Exit Strategy

I attended a matinee production of Exit Strategy at Philadelphia Theatre Company. The show is written by Ike Holter and directed by Kip Fagan. It was first produced in Chicago by the Jackalope Theatre Company in 2014.

The backdrop is Chicago and more importantly Chicago Public Schools, which have been shuttering schools at alarming rates since 2010. The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike in 2012 for the first time in 25 years. Hundreds of layoffs and charterization makes up the environment that exists in Exit Strategy.

The play opens up with a conversation between a naive administrator and a veteran teacher. What happens shortly after their conversation defines the rest of the script and provides the first example of what an actual exit strategy may look like. All of the actors provide strong performances, but the stand out performances are Christina Nieves (Jania), Deidre Madigan (Pam), Michael Cullen (Arnold) and Brandon J. Pierce (Donnie). Each of the characters have a natural opposing character that exists within the context of the script except for the Black female teacher. Sadie stands alone, and that just makes her struggles as a teacher who is positioned to replace an older teacher even more painful to observe.

The small cast represents the diverse cast of characters that can make up a school that is under attack. You eventually lose hope in the midst of the fight when you realize that the powers that be will have their way no matter what. Donnie's response to Ricky captures the trauma and resilience that it takes to survive in an urban public school setting as he describes being parceled out pieces of toilet tissue since the first grade. It is this reason alone that Donnie is the heart and conscience of the script. Items that most of us take for granted are not promised.

The script is not perfect, in fact it is a bit messy because not all of the characters are fully realized, which can easily lead to stereotyping if not careful. Most of the actors solve that in their execution. But, I fear some nuances and truths may be misconstrued by an audience not fully versed in the history or current landscape of public education. The truth is that public education is under systemic attack in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City. And each city has its owns reasons and history, but the common thread is privatization, austerity, poverty, and racism.

The presence of a young, inexperienced white male being in charge of a flailing school is not new. Teachers worried about job security and the fate of their students is also not new. Veteran teachers leaving or mentally checking out because they have survived trauma after trauma is not new. And children and young adults being at the center of it all and often being silenced is definitely not new.

Each person will walk away with something different because of the lack of answers and closure provided in Exit Strategy.  This may be on purpose. As we watch the final scene we are left with the question, what's next? What can or should be done? It challenges are sense of care and urgency for our fellow man. Do we fight or do we wait to be saved?

Please go and see Exit Strategy that runs until February 28th.