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Regional Premiere
White Guy on the Bus
By Bruce Graham
Directed by Chip Walton

May 14-June 24, 2016
Previews May 12-13

From the playwright of Coyote on a Fence, comes what the Chicago Tribune calls “a play with guts,” that is a provocative, unflinchingly candid examination of race in America today. Week after week, a wealthy white businessman rides the same bus, befriending a single black mom. As they get to know one another, their pasts unfold and tensions rise, igniting an incendiary exploration of race that is both fiery and disturbing.

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Artists

Cast
Molly: Rachel Bouchard
Roz: Dee Covington
Shatique: Jada Suzanne Dixon
Ray: Sam Gregory
Christopher: Andy Waldschmidt

Production Team
Scenic Designer: Michael R. Duran
Costume Designer: Markas Henry
Lighting Designer: Shannon McKinney
Properties Designer: Kristin Hamer MacFarlane
Sound Designer: Jason Ducat

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Talkbacks
Want to talk with others about the show? Want to hear from the actors about the process behind the play? Talk Backs with artistic staff and cast members follow each performance, starting the Thursday after opening and continuing until Friday of closing weekend. A Curious favorite!

How do you prepare for a show so maddeningly relevant? How can you understand the context, the characters, the emotion better? Simply read the news. These are articles our team has found helpful in preparing for White Guy on the Bus and we thought you’d enjoy having access to them as well.

I, Racist – Those People, John Metta, July 6, 2015

How I talk to white people about racism – The Daily Dot, Clay Rivers, October 4, 2015

Race/Related – New York Times, April 17, 2016

White Debt – New York Times, Eula Biss, December 2, 2015

When Whites Just Don’t Get It, Part 6 – New York Times, Nicholas Kristof, April 2, 2016

Earning the ‘Woke’ Badge – New York Times Magazine, Amanda Hess, April 19, 2016

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Why Whites Like His Writing – The Daily Beast, Felice Leon, October 25, 2015

The Case for Reparations – The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates, June 2014

Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares – New York Times, Motoko Rich, Amanda Cox, and Matthew Bloch, April 29, 2016

In African-American Communities, Growing Interest In Home-Schooling – National Public Radio, Gabrielle Emanuel, March 30, 2016

Obama Says Movements Like Black Lives Matter ‘Can’t Just Keep on Yelling’ – New York Times, Michael D. Shear and Liam Stack, April 23, 2016 

The Racist Roots of a Way to Sell Homes – New York Times Editorial Board, April 29, 2016

272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? – New York Times, Rachel L. Swarns, April 16, 2016

Review: “White Guy on the Bus” at Curious is a brutal look at race in America
by Joanne Ostrow, Denver Post
In its regional premiere at Curious Theatre — only the third theater in the country to produce the play — “White Guy on the Bus” throws political correctness under the bus… Bruce Graham’s topical play is intentionally, actively unsettling [and] sets up an intricate study of race and white privilege in modern America.

Review: White Guy on the Bus Is a Rough Ride — and a Real Shocker
by Juliet Wittman, Westword
Directed by Chip Walton, the production is impeccably staged and acted, with Bouchard bringing a shy charm to the role of Molly and Waldschmidt giving us a Christopher who just might be a junior version of Ray. Sam Gregory’s Ray stands astride the evening, fascinating to watch at every moment, whether he’s maintaining a civilized veneer or allowing flame-spitting anger to break through. But it’s Jada Dixon, sitting in shadow during the evening’s final moments, who commands your attention. You see it all on her face – Shatique’s weariness, rage and pain; her intense and terrible loneliness – and can only wonder at the courage it takes to reveal such emotional depths.

Tall Tales: White Guy on the Bus Review
by Mark Stevens, Telluride Inside… And Out
It’s one of those wonderful wow moments where we zoom back through all that has come before and realize we’ve been deftly manipulated by a masterful bit of storytelling. Playwright Bruce Graham lays out the familiar talk of race, which often makes us squirm, before turning the tables. Big time. We recalibrate our assumptions, just as the characters on stage are rapidly reconfiguring their world view.

White Guy on the Bus Review
by David Marlowe, Marlowe’s Musings
With its production of Bruce Graham’s “White Guy on the Bus” Curious Theatre Company holds the mirror up to well-heeled white America. That which is reflected in this mirror with regard to racial bigotry and white entitlement is not new and most assuredly not pretty…The play is full of incendiary dialogue unveiling the lies we tell ourselves about civil rights and racial equality.

Theater Review: White Guy on the Bus
by Beki Pineda, GetBoulder.com, Boulder Magazine
This script takes directions that  totally unexpected. What a refreshing experience to see such an unpredictable show. No spoilers here, but this is one that will stay with you for a long time.

White Guy on the Bus in Review
by Eden Lane, InFocus TV
Curious Theatre Company’s slogan “No Guts, No Story” is carried by each of the artists on stage and behind the scenes… it’s also true for the audience for many of their productions… including this one.We talked about it all the way home… and continued to the next morning…

White Guy on the Bus Review
by Bob Bows, ColoradoDrama.com
At every level, Graham challenges us—in our living rooms, at work, in our schools, in public—conjuring a atmosphere in which we are forced to admit the pervasiveness of race in determining our opportunities and choices…Given the challenges faced by theatre companies in finding a balance between provocative programming and fundraising, which often results in compromises in the material and with certain subjects being marginalized or altogether verboten, it’s worth noting that Curious Theatre has, since its inception, been one of the exceptions to this rule, as we see in this production.

Sponsors

PRESENTING PRODUCERS
Ann Corrigan and Kent Rice

PRODUCTION BENEFACTORS
Christine and Brent Case
Roscoe Hill

PRODUCTION PATRONS
Lori Pidick and Mark Niles