“Skeleton Crew,” the third in Morisseau’s Detroit cycle trilogy, concerns a tight-knit family of workers at an auto stamping plant at the start of the Great Recession.
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is continuing its celebration of Black History Month with a staged reading of Dominique Morisseau's powerful play, "Skeleton Crew." The reading, presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. will take place at WBTT on February 26 at 4 p.m.
"Skeleton Crew," the third in Morisseau's Detroit cycle trilogy, concerns a tight-knit family of workers at an auto stamping plant at the start of the Great Recession. With the business on shaky ground, each of the workers has to make choices on how to move forward if the plant goes under. Shanita has to decide how she'll support herself and her unborn child; Faye has to decide how and where she'll live; and Dez has to figure out how to make his ambitious dreams a reality. Power dynamics shift as their manager, Reggie, is torn between doing right by his co-workers and his concerns about providing for his family. Morisseau's Detroit cycle trilogy, titled "The Detroit Project," is the playwright's undertaking to examine the socio-political history of Detroit. In "Skeleton Crew," she examines how the line between blue collar and white collar becomes blurred, and how a working family must reckon with their personal loyalties, their instincts for survival, and their ultimate hopes for humanity. The show, starring Phylicia Rashad, is currently running at the Samuel J Friedman Theatre on Broadway, closing on February 20.Videos