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WOKE
Old Fire Station
Oxford/Touring
APPHIA CAMPBELL first came to public attention five years ago with her critically acclaimed play Black Is The Colour Of My Voice, based on the life of Nina Simone. Her latest piece, Woke, is a one-woman show chronicling parallel developments in the lives of Assata, member of the Black Panther Party in the 1970s and Ambrosia, a fictional member of today’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Ambrosia is a young student whose lifelong obsession with Missouri — a result of her love of Bessie Smith’s St Louis Blues — leads to her moving there from Pittsburgh to study African-American literature. She arrives shortly after the slaying of unarmed black teenager Mike Brown by a white police officer and her naivety becomes apparent during her first seminar, where her faith in the police and criminal justice system raises eyebrows amongst her fellow students.
At the suggestion of Trey, a Huey Newtonesque figure who uses his knowledge of the law to challenge police impunity, she goes along to a BLM rally in Ferguson. Needless to say, her faith in the system starts to face some serious challenges.
Interspersed throughout her story is that of Assata Shakur, a leading member of the Black Panther Party who was framed for murder but later escaped prison and gained political asylum in Cuba. While one might have expected a jarring juxtaposition between the “hardened revolutionary”Assata and Ambrosia, the wide-eyed college girl, Campbell shows us in fact the similar journey made by both women.
Assata’s first scene shows her singing patriotic songs about the US before her involvement with the Panthers leads her to be increasingly targeted by the state. The play also shows how, in some ways, things are actually worse today than in the 1970s. While the attack on the Panthers by the state was extreme, they were, of course, a militant and provocative organisation. In contrast, the BLM activists in the play are targeted simply for taking part in a protest.
The show is a real tour de force. Campbell moves effortlessly between the three central characters with masterly phrasing, accent and demeanour, making each instantly identifiable. Her voice, whether delivering spoken lines or the snatches of songs which infuse the narrative, is deeply expressive and powerful.
Highly recommended.
Touring nationally, including Edinburgh Festival, until November 10, details: apphiacampbell.com
