clybourne parkA CLOSER LOOKInnovative, thought-provoking theatre that sparks conversation. Use this outline to frame

a dialogue with your group before arriving at the theatre or to continue the conversation after.

clybourne parkBy Bruce Norris

CharaCter Map

LoCation

tiMe

2011 pulitzer prize winner

about the pLay

Act IRussBevFrancineJimAlbertKarlBetsy

Act II TomLindseyKathySteveLena KevinDan

Kenneth

Set in the interior of a modest three-bedroom

bungalow, 406 Clybourne Street.

Act I 1959

Act II 2009

On two separate afternoons, 50 years apart, a modest bungalow on Chicago’s northwest side becomes a contested site in the politics of race. September 1959: Russ and Bev are moving out to the suburbs. They’ve inadvertently sold the house to the neighborhood’s first black family and ignited a community showdown. September 2009: the neighborhood is ripe for gentrification and the house is again changing hands. This time to a young white couple with plans for demolition and a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

1959

2009

tHemes, Discussions Question & aDDitional resources

Nineteenth-Century Housing, 44th and Wood Streets, Chicago, 1959 (below). Industrial metropolis housing survives in working-class sections of all American cities. Here, with asphalt siding, encroached upon by cars, a “Back of the Yards” neighborhood of the 1880 standard land and housing plan. Chicago Historical Society, Clarence W. Hines

ChiCago thenPopulation: 3,550,404 (1960)

White persons: 82.7%Black persons: 16.8%fertility rate: 1.57 Children/ Women

ChiCago then: 1959 In Clybourne Park, Russ and Bev are in the final stages of packing as they have just sold their house and are preparing to move to the suburbs. As word spreads through the neighborhood association that the house has been sold to the neighborhood’s first black couple, residents make their way to the house to confront Russ and Bev. As this home becomes a heated battleground, race and politics of the neighborhood in change shake the residents to their core.

In How to Behave Sensitively: Prescriptions for Interracial Conduct from the 1960s to the 1990s, author Elizabeth Lasch-Quinn argues that despite the revolt against formality and authority in the 1960s, a new concern with etiquette of race took hold. Revealing new anxieties and unresolved tensions, Lasch-Quinn ultimately offers no clear advice, and concludes that no matter what you do, you will likely offend someone.

TrANsITIoN of A CommuNITy Discuss the impact of gentrification on communities and their residents during this time.

rACe relATIoNs Talk about the racial climate of the late 50s through the 60s. What important milestones in

history happened during this time?

PolITICs ANd oPINIoNs Is it possible for communities of varied ethnic makeups to live harmonious in one neighborhood?

Provide successful and unsuccessful examples in history.

AfTer The PlAy Do you think Russ and Bev should have made a different decision regarding their house?

For Discussion

Additional Resources:Lasch-Quinn, Elizabeth. “How to Behave Sensitively: Prescriptions for Interracial Conduct from the 1960s to the 1990s.” Journal of Social History (1999).Pilot, Michael J. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: A Review of 50 Years of Change.” Monthly Labor Review Online 122.5 (1999).

ChiCago nowPopulation: 5,194,675 (Cook County)

White persons: 71.5%Black persons: 14.5%

ChiCago now: 2009 As the play progresses, the cultural makeup of Clybourne Park residents has changed dramatically. The property of note is now owned by a white couple who wish to begin making renovations in the predominantly black neighborhood. A discussion of housing codes between two couples soon turns into the exposé long-held racial tensions between both parties. Check out Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Conditions in US Metropolitan Areas by author Douglas S. Massy. Massy offers a look at integration and discusses how the facts and numbers create a picture of the climate that provides a cultural backdrop for the play.

ChAngE AnD gROWThTalk about the changes your neighborhood has had over time and the effect of these shifts

on the community.

gEnTRIFICATIOnWhat are examples of gentrification in history? What impact has this had on the social makeup

of our nation.

A REDESIgn Should people have a say in the design of a home if they are not the primary owners?

Talk about the attachment people have to their personal space.

AfTer The PlAyShould the new owners of the home take into consideration what the value of the home

is to the previous owners? Discuss the characters’ feelings toward each other.

For Discussion

Additional Resources:Blumer, Herbert. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” The Pacific Sociological Review 1.1 (1958).Massey, Douglas S. “Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Conditions in U.S. Metropolitan Areas.” America Becoming: Racial Trends and Their Consequences. 391-434.

1.3BEV Oh. now: Francine: I was wondering about this chafing dish, which we have practically never used.

Chafing dish: a utensil for cooking or keeping food warm at the table

1.8RUSS Ulan Bator!

Ulan Bator: Capital of Mongolia

1.7RUSS Or MongoleseBEV no, Mongol-oidRUSS no no, that’s differentBEV Oh, you’re rightRUSS That’s uhhh, you know, that’s-BEV no, I knowRUSS (gestures toward his brain) The thing with the –BEV Like the Wheeler Boy Mongoloid: often not capitalized usually offensive: of, relating to, or affected with Down syndrome.

1.37KARL Different customs, different…well, different foods, even. And those diff-here’s a funny- my wife Betsy, now, Betsy’s family happens to be Scandinavian, and on holidays they eat a thing known as lutefisk. And this is a dish, which I can tell you…is not to my liking at all. It’s… oh my goodness, let’s just say it’s gelatinous.

Lutefisk: dried codfish that has been soaked in water and lye solution before cooking. It is described as gelatinous in texture and is widely regarded as “grotesque.”

glossary oF terms