Racial Slurs Promoting Anti-Racist Ideas

“I think that in Utah people feel that we are too nice here for something as ugly as racism or racial slurs,” commented Jardine, “the truth is, people are called these words here, people feel hatred and discrimination here, people are treated differently in ways large and small because of their race here. I hope that it can start a discussion that opens people’s minds to the fact that we can’t and shouldn’t just ignore it anymore. We need to face the fact that racism abounds, even here in nice little Utah, if we are ever going to get to a point where we can make it better.”

The message of the play is also very positive, written by three men who were tired of being type cast and discriminated against because of the color of their skin. With their show, Gregley, Agustin and Axibal hope to push past the racial stereotypes and prejudices that still, whether people like to admit it or not, continue to exist. “On a very basic level,” Agustin continued, “I hope that people understand that we have more similarities than differences, and that [we should celebrate] those differences.”

Miles Gregley, who was performing as a stand-up comedian before writing the show, has his own experiences in getting race-oriented roles. “I just didn’t want to be type cast in the future, and it seemed like I was already on that road, being a young, black male, I was [getting auditions] for the thug, or the drug dealer. I just wanted to do my own thing.”

As it stands, the show is still scheduled to play in Salt Lake, despite the controversy that surrounds it. “The [University of Utah] has done nothing to try and discourage us from doing the show. The concerns have been voiced by some groups and individuals, and I know there is talk of organizing a protest, but we have not been asked in any official capacity not to do the show,” Jardine said. Only time will tell.

And what about the next step for N— W— C—? “We’d love to go to Broadway,” Gregley expressed, “but there’s just something about live performing that’s special. [We’ve] been talking to HBO, to Showtime to Comedy Central, but the vision is different. It’s important for people to be out of their comfort zone, and to [see the show] with other people. Hopefully we can get to that next level of performing on a broader stage, it really just depends on what you think success looks like.” Gregley explained that he feels the show has already been successful enough, considering how it started as a small project between three friends.

N— W— C—: The Race Show will be at Kingsbury Hall November 2 and 3 and as Jardine says, “Whether people love the show or hate it, the discussion itself will have a lot of inherent value for our campus and for our city.”