ST. PAUL, Minn. - Set against the backdrop of protest sweeping the nation, "This Bitter Earth" traces the tender relationship of an interracial gay couple in a moment of political upheaval in the United States.
The play was written by Harrison David Rivers and directed by Talvin Wilks. The director and playwright stopped by KARE 11 at 4 p.m. to share more about the show, which is running now at the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul.
"This Bitter Earth" is a requiem for a loved one lost to an act of violence, told through the lens of a black gay man on his journey toward joining the fight for racial justice. Jesse, a black graduate student, falls for Neil, a white civil rights activist, when he sees him take center stage during a Black Lives Matter rally. As their love grows, their relationship is defined by their respective proximity to the epicenter of social justice activism.
The two men’s racial identities, economic backgrounds, personalities, and engagement in the fight for social justice all become frequent points of contention. Over the course of their relationship, they must grapple with not only other people’s responses to their identity as a couple, but to their own internalized biases, stereotypes, and assumptions.
Tickets are on sale at penumbratheatre.org or 651-224-3180.