By Julie-Anne Whitney
‘Admissions’ – Written by Joshua Harmon; Directed by Paul Daigneault; Scenic Design by Eric Levenson; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Stage Managed by Stephen MacDonald. Produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts through November 30, 2019.
The Boston premiere production of Joshua Harmon’s play Admissions, directed by Paul Daigneault, offers an unsettling behind-the-scenes look at issues of class and race through the eyes of the most privileged among us: wealthy, educated white people.
The story centers on Sherri Rosen-Mason (played with thoughtful sensitivity by Maureen Keiller), the head of admissions at Hillcrest, a small New Hampshire prep school, and her headmaster husband, Bill (played by the magnetic Michael Kaye), who have worked for years to expand the racial diversity of the school’s student body, which includes their son, a senior who is anxiously awaiting his college acceptance letters. Boston University student Nathan Malin, gives a commanding, stand-out performance as Charlie, son of Bill and Sherri, who spends the bulk of the play grappling with questions about privilege, fairness, fact versus opinion, and who “deserves” what and why.
Harmon’s play is startling relevant in this time of celebrity admissions scandals, the non-stop rise in tuition costs and college loan debt, and the ever-widening gap between the classes. Home to nearly 100 colleges and universities throughout five different counties, Massachusetts is no stranger to the bureaucracy of academia, and Boston audiences will likely find the play’s subject matter to be uncomfortably familiar. I certainly did.
As someone who works at one of Boston’s prestigious private universities, I have been privy to conversations about how best to “represent” and “sell” an academic department to a more diverse population without exploiting the current students of color as a ploy to get prospective students of color to apply. I have often wondered how we can ethically promote inclusivity and claim that we are a welcoming, diverse community when 75 percent or, in the case of Harmon’s play, 82 percent – of the student population identifies as white? How can we knowingly mislead these students about this particular university “experience” (via catalogues, brochures, campus tours, websites, etc.), admit them, take their money, and then get defensive when they become successful and – amazingly – do not feel compelled to donate back to the institution that disappointed them or, as Sherri’s character indignantly complains, when they, “make all that money…and completely lose sight of the fact that [they] are where [they are] because of us. Because we took a chance on [them].”
As the head of admissions at Hillcrest – and someone who prides herself on increasing the racial diversity at the school by “300% in fifteen years” – Sherri straddles this complex issue when discussing the new admissions catalogue with her colleague Roberta (played with light-handed humor by Cheryl McMahon), who works for the development office. During their discussion, Sherri makes the point that “If (prospective students of color) open up that catalogue, and they don’t see anyone who looks like them, that will be the end of their journey. They will not apply. And why should they? Who would want to be the only Black or Hispanic student in some far-away boarding school where they know no one, no one knows them, no one looks like them? Who would sign up for that?” So, Sherri demands that Roberta go back to the drawing board and include more photos of students of color in the catalogue to better represent the “true diversity” of the school. When Sherri’s friend, Ginnie (played by the delightful Marianna Bassham), later points out: “You want things to look different, but I’m not sure you want them to be different…You want faces for your brochure and numbers you can use in your statistics, but when you can’t use them you don’t see those kids at all. It’s like [they’re] invisible to you,” Sherri is forced to face her own hypocrisy.
Admissions is the kind of play intended to make you uncomfortable and, more importantly, to push you to reflect on and discuss that discomfort with others. Harmon is a master at presenting the audience with multiple perspectives of several complex issues while not offering any clear solutions. He leaves it to the audience to decide what is right and what is fair and what is good. He leaves it to the audience to decide whether or not they’re ready for things to be different, and how much they’re willing to give up so that change can actually happen. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.speakeasystage.com/
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