a pint of understanding
an original musical in development
the story
It’s 2012, with racial tensions in America escalating and about to explode. White police sergeant Tim O’Connor arrests African American scholar Chester Washington III for breaking into what turns out to be his own house — in one of America’s most progressive cities. A media frenzy erupts when the professor’s daughter Chloe’s video commentary goes viral, and U.S. President Michael Rivera weighs in with comments that, taken out of context, seem critical of the police.
To calm the waters, the President invites Chester and Tim to the White House for a beer, and he sends the pair on a national Racism in America listening tour, which Chloe films. A radioactive trio, Chester, Tim, and Chloe come to know each other—and themselves—as never before as they encounter a nation divided.
An examination of race, class, perspective and hope, this jazz-inspired multi-genre show tracks this unlikely trio’s journey as each changes in ways they never would have believed —
or expected.
All Videos
All Videos
I'm Professor Chester Washington the Third
Two Gentlemen, Two Suitcases (excerpt)
Black and White and Blue All Over
Contempt of Cop (excerpt)
Composer
Joel LaRue Smith
Thank you New York Theatre Barn
Choreography Lab
Jonathan Lee, choreographer
Dancers: Les Gibbs, Kenneth Herrera, Julia Miller, Amy Mitchell, Greg Sim, Ava Trochiano
Piano: Takeru Saito. Vocals: Maria Menniti and Grant Bloom.
Police officer Chandra Jones and three other colleagues of Sgt. Tim O'Connor show blind support for their white colleague's arrest of renowned African American scholar Chester Washington III — despite O'Connor's dubious actions. Video by Full Out Creative, courtesy of New York Theatre Barn.
Jonathan Lee's artistic statement:
"My approach to the song “It’s In The Police Report” was to capture the blind support that police officers have for one another. I wanted to show the police department as if they were a secret society where even if they did something wrong, their fellow officers would all agree to know what to say publicly despite knowing the hard truth. I wanted to create a blue wall of solidarity that seemed impenetrable to public opinion or scrutiny."
Curated by Avital Asuleen, New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab makes space for choreographers to bring original musicals to life, often for the first time. On March 12, 2023, A Pint of Understanding (Jonathan Lee, choreographer) was one of three featured musicals.
Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy moderated. Tori Crow is the lab’s associate producer. The performance was streamed live from Open Jar Studios, 1601 Broadway, New York City.
in partnership with Fractured Atlas
A Pint of Understanding is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of A Pint of Understanding must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Let's have a pint.
A chat. Or both.
Learn more about the show
and how you can play a part in its development.