Dead White Males

by David Williamson

Autumn 2014

David Williamson’s “Dead White Males” is situated between the great lines of conflict of the intellectual world: Patriarchy versus feminism, post-structuralism versus liberal humanism, modern ways of thinking versus the values of the past. And in the middle of it all: Angela Judd, a bright, young university student whose life at home and in the lecture hall is shaped by these conflicts. Her mother Sarah is a fiercely dedicated feminist while her husband Martin wallows in his lack of self-confidence. Angela’s grandfather Col is probably the biggest chauvinist in town, her aunt Jessica, the artist of the family, looks for ever new ways of self-expression and fulfillment while her sister Monica is the most plain of unremarkable plain Janes. And finally there are Dr. Swain, Angela’s literature professor, as well as the most famous of all dead, white males, William Shakespeare. Between the two of them they fight to convince Angela of their view on the matters of the value of literature and the existence of a human nature. When Angela decides to conduct interviews with different members of her family as her final project for Dr. Swain’s class, she realizes that the world and the people around her are not as they seem to be…

“Dead White Males” plays with contrasts that are cleverly revealed in the portrayal of its characters and by means of which it explains the frequently gaping differences between theory and reality, in science and in life. Peppered with scenes from William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, it successfully connects the past with the present and poses the legitimate question of the importance of old values for our modern lives.