Will Power , assistant professor of theater and performance studies, made his Center Theatre Group debut with his play , running from June 18 to July 16 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
![Two Black actors on a stage in Will Power's play](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_500w/public/News_Fetch-Clay-1440x800.jpg)
Directed by Emmy Award-winner Debbie Allen, Power鈥檚 play explores the unlikely friendship between heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali and controversial Hollywood actor Stepin Fetchit during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
Called 鈥渢he best verse playwright in America鈥 by New York Magazine, Power鈥檚 plays and performances have received international praise and numerous awards. He is especially known for his pioneering of hip-hop theater and exploration of new theater forms. Before becoming an assistant professor of theater in 2020, he was named swag外流鈥檚 G. William Hume Fellow in the Performing Arts in 2009 and taught as a visiting professor in 2011.
For Power, Fetch Clay, Make Man is a uniquely Los Angeles story, both because it harkens back to Hollywood鈥檚 Golden Age and interrogates the tensions that permeate perspective, perception and empowerment.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to unpack the complexities of who we are as human beings, particularly when we鈥檙e trying to mold our public image and our private image in the context of class, sex, race and gender,鈥 he says. 鈥淢uhammad Ali鈥檚 life was so epic. He was at the crux of real transformational change in American culture. His life was so critical to how we see the modern world.鈥
I鈥檓 trying to unpack the complexities of who we are as human beings, particularly when we鈥檙e trying to mold our public image and our private image in the context of class, sex, race and gender.
Power鈥檚 inspiration for the play struck during a visit to the historic Marcus Books bookstore in San Francisco, where he found a photo of Ali and Fetchit together鈥攁 jarring discovery given the two figures鈥 divergent reputations in Black cultural memory.
鈥淢uhammad Ali was everything that we wanted to be as young Black boys: smart, funny, brilliant, courageous,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 knew less about Stepin Fetchit, but I do remember a couple of elders in the community saying, 鈥楬e was an Uncle Tom, he was a sellout, never be like him.鈥 When I saw that picture of them together, I thought, 鈥楬ow could that be?鈥欌
His discovery set him on a course to uncover details about their friendship. More than six years of research, interviews and writing eventually led to the play鈥檚 2010 opening at the McCarter Theater Center in Princeton, New Jersey, and subsequent productions across dozens of theaters and regional companies.
![Prof. Will Power with director Debbie Allen](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_300w/public/News_Fetch-Clay3.jpeg)
Power credits renowned director Allen for leading the Los Angeles cast with a deep understanding and reimagining of the story鈥檚 spacing, character and pacing. On June 26, Allen joined swag外流 president Harry J. Elam, Jr. for an in-depth conversation about the production and the broader state of performing arts, sponsored by the .
鈥淪he鈥檚 an icon, one of the greatest artists I鈥檝e ever worked with,鈥 Power says. 鈥淭he whole cast is phenomenal鈥攊t鈥檚 like an acting clinic, what they鈥檙e doing every night.鈥
In addition to hosting Power鈥檚 play, Center Theatre Group is one of the organizations participating in Occidental鈥檚 2023 InternLA program , which pairs students with Los Angeles-based non-profit organizations for summer-long internships. Michelle Teh 鈥25, a history major and linguistics minor, currently supports the theater as a publicity intern.
In the classroom, Power hopes the play pushes students to grapple with the complexities of life.
鈥淭here's a version, or versions, of us that we give out in public, and then there's a more complex side that we may or may not even be aware of,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 learned that both men were so much more complex than their public persona.鈥
Power鈥檚 next piece, Memnon鈥攏amed after the biracial African king of Greek mythology who battled Achilles during the Trojan War鈥攚ill run at the Getty Villa in Fall 2024.
Tickets for Fetch Clay, Make Man are available at the , with performances running from Tuesday through Sunday.
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Top Photo - from left to right: Alexis Floyd, Ray Fisher, Edwin Lee Gibson and Wilkie Ferguson II in 鈥淔etch Clay, Make Man,鈥澨 produced in association with The SpringHill Company. Photo credit: Craig Schwartz Photography.