Hurt People

by LaDarrion Williams

“Thirty-year-old, Marcel Bennett, has come back home to Birmingham, Alabama, to unlearn the things that shaped him, which are deep-seated childhood issues that seep into his artistic endeavor. When Marcel catches up with his old high school friend, old feelings arise, and an emotional truth must be sacrificed for Marcel to move on and begin anew. In this coming-of-age story, this play takes on the art of Black...

“Thirty-year-old, Marcel Bennett, has come back home to Birmingham, Alabama, to unlearn the things that shaped him, which are deep-seated childhood issues that seep into his artistic endeavor. When Marcel catches up with his old high school friend, old feelings arise, and an emotional truth must be sacrificed for Marcel to move on and begin anew. In this coming-of-age story, this play takes on the art of Black masculinity, sexuality, and how true the saying ‘hurt people, hurt people’ is.”

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Hurt People

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  • Shaun Leisher: Hurt People by LaDarrion Williams
    “

    A play about men being allowed to be soft and women being allowed to show frustration when they are deeply hurt. This trip back home for Marcel was something that needed to happen for a long time whether he knew that or not. He needed this time to find closure with his past and move on from what happened with Brandon. The relationship between these two men feels so natural. I would love to see this performed with two actors that are willing to go to the deep places these characters go.

    A play about men being allowed to be soft and women being allowed to show frustration when they are deeply hurt. This trip back home for Marcel was something that needed to happen for a long time whether he knew that or not. He needed this time to find closure with his past and move on from what happened with Brandon. The relationship between these two men feels so natural. I would love to see this performed with two actors that are willing to go to the deep places these characters go.

    ”
  • Brianna Barrett: Hurt People by LaDarrion Williams
    “

    Love the way the frame of the podcasters also functions as almost Marcel’s inner dialogue – given that many of our insecurities come from the conversations/opinions/contexts/communities that surround around us, I found this a really effective motif. Loved that Brandon and Marcel’s history with one another wasn’t played for shock value – long before the characters spoke of this directly, the podcast characters made it clear this is what the play was going to be about and I was here for it.

    Love the way the frame of the podcasters also functions as almost Marcel’s inner dialogue – given that many of our insecurities come from the conversations/opinions/contexts/communities that surround around us, I found this a really effective motif. Loved that Brandon and Marcel’s history with one another wasn’t played for shock value – long before the characters spoke of this directly, the podcast characters made it clear this is what the play was going to be about and I was here for it.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: Hurt People by LaDarrion Williams
    “

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced HURT PEOPLE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We saw potential central conflict and the discussion it engenders about the broader implications for how society handles these issues of black masculinity. We leaned into the dramatic questions of who is responsible for healing past traumas and the harm that has been caused. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced HURT PEOPLE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We saw potential central conflict and the discussion it engenders about the broader implications for how society handles these issues of black masculinity. We leaned into the dramatic questions of who is responsible for healing past traumas and the harm that has been caused. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46

    ”
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