UF’s School of Theatre and Dance will address the issues of race relations with the opening of the show “Honky” at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The satire provides insight on race issues after a violent shoe commercial that relied on stereotypes ends in a real-life tragedy. The story follows how the men involved with the commercial handle the issue.
Last Spring, UF put on “Gator Tales,” a Gainesville-specific play that followed the lives of the first African-American students to attend UF.
Andrew Quimby, a UF theater major, plays the role of Peter Trammel, the man who wrote the ad.
“Peter is a typical white, male yuppie who never had to acknowledge the complicated nature of race relations,” Quimby said.
Quimby said his character feels guilty for the tragedy and his ignorance. He tries to make up for it but ends up losing touch with himself as a person.
“He’s just a really honest representation of whites in America trying to understand the other side,” he said.
Raquelle Wallace, a 19-year old acting sophomore, was also in “Gator Tales.” In “Honky,” she plays the reporter.
“In a brief breaking news spot, the reporter introduces information that pushes the plot forward and affects the other characters,” Wallace wrote in an email.
Wallace said her favorite part of her character is how she becomes less professional as she realizes how absurd the news story is. Wallace added that the script is hilarious.
Michael Ortiz, a 21-year-old UF acting junior, said the show has a good amount of humor in it to balance out the seriousness.
“The audience’s eyes are going to open up to the humor,” he said.
The show will take place in the Black Box Theatre in the Nadine M. McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion.
Performances will run through March 26. Tickets are $18 for general public, $15 for faculty and seniors and $13 for UF students with their Gator 1 Cards.
