Synopsis
“Dominique Morisseau’s hard-hitting drama, Pipeline takes a deep look into the American educational system for underprivileged students. Nya is an inner-city high school teacher whose son, Omari, is educated at a private boarding school. She is desperate to give him opportunities that her students will never see and she is determined to fight for his future. When he gets into an altercation with a teacher, Nya and Omari are forced to deal with the reality of the pitfalls of a divided education system, the social prophecy that surrounds them, Omari’s sense of righteous rage, and the uncomfortable tensions within their family dynamic. Nya wants to save her son, but first, she must confront her own choices as a parent.
The title of the play refers directly to the US ‘school-to-prison pipeline, whereby underprivileged and disadvantaged students are funneled out of public education and into juvenile and criminal justice systems.” -a synopsis from Stage Agent
My review
After seeing the production of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau put on by the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance, I can honestly say I was nothing short of blown away. After reading it in class, I could ask for nothing better than what I saw. Director Micheal Smallwood clearly analyzed not only the script itself but also Morisseau’s vision for it while also mixing little pieces of his own interpretation. The minor details and movement of each person and piece made the show so much better. The set design and lighting carried the feel of the play. The actors portrayed their characters close to perfectly, to the point where I forgot I was witnessing fiction. Each actor seemed so consumed in his or her role. Brandon Alston was Omari. Who’s Trinity Griffin? All I saw was Jasmine. The costume design made it digestible and wasn’t distracting from anything. I also picked up on tiny minor detailing, some were clear direction and other times were things added by the actors that MADE the show that much more real and intriguing.
Smallwood’s directing made it obvious that he studied this piece. He analyzed not only the ins and outs of each character but how they all fit into place with each other. The movement of each person and the dynamic of the stage created the same image I saw when reading the play. The limitations faced when putting the production together for the Chapel Theater space were definitely met with compromises. The points in the play where there were supposed to be images and videos behind the characters had sounds playing in the background. These sounds were a little too quiet for the image to be created. However, I believe that with the space they were working with, it got the job done. The movement of the set pieces made the transition of each scene flow very easily.
The set itself was one of the most interesting ones I have ever seen. The graffitied lockers as the backdrop throughout highlighted the general atmosphere of the play’s themes. The moving pieces of the lockers in order to move the set pieces around and make for easy entrances and exits was honestly genius. My only problem with it was that it was hard to imagine certain places. Like in the scene that took place in the hospital. It was just hard to see a hospital that had a wall of stacked graffiti lockers. The lighting throughout made the atmosphere, theme, and mood of each scene pop. The red lights during each point of panic sent the feeling through me. The use of the bright white lights did actually help the hospital space feel a touch more real. The minimalist use of pieces made the suspension of disbelief a tad difficult, however, it was also useful as it was clear that the set was not the center point of the show. It was the characters.
The acting in this play was incredible. Absolutely incredible. There was so much emotion felt in each scene that it had me on the edge of my seat. The acting during the argument between Omari and Xavier actually made me scared, Laurie’s outburst came out of nowhere at the right time to where it actually made me jump, Jasmine was done perfectly sassy. Even when the actors stumbled a bit on lines it was almost as if it was done on purpose when the characters were flooded with emotion. It was evident that each actor learned their character in every aspect. They transformed themselves when they stepped on stage.
The costume design was good and somewhat basic. It did what it needed to do to show who each character was. My only problem with it was the costuming and makeup of Laurie. In the play, Laurie is supposed to be this older woman who has worked at the school her whole life. However, I just didn’t see her age like I felt it should have been portrayed. Nya’s costuming made her seem like a mid-forties school teacher and Laurie’s costuming did the same, which was not accurate. The stuffy design of Xavier was not something I envisioned while reading however, I enjoyed this visualization of him much more.
There were teensy details throughout the show that made it so much more real. The duct tape on Nya’a purse highlighted the sacrifices she had to make in her life. The way Alston paced and covered his head when his character, Omari was distressed or angry conveyed the emotion he was trying to convey perfectly. Jasmin’s loving and caring nature was highlighted when she pulled Omari’s jacket from under her pillow and turned it ever so slightly to the audience to make it known that the jacket was his. These little things made the show that much better.
All in all, the production was nearly flawless. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone. The mix of direction, acting, costuming, design, etc. made for an incredible performance. I will definitely go back to see everything the Department of Theater and Dance puts on!