Slipstream Presents Michigan Premiere of ST. SEBASTIAN By Andrew Kramer

Slipstream continues its exploration into the human experience with the Michigan premiere of St. Sebastian by award-winning playwright Andrew Kramer. Set in current day Detroit, a gay white couple moves into a historically African-American neighborhood. It's full of history and culture, and the couple thinks it's the perfect place to flip a house and make some money. Ben is a former priest, and his partner, Gideon, is a political justice junkie. Gideon fears that he and Ben are becoming "those people" - the ones who gentrify and destroy historic neighborhoods to make a buck. As Gideon slips deeper and deeper down the path of fearing becoming what he hates the most, Ben strikes up a friendship with a neighbor boy, who happens to be black. Fear and ignorance drive the show to an inevitable tragedy.

This play has only been produced once before, in Chicago, and Slipstream is thrilled to be producing the Michigan premiere. Structured like loose train of thought, and comprised of complex multi-faceted characters, the play will take you on a journey you won't soon forget. One that may just end with you asking yourself: Am I part of the problem or the solution?

The intimate three-person cast consists of Wilde Award Winner and Michigan Theatre regular Richard Payton as Ben. Rising Star Wilde Award Winner Jackson Abohasira plays the social justice warrior becoming more of the problem than the solution, Gideon. And David Wilson returns home from Fordham University to play Reuben, the neighbor boy with wisdom beyond his years and a deep understanding of racial divides. The production is directed by Bailey Boudreau and Grace Jolliffe.

St. Sebastian ignores social norms and brings the conversation about race to the forefront in a way that is not usually explored. It holds a mirror up to society and forces us to take a long hard look at what we stand for, and what we are willing to stand. What will we tolerate for the sake of appearances and what empowers us to go against the majority for something we believe in? How far will you go to maintain your safety, your sense of security, and the corner of the world you've carved for yourself?

Photo credit: Jan Cartwright Photography.

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