Pulitzer-Prize winning “Clybourne Park” comes to St. Dunstan’s

Alan Ellias of Farmington Hills is directing his first play for St. Dunstan’s Theatre Guild, and while he does have directing experience on his résumé, walking into a new environment always has its challenges — especially when you’re directing a powerful play such as “Clybourne Park.”

“Directing at a new theater brings its own new and unique challenges,” says Ellias, who made his directorial debut in 2001 at the Players Guild of Dearborn. “With a new theater, it’s starting from scratch — not only the newness of collaborating with many actors you may have never worked with before, but also all the technical folks.”

But Ellias, 56, couldn’t have been happier with the process or the results.

“Clybourne Park,” written by Bruce Norris, is a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The challenging and also rewarding part for the director and actors is because the play takes place in two acts set 50 years apart. Actors are playing two different roles in different stages of their life.

“I love that the actors have the opportunity to play more than one role,” the same cast in different roles in the first act set in 1959, and second in 2009, Ellisa says. “I love having the opportunity to help them to create such deep, multi-faceted characters to bring to life for our audiences.”

In act 1, Russ and Bev are selling their two-bedroom home at a bargain price, unknowingly bringing the first black family into the neighborhood and creating ripples of discontent among the white residents of Clybourne Park. Fifty years later, when a white couple buys the same property with plans to raze the house and build a mansion, the now predominantly African-American neighbors battles to hold their ground in the face of gentrification.

“Not only is it an amazing play, which our team has been entrusted to bring to life, but it is unfortunately extremely relevant for the times we live in,” Ellisa says. “Anyone who is willing to look at prejudice head on should make sure they see our show.”

The ensemble features Gary Jones of Beverly Hills playing the parts of Russ/Dan; Duffy Wineman of Bloomfield Hills playing Bev/Kathy; Satitra Singelton of Pontiac playing Francine/Lena; Kenyada Davis of Detroit playing Albert/Kevin; Ken Overwater of Ann Arbor playing Karl/Steve; Shauna Hitchcock of West Bloomfield playing Betsy/Lindsey; and Michael Bell of Clarkston playing Jim/Tom/Kenneth.

Ellias, a native of Trenton and currently supervisor of Student Support Services in the West Bloomfield School District, says “Clybourne Park” is a play that “makes you think.”

“I hope the audience will leave with the same feeling we have every night we have rehearsed the play,” he says. “If it gets anyone thinking and to ‘start the conversation,’ then we’ve done our job.”

• If you go: St. Dunstan’s Theatre’s presents “Clybourne Park” through March 11 at St. Dunstan’s Theatre, 400 Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Hills. Tickets are $18-$20 at 844-386-7826 or at stdunstanstheater.com.