E. Patrick Johnson is Carlos Montezuma Professor of Performance Studies and African American Studies at Northwestern University and the author of
Ramón H. Rivera-Servera is Associate Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and the author of
E. Patrick Johnson is Carlos Montezuma Professor of Performance Studies and African American Studies at Northwestern University and the author of
Ramón H. Rivera-Servera is Associate Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and the author of
Part VIII
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Published:June 2016
In this chapter, Charles I. Nero examines Paul Outlaw’s Berserker. He reflects on Outlaw’s choice to juxtapose Nat Turner, a slave rebel who murdered whites in order to escape chattel slavery, with Jeffrey Dahmer, a person who murdered African American and Asian-descended men for sport. He ultimately contends that the former and the latter embody a quintessential American masculinity for Outlaw and provide an opportunity to mediate on the politics of interracial desire.
This chapter features Vershawn Ashanti Young’s interview with Berserker creator Paul Outlaw. Outlaw discusses the connections between berserkers, American history, and his personal history, race, gender, and sexuality. Young and Outlaw then discuss the composition of the play and Outlaw’s performance choices. In the process, Outlaw contends that while Berserker prompts important discussions around race, it is not a political play.
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