I AM THE GENTRY is a witty, unabashedly honest solo performance that traces one woman’s life as she realizes her role in the gentrification of her Washington, DC neighborhood. The play hilariously and provocatively deconstructs notions of racial and socio-economic stereotypes and redefines the nature of community in a transitional neighborhood. Expert raconteur, humorist and theatre professor Cara
Gabriel moved to D.C. a decade ago and purchased a home in a “transitional” neighborhood. I AM THE GENTRY chronicles Gabriel’s adventures and foibles in her new, unfamiliar surroundings: her beagle takes on a pair of pitbulls, she dances at a neighborhood shrine to Michael Jackson, and strolls her baby through an arrest-in-progress, all while poignantly examining her role in the process of neighborhood gentrification. In its sold-out world premiere at the INTERSECTIONS Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC, GENTRY garnered critical acclaim and incited passionate discourse among diverse audiences on themes of social, racial and economic disparity. This 90-minute performance will follow with a candid post-show discussion about the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the inevitable gentrification of cities everywhere. Gabriel herself shrewdly redefines the meaning of community and, ultimately, implicates herself as an agent of change, for better or worse. I AM THE GENTRY, directed by Katie Ryan, will be presented at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco, October 3 and 4 at 8p.m. http://www.theexit.org/
Tickets available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/
