By Isha Trivedi '18
On Wednesday, February 7th, the junior English classes (English 3 and English 3 AP) had the opportunity to visit City Lights Theatre, right across the street from our downtown campus, to see “Alabama Story”, a play set in 1950s Alabama and centered around the censorship of a controversial book. The book in question was a children’s picture book called “The Rabbits' Wedding” by Garth Williams about two rabbits who got married––the only problem was, one was a white rabbit, and the other was a black rabbit. In the play, the book is well-received by children and librarians alike, however many government officials see it as a threat to the segregated fabric of society. It all comes down to no-nonsense state librarian Emily Reed and her assistant Joshua, who are overcome with letters demanding that they remove the book from the library system. While they fight to keep the book available to all and ultimately against the inherently racist motivation for the hate against this book, the audience also learns the story of two childhood friends navigating the turbulent waters of the racism that pervades the Deep South, as well as the privilege and ignorance involved. The thought-provoking story and engaging actors kept students captivated and entertained throughout both shows, and left the audience standing in ovation and with a whirlwind of emotions.
At Notre Dame, U.S. history is studied in 11th grade and the sentiments and topics explored in this play truly personalize the Southern experience during the late 1950s outside of a textbook and classroom context. Through its characters and plot, Alabama Story tells a tale of love, hate, ignorance, privilege, and racism, and demonstrates the importance of confronting our history. This play is not one to be missed! Tickets can be purchased online here for shows that run until February 18th.