The fall theatre production “Spinning into Butter” has been changed.
For now, the play is not the best choice right now for the college’s anti-racism goals.
The change was made with the idea to create a safe and inclusive environment for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) students and members of the community.
The idea behind “Spring into Butter” came from Rebecca Gilman’s (an American Playwright) time at Middlebury College. Where David Grace, a Black student at Middlebury College, has received written threats and has had a brick thrown through his window. This seems to happen because of his skin color.
This stirred up discussion of racism at a college that was not a racist institution. Students rallied with Grace and stood by him in his time of need. Grace later admitted to doing the acts and left the college.
The play also introduces Patrick Tyler Chibas, a Puerto Rican student, who struggles with his financial aid. He brought his experience on social injustice to light once his financial aid is revoked.
After Chibas sends the school president a letter about the social injustices he has experienced at school. The president then orders Sarah Daniels, Dean of Students, to come up with a ten-step plan to get rid of the racism in the administration. This leads her to realize how she has been racist in situations that she never noticed.
Michael Mufson said in an email, “Although the play does reveal significant and valuable insight relating to conscious and unconscious racism in predominantly white academic institutions, we concluded that ‘Spinning Into Butter’ could subject BIPOC audiences to a host of painful microaggressions and racist behavior from white characters that they are already all too familiar with.”
The play has been officially changed to “Too Much Memory.” This an adaptation of the Greek play “Antigone, “ which is the first instance of civil disobedience in western literature. It is the same story of “Antigone,” which is about a girl that will rise up alone but die young, but it will be set in a modern setting.
Here’s a link to download the script for “Too Much Memory.” https://www.dropbox.com/s/z68zg5m2ra3lg3u/Too%20Much%20Memory.pdf?dl=0
