“Pass Over,” a provocative work by Antoinette Nwandu, opens at Second Thought Theatre July 13. Nwandu’s politically-charged work will be presented in conjunction with the Big D Reads ‘22 initiative. The community-wide reading program features local author Jim Schutze’s incisive 1986 book “The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City.”
“Pass Over is the biblical tale of our age,” says director Sasha Maya Ada. “Nwandu skillfully and poetically captures the complexities of Blackness in our post 2020 world—a much needed reprieve from the chaos.”
The first full play to open on Broadway in 2021 after the pandemic, “Pass Over” crafts everyday profanities into poetic and humorous riffs. The play illuminates the human spirit of young, black men looking for a way out. It gives a reinterpretation of Waiting for Godot, nuanced with elements of the biblical Exodus story.
As a community partner with Big D Reads, Second Thought seeks to correlate the enduring themes of the play with those of Schutze’s powerful novel.
Second Thought Theatre
“The Accommodation is an effective device,” says STT Director of Communications Richard Oliver, “for reaching into the dark annals of Dallas’ racial past and pulling out a clearer understanding of how and why we find certain things are the way they are. The synergy between it and Pass Over creates a unique opportunity for Dallasites to reconcile with some ugly, necessary truths and apply those truths globally.”
The Big D Reads project this year, which officially launched in March, includes educational, artistic, and social programming in support of the book’s revival and redistribution throughout the city. The theatrical run of Pass Over will serve as a distribution site for copies of the novel. In addition, representatives of the project will join Second Thought for panels and talk-backs to follow performances on select evenings.
Second Thought Theatre (STT) provides an intimate and unique theatrical experience by empowering top local theater artists to take risks, and by showcasing writers who boldly tackle the difficult and demanding questions of our rapidly changing world.
“Pass Over” is presented July 13-30 at Bryant Hall on the Kalita Humphreys Theater campus in Dallas. Cast members are Daniel Saunders, Vandous Stripling II, and Matthew Manelli, directed by Sasha Maya Ada. For ticket and performance information, please visit secondthoughttheatre.com.
