In a strange twist of fate, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s production of “Until the Flood,” which
reflects on the history of racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri, began previews the same week
Evanston’s beloved Alderwoman Delores Holmes passed away. A lifelong champion of civil
rights and social progress, Holmes was an ever-present face at City Council meetings, and civic
and cultural gatherings. She served as the first director of Family Focus, a non-profit serving the
families of the mostly Black Fifth Ward neighborhood and was an avid supporter of Fleetwood-
Jourdain Theatre.
Structured as a series of monologues by Black and white individuals of varying ages and
backgrounds, “Until the Flood” opens and closes with speeches by 70-year-old Louisa Hemphill,
who speaks to us from the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Brown, the catalyst for playwright Dael
Orlandersmith’s exploration of the state of U.S. race relations.
Performer Jazzma Pryor, despite being decades younger than this anchoring character, portrays
Hemphill with gravity and world-weariness, yet when she takes us back to her youth during
Ferguson’s Sundown Law era, we witness the spark of resistance that propelled Hemphill to
leave her hometown to attend a teacher’s college in New York. Sitting at the funeral of young
Michael Brown, she projects her bitterness over the “stay in your place” racism that continues to
provoke dangerous racial tensions in her hometown and place limits on the lives of young
people with limited opportunities.
Pryor is a fearlessly versatile performer previously seen in the solo tour-de-force “Twilight: Los
Angeles, 1992” produced by Fleetwood-Jourdain in 2021. In this production, Pryor is paired with
Jasmine “Jaz” Robertson, who alternates monologues with Pryor. Robertson is gifted with a
resonant voice and magnetic presence. She was a standout in a supporting role in The Imposter
Theatre’s “Beyond the Garden Gate” last season, so it is exciting to see the broader scope of
her abilities here.
Robertson is tasked with portraying two white men, each offering perspectives on police officer
Darren Wilson’s motives in shooting Brown. Rusty, a 75-year-old retired police officer, recounts
his decades of experience serving on an all-white force working in a Black neighborhood. He
posits that one can’t really know what happened, but he chooses to assign blame to both parties
in the fatal shooting. His choice to stand by his fraternal brothers throughout his career seems to
rob him of his peace of mind. With more free time to ruminate he searches his soul for his
culpability and must turn to the whisky bottle to wash his feelings away.
Robertson also introduces us to the morally complicated character of Dougray Smith, an
industrious, raised poor, white father in his late 30s. His harrowing coming of age story, of
standing up to his abusive alcoholic father, has a toxic ripple effect on his own parenting style.
Whether the characters are motivated by regret, confusion, sorrow or rage, Pryor and
Robertson find the unique spark of humanity in each of their portrayals.
As directed by Tim Rhoze, the transitions between monologues are powerful and potent. As the
entering character’s story begins, the exiting character, pauses to pay witness to them before
moving on. The effect reminded me of a roving camera that after pausing for a long closeup
shot, suddenly pans away to focus on a fresh subject and story angle.
Originally written and performed as a solo show by playwright Dael Orlandersmith, “Until the
Flood” premiered in 2016 at the Rep in St. Louis, Missouri, two years after the shooting of
Michael Brown. Its recurring themes include the legacy of family violence, unprovoked
altercations with police, a desire to wash painful feelings away, an over reliance on firearms for
protection, and hopelessness so painful that one isn’t afraid to die.
Orlandersmith’s exploration of the tragedy from a variety of perspectives offers no false hope for
racial harmony. Instead, it offers a clear look at the patterns of discrimination that imprint their
legacy on the lives of people today. The play also highlights the all-too-common failure among
white people to notice their part in racial misunderstandings and tensions.
Hope must come from those who see and hear the play. “Until the Flood” is not a play by Black
artists for Black audiences. It is a play for all audiences – and white audiences may take away
with them a reminder to do their own work to end the violence and the “put in their place-ism
racism” directed consciously or unconsciously against Black people.
In his director’s notes poem, Rhoze indicates that Black folks know these stories and this
history, and as a result must focus on supporting, protecting, and loving their community. One
only needs to look as far as the example of Dolores Holmes to sense the truth in that.
“Until the Flood” will play Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 10, 2024, at the Fleetwood-
Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston. For tickets
and more information visit www.fjtheatre.com.
Photo credit: Basil Clunie