How Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage leans into optimism in Clyde’s to discuss darker and deeper truths.
CONTINUING CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S COMMITMENT to sharing the stories of woman-identifying, transgender, and nonbinary voices at the Mark Taper Forum this season, the West Coast premiere of Clyde’s is a new comedy written by Lynn Nottage that serves up the story of ordinary characters with big dreams. The formerly incarcerated staff of Clyde’s truck stop diner are looking to start their lives over in the kitchen under the pressure of the fiery rule of their owner. In pursuit of the perfect sandwich, the chefs imagine a future they have been constantly told is out of reach. Deeply felt, quirky, and urgent, Clyde’s is a play that reminds us that “sometimes a hero is more than just a sandwich” (The New Yorker).
Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter, who is also the first woman in history to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world, and she is well versed in documentary storytelling; a theatre making process that builds upon real subjects and interviews for dialogue and characterizations. She began interviewing subjects in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest cities in the nation, in 2011 for her 2015 play, Sweat, which then played at the Mark Taper Forum in 2018.
Nottage said at a roundtable event in September that she is building from her interview work in Redding for Clyde’s. “I encountered one beautiful man who found inventive and inspiring ways to uplift and heal his community,” she said. “I realized in that moment I wanted to write a play that leans into that optimism.
”While Clyde’s is a new show, Sweat continues to inspire the play. Audiences familiar with Sweat will recognize Jason, the newest team member at Clyde’s truck stop diner. Jason was last seen being released from prison after assaulting a busboy at a bar in Redding, and Clyde’s continues his story as we see him adapt to life post-imprisonment.
Nottage is not the first playwright to be inspired by documentary theatre. Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, appearing at the Taper later this season. tackles a multitude of identities and political perspectives. Smith interviewed 320 people across Los Angeles about their experiences during the Los Angeles Riots thirty years ago. When the production premiered at the Taper, she took on each character herself. But now, it has been reimagined for a cast of five.
It is through the roots of documentary theatre that Nottage brings authenticity to the story she tells; a powerful tool when conveying the message of realism and urgency to her audiences. With real life inspiration at the core of Nottage’s work, it can then become difficult to convey these heavy topics within art. Though art has no limits, it must be shaped carefully to ensure that the audience is still receptive to its message while not feeling overwhelmed by the topics at hand. Clyde’s touches heavily on the conversations of race, gender, and imprisonment, but the artists pull elements into the piece that help convey these messages in a comprehensible manner.
One of the most notable elements in Nottage’s Clyde’s is the use of comedy to highlight the pain and hardships of marginalized communities through a different lens. On the topic, Nottage said in an interview with Center Theatre Group that, “I wanted to tell this story using humor because there’s something about the way in which we open up our spirits and open up our mouths and invite people in when we’re laughing that I think is infectious and is healing and important.” Within the show, we are introduced to characters who have been through the incarceration system, but each character has experienced this reality through their own lens. These can be difficult conversations to swallow, but Lynn’s use of comedy helps create an inclusive conversation that pulls the audience into the center.
As it turns out, her brand of medicine is in popular demand, as our production of Clyde’s is a co-production with the Goodman Theatre in the Chicago area. Clyde’s is also one of the most produced shows this year, with our run being one of the 11 productions being presented in 2022, according to the American Theater Magazine. The demand for the show attests to the impact it has among audiences, and the success Nottage has in sharing these deep and complex stories. AFTER ALL, SOMETIMES COMEDY IS JUST THE RIGHT MEDICINE—AND LYNN NOTTAGE ALWAYS LEAVES THE AUDIENCE HUNGRY FOR MORE.
