Intimate Apparel: The Telling of Different Stories

In last week's post, I discussed the ongoing issue that theaters, particularly in the United States, are facing in selling tickets to middle class patrons. The middle class is growing increasingly diverse with minorities and I believe their stories need to be told, especially if they are the target audience that theaters are aiming to sell tickets to. One theatrical institution has begun to diversify its productions, and for the first time in ten years, it produced a play that tells the story of a minority, in this case, a black woman. I would like to elaborate on the nature of this play called Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage (pictured left), illustrate how a theatre piece can really and truly tell the stories of all people and how producing shows like this one can up ticket sales.

When the University of Southern California School of Theatre produced Intimate Apparel, directed by Anita Dashiell-Sparks, which opened in October of 2008, it had been ten years since they put a show up that tells a black story. The audience was ready for it, too, because every show was sold out. The actors also could not wait to play a part in this event. Prema Cruz, a senior theatre major, who played the lead as Esther, said, "This is the first time, since I've been at USC that I've played a character that looks like me." Not only is it important for audiences to see black actors playing black people, but it is crucial for an artist to be able to feel comfortable in their own skin while performing. One would think that having black actors playing black people would not be an issue, but it most definitely is and it is a wonder that it has taken institutions like USC 10 years to get back into the groove of the way things should be. With a piece of rich writing like Intimate Apparel, it is obvious why they chose now to take action. Lynn Nottage's words offer freedom to share history and expression to artists and audiences alike, proving that even a minority story can connect to whoever is watching, whatever color they may be.

Intimate Apparel, set in 1905 New York, follows the story of a plain looking thirty-five year old seamstress named Esther Mills who sews intimate apparel for ladies: a prostitute named Mayme and married socialite named Mrs. Van Buren. While living at a rooming house run by Mrs. Dickson, she begins receiving letters from a black laborer in Panama named George Armstrong. Eventually, through correspondence, he asks for her hand in marriage and she accepts, even though she is very much in love with the off limits Romanian Jew and fabric salesman, Mr. Marks (the two characters are pictured below). A touching moment between Esther and Mr. Marks occurs when she touches his hand and he instantly and almost violently pulls away.  Esther says, "The color won't rub off on you."  Marks replies with, "No, no.  I'm sorry.  It's not that.  Please.  My religious belief doesn't permit me to touch a woman who isn't my wife or my relative."  The two were unable to express their affection for one another because of stark cultural differences, which in the story lead to complete misunderstanding on the part of Esther.  Nottage writes of a time in New York when different cultures, religions, social classes, sexual orientations and genders were all living on top of each other. Sound a little familiar? The American people of 1905 struggled with identity and coexistence the same way the people of today do. Nottage managed to take this huge notion of intersection and pack it into a very revealing and personal story that exhibits the struggle people go through when their own personal desires conflict with the societal expectations that are placed on them. She says, "It's an exploration of race and class in America. And desire and hope." Indeed, it is an exploration that transcends time and qualifies this play as a perfect example of what quality of story American theatre should strive toward.

I was much honored to be a part of this particular story telling process. I played Mrs. Van Buren, a white woman married to a very rich man. Van Buren's husband loses interest in maintaining their marriage, because she is unable to have children, and in that time, that was really a woman's only purpose. Van Buren begins to feel affection for Esther and kisses her, for once throwing away her social rulebook and adequately expressing herself, saying "I just wanted to show you what it felt like to be treated lovingly." Exploring this character as a reader and an actor helped me to fully appreciate the liberties I have today, like the right to bote, not having to make child bearing a first priority, having the educational and professional means to be self sufficient, and quite frankly, the right to wear whatever I want. Corsets are aesthetically pleasing, but very unnatural and unhealthy for a woman's body! I wore them for a week and I do not know how our female ancestors did it for all those years. Oppression, I tell you!

Basically, the most important point of Intimate Apparel, I believe, is that every person longs to be touched, not necessarily physically, but on an emotional and spiritual level. Every character in this play ends up alone, with what seems like no hope in sight. When strict boundaries are placed on a person, it harnesses their ability to believe that hope pays off and that getting what they need is possible. The play shows an audience that pressuring someone to live a certain way or to place rules on love and ambition is oppressive and can ruin lives. The relevance of this show is heightened especially in the political times we are living in, with the first black president elect being Barack Obama. Also, the recent controversial passing of Proposition 8 that bans gay marriage in California makes the message of this play hit closer to home with any audience. Intimate Apparel captures a glimpse into the lives of people from all different backgrounds connecting their stories to the people of today, which makes it a perfect production to appeal to the United States' massive and ever diversifying middle class audiences.