U of A Theatre Department to Present a Virtual Production of a Play Written by M.F.A. Graduate

Ash Micheel

The Department of Theatre in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas presents a virtual production that examines race and police brutality with sharp wit and exacting honesty.

I'm f*cking tired of writing plays about this, written by Rachel Lynett, M.F.A.'15, and directed by second-year M.F.A. student student Lacy Post, will be be presented on Zoom at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, for one night only.

After yet another black man is unnecessarily killed by the police, a group of friends get together at a dinner party (because these kinds of plays always start at dinner parties) to discuss race, gender, and the lines that divide us even amongst our closest friends. In I'm f*cking tired of writing plays about this, each of the characters is "challenged" about their beliefs as they "struggle" to come to terms with their own unconscious bias. You know, like every other play in this genre.

On her writing process, Lynett says: "Whenever something happens to me that I don't know how to process, I write a play.  My intention was to write a play about the dangerous rhetoric around the Black Lives Matter protests in June. But as I was writing it, I found myself more and more emotionally exhausted. Do we really need another play about Black trauma where the audience gets to walk away patting themselves on the back for seeing an edgy play about blackness?  Even as I write this, I know the only message that really matters is the last line of the play: Be better."

Director Lacy post remarks, "I am grateful for the opportunity to work on this play with Rachel and our terrific cast. I am equally excited for the ways Zoom will make this performance accessible to communities across Arkansas and beyond. This play has a message that America needs to hear right now, and my hope is that it starts a conversation that continues long after the play is over. I look forward to being a part of that conversation, and a part of the work that comes with it."

Tickets for I'm f*cking tired of writing plays about this are free, but reservations are required by visiting uarkartstickets.com. 

Step by Step Instructions:

• Go to uarkartstickets.com
• Click Category "Theatre"
• Click "Get Info" on the show on the date you plan to attend
• Click "Register For This Event Here"
• You will be directed to a Zoom Webinar Registration Form
• Fill out the Required Information AND the Class Name/Class Section. (Students, please use your uark email)
• Click "Register"
• Once you are approved, you'll receive an email with the show link as well as a reminder an hour before the performance begins.

For more information, please visit the Department of Theatre online.

About the Department of Theatre: The Department of Theatre in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has been providing exciting and affordable live theatre for more than 60 years. The department combines a first-rate theatrical education full of hands-on experience with a wide selection of titles to challenge students and delight the community. The department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, a broad-spectrum program in the context of a liberal arts education, and the Master of Fine Arts degree in six concentrations: Acting, Directing, Playwriting, Costume Design, Scene Design, and Lighting Design. Classes at both undergraduate and graduate levels are focused on providing a strong, professional orientation to theatre performance and technology in conjunction with appropriate research-based coursework to address the required foundations in theatre history, dramatic literature and dramatic criticism.