 In 2017, while studying acting at the University of Virginia, Priyanka Shetty found herself in the middle of one of the most turbulent and horrifying weekends in recent American history. In Charlottesville that August, a rally organised by white supremacists and far-right extremists to oppose the removal of a Confederate statue - a monument to slavery and oppression that erupted into violent clashes with counter-protesters. The weekend culminated in tragedy when a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd, killing activist Heather Heyer and injuring dozens more.
Shaken but compelled to respond, Shetty set out to chronicle the community’s reactions in the wake of Charlottesville’s dark weekend. She spoke with fellow locals, trawled far-right websites to dissect the rhetoric, and looked at the the trials of white-supremacist conspirators, where she witnessed the chilling defiance of the perpetrators themselves. This was in stark contrast to Charlottesville’s public image. Once named the second “nicest place to live” in America, the city’s reputation masked a deeper, uglier truth. Almost immediately after arriving from India to study acting, Shetty encountered racism firsthand with subtle and overt attempts to derail her studies. Her interviews and research peel back that civic façade, exposing the rot of prejudice and the structures that allow it to thrive. In doing so, she dismantles the myth of idyllic small-town America, revealing a community wrestling with hate that was never truly hidden. In this riveting 70-minute solo performance, Shetty embodies a gallery of right-wing voices, often in their own words. The venom drips from their rhetoric, forcing the audience to confront the inhumanity behind these ideologies. #Charlottesville doesn’t allow us the comfort of distance; it presses the hate up to our faces, reminding us that the events of that weekend were not an aberration, but a catalyst. The influence of that moment, and the emboldening it gave to extremist movements, continues to echo and Shetty makes sure we hear it as loud and clear as she did that day on the streets. Lee Hutchison 4/5 #Charlottesville Venue: Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard Dates: August 11-25th Time: 1220 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/charlottesville-the-play-that-trump-does-not-want-you-to-see |
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