‘Grace’ At The Center Of Play’s Theme

Namir Smallwood. PHOTO BY SANDRO MILLER.
Namir Smallwood. PHOTO BY SANDRO MILLER.

‘Grace’ At The Center Of Play’s Theme

By Tia Carol Jones

Namir Smallwood’s first foray into performing in front of an audience was when he would recite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches at events throughout New Jersey during Black History Month. He realized he had a gift for being able to elicit emotions from people. 

In high school, he participated in an academic enrichment program, and he chose drama. While performing in the skit for the program, he made his peers cry and was told that he should be an actor.

Smallwood is portraying Buddy in Suzan-Lori Park’s “The Book of Grace,” which is running through Sunday, May 18th, at the Steppenwolf Ensemble Theater, located at 1646 N. Halsted. Smallwood said he wanted to be part of the production because he admires Park’s work. He feels that she is a great genius when it comes to theater and the arts. Smallwood read a draft of the play and thought it was great.

“The Book of Grace” follows Grace, her husband Vet and Buddy. Buddy, an Iraq War veteran, returns home after 15 years to confront his father. 

Smallwood describes Buddy as one of the most difficult roles he has played so far. He said that because the role is being written in the moment, there are discoveries still being made. 

He said coming into the rehearsal and not knowing what the day is going to bring means he has to be open and pliable to meet the challenges of the day, the same way people go through life.  Smallwood said that going from who Buddy is when he first appears on stage to who he becomes at the end of the play, is a real journey.

“The psychology of this particular character, I’m not as familiar with it. I’ve played characters with a similar background, but this particular character, the mentality of this character is a little different and I have to go to a different place,” he said, which he said is a real challenge.

Smallwood said the play is about a fractured family, with the idea of nature vs. nurture. He said Grace is the nurturer of the two men, but she’s also their savior. She saves them from themselves, which he said, while women don’t get credit for being the savior, it is what they do. He hopes audiences take away the fact that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

“We are all out here doing the very best that we can, and it is not a stretch for a person to go from one extreme, all the way over to the other. It’s not foreign, people aren’t crazy. There are reasons and there are steps and there are missing things in each person that causes that,” he said.

Smallwood hopes that audiences have an honest reaction to the play and leave with a lot of questions, while being open to having conversations. He said that all three actors have to go to some intriguing, mysterious places in order to be able to play the characters in the production. He said that he hopes that people leave the play and walk through the world with a little more grace.

Tickets cost $20-$102. To purchase tickets and for more information about “The Book of Grace,” visit www.steppenwolf.org, or call 312-335-1650.


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