When I first noticed the posters for “Snowflakes, or Rare White People” around Emory University’s Oxford College campus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be another annoying hypothetical that victimized white people, or would it be a genius satire? After watching this sci-fi comedy, set in the 23rd century of the United States, I realized it was the latter.
OxTheatre’s production of “Snowflakes, or Rare White People,” written by playwright Dustin H. Chinn and directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Nick Fesette, provided everything a good play needs: strong acting, a compelling narrative and a connection to wider societal issues. The play ran from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21.
As the play began, the room was submerged in pitch black. Director (Yasmin Abdurahman, 25Ox), a president-like character, greeted the audience in several different languages, indicating the diverse racial configuration in this portrayal of the future of the United States. In fact, most of the characters have names with ambiguous ethnic origins. Hassan Hernandez (Dylan Jagla, 24Ox) and her partner in crime Fei Fong-Torres (Ovea Kaushik, 25Ox) are both examples of this unique choice.
Soon after, the audience was introduced to Meghan (Estela Lozier, 25Ox) and Benedict (Chris Pocharski, 24Ox), among the last two white people on Earth. Meghan and Benedict live in captivity in an exhibit at the “Hall of Caucasian Peoples” and perform live historical reenactments.
One day, a museum employee named Rigoberto Rogers (Wayne Wang, 24Ox, 26C) breaks Meghan and Benedict out of their exhibit, and Hassan and Fei go on a wild goose chase to bring the characters back. After all, two white people running around in a world where everyone is a person of color is guaranteed to cause chaos.
When Director learns that Meghan and Benedict have escaped, she issues a “Code Becky.” Here, the expertise of the technical crew members behind the scenes became especially clear. A video recording of a newscaster (Anisha Nagchaudhuri, 25Ox) was projected onto the floor, and in the top left corner an icon of a slice of avocado toast had the words “Code Becky” written above and below it. The icon remained throughout the mini news segment, and I found the use of the name “Becky,” which oftentimes describes a younger, millennial version of a “Karen,” hilarious. The addition of the avocado toast image, another stereotype associated with white millennials, was not over-the-top, making this joke one of the funniest in the play.
The play’s jokes landed well with the crowd, eliciting chuckles from spectators. Additionally, the cast kept the audience engaged by using the entire room as a stage. I found myself looking toward the sound booth or another cluster of auditorium seats because Lozier, Pocharski and Wang would often wander as they delivered their lines. This is the first play I’ve attended where the cast didn’t limit themselves to the traditional stage area of the auditorium.
Over the course of the play, the actions of Meghan and Benedict grew increasingly problematic. While they initially only displayed white quirkiness, or caucasity, the pair branched out into more alarming behavior, such as cultural appropriation at the wedding of Puja. Meghan and Benedict donned traditional Hindu clothing and acted as if they were experts on Indian food and dance. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t see a problem with this — which ultimately led the pair down a dangerous path of what Fesette’s director’s note describes as “unchecked entitlement and racist microagressions.”
Through the use of clever jokes and memorable acting, OxTheatre crafted a sci-fi world that captured the audience’s imagination and made them laugh. Despite the lighthearted, funny quips of the characters, “Snowflakes, or Rare White People” made sure that the audience noticed the underlying issues. It is important to note that the behaviors of white people are not always quirky or silly — they can have harmful consequences for people of color.
Overall, “Snowflakes, or Rare White People” was well put together, with no hiccups that significantly disrupted the show. It was clear to me that the production was well rehearsed, especially when it came to the performances of Jagla, Wang and Pocharski. The lighting and sound crew’s perfect timing also made this production special. While some jokes were a little cliche, I enjoyed “Snowflakes, or Rare White People” and am looking forward to future theater productions at Oxford College.
