‘We Are Proud to Present ...’ on stage at Trustus Theatre

Trustus Theatre is partnering with Coker College to revive their production of “We Are Proud to Present ...” a presentation about the hero of Namibia, from the German Südwestafrika, between 1884-1915 — an earlier work by Fairview playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury.

This limited-run production will be Jan. 17-18 at Trustus Theatre’s Side Door Theatre. The play, written by Jackie Sibblies Drury, is directed by Andrew Schwartz, Coker College’s assistant professor of theatre and stars Kamian McClain, Matt Hicks, Isaiah Washington, Amber Coulter, Chevez Smith, and Tristan Pack.

A group of actors gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th century. “We Are Proud to Present ...” takes place largely in a rehearsal room that descends from collaborative to absurd as a group of idealistic actors attempt to re-create the extinction of the Herero tribe at the hands of their German colonizers.

Along the way, they test the limits of empathy as their own stories, subjectivities, assumptions, and prejudices catalyze their theatrical process. Eventually the full force of a horrific past crashes into the good intentions of the present, and what seemed a faraway place and time comes all too close to home.

“Jackie Sibblies Drury, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year for ‘Fairview,’ is one of the most exciting new playwrights to emerge in the last 20 years,” Schwartz said. “Her plays are fearless, bold, and they ask really difficult questions about race. They also have a wonderful humility and ‘We Are Proud to Present ...’ in particular is really funny. I promise, this show is not a history lesson. I guarantee that it will be an evening of theater that will stick with you long after the show is over. It is unlike any play you have ever seen before.”

Chad Henderson, Trustus Theatre’s artistic director, said he is excited to collaborate with Coker College to bring this production to the Side Door Theatre.

“Jackie Sibblies Drury is one of America’s most important contemporary playwrights,” Henderson said. “We wanted to offer Columbia audiences a primer of her thoughtful, poignant, and inventive work. Hosting Coker College’s revival production of ‘We Are Proud to Present …’ is a great opportunity for Trustus to introduce Drury’s cannon to Columbia, and to introduce audiences to an excellent troupe of young performers.”