites Dog Theater’s moving production makes the tragedy so personal you won’t soon forget those involved or its senselessness.