NPX Weekly Round-Up: Riverwood by Andrew Lee Creech
A true ensemble work that tackles the harm of gentrification on Black communities, plus three other plays I'm excited to read!
Have you ever thought you responded to a text, only to realize you only responded in your head? Yeah, that was me with the SubStack last week! I read this amazing play, had all my thoughts organized in my head, and then was surprised when I didn’t see the post show up on Monday. Whoops. Word to the wise, the writing only counts as writing if it happens on the page! Here’s that post now.
It’s actually a little insane how many playwrights and theatre artists I’ve connected with on TikTok and Instagram since I graduated graduate school in 2020. I’ve met some amazingly talented people, and supportive AF friends, through both platforms. I’ve even made some art with them! Networking was always a scary word to me as an undergraduate theatre student, but that was mostly because nobody really told my neurodivergent ass how to do it. Turns out, most artists are just as excited to connect with other artists as you are, and all you have to do is reach out. Hell, I’m mutuals with some playwrights who have had their work on the West End, solely because I reached out and told them I liked their work. Sometimes, networking is just fangirling in disguise (respectfully, of course!).
Andrew and I have been mutuals in the TikTok theatre/playwriting community for a while now, ever since I reached out to him about a writers group I knew he was a part of that I was applying for. He was super helpful, and I already loved his content about being a working playwright on TikTok, so I was excited to connect! This play in particular has been on my play-TBR ever since. I’m delighted to discuss it with you all!
But first, here is the summary of Riverwood from NPX:
In the midst of city-wide gentrification, rumors of building buyouts and community displacement swirl among the tenants at the Riverwood Park Apartments. When their worst fears are realized, the lives of five people are thrown into upheaval. As seventeen year-old Tel and Crunch navigate their place in society as young, Black men, building super, Lenard, dreams of hitting it big in the lotto. Community warrior, Dédra fights to keep her neighborhood intact, while building manager, Miss Penny is content to do away with it all. With painful pasts revealed and uncertain futures ahead, each member of this tight community finds themselves asking: how much would you risk in order to own your own dream? Part coming of age story, part slice of life, Riverwood explores the difficult nature of setting up roots and letting go.
This play is a true ensemble driven story, littered with dynamic characters all striving to better their own lives. Content warnings for discussions of racism, poverty, and declining health.
The play opens with the two youngest characters, Tel and Crunch, who are upperclassmen in high school. We see them in an everyday interaction, where Tel asks Crunch for a dollar to buy Reese’s Cups. In my opinion it’s an almost sweet scene where we get to see these two young men’s deep friendship with each other. They discuss their ambitions, and Tel convinces Crunch that they should hold a concert of original rap music at their apartment complex, Riverwood Park Apartments. Crunch reveals during this that he wants to go to college, and we see the biggest difference between the boys— Crunch believes going to college and working hard will lead him to the life he wants, whereas Tel believes that college only leads to debt and disappointment.
The next pair we see is Miss Penny and Lenard, both of whom live at Riverwood as well as work to keep it running. We learn through their conversation that the average resident of this apartment complex is not doing super hot financially. Lenard complains of the conditions, which Miss Penny agrees about but states that nothing will ever be done. Lenard states his belief that one day he’ll win the lottery and everything will be better, and Miss Penny gently brushes him off. It’s then that we meet our final character, Dedra. She informs the two that the local staple, Ray’s BBQ, is shutting down, and that she and some other community members are going to go protest. Miss Penny asks what their demands are, and Dedra says they just want the buyers to know that they’re upset, even though they know it won’t stop anything. Miss Penny is dismissive, until Dedra tells her that another restaurant, Red Apple, will be gone by the end of the year as well. Miss Penny is clearly upset, but declines Dedra’s invitation to join the protest. Here, she says something that I think encapsulates her beliefs at the beginning of the play:
“…I understand that first and foremost, you have to take care of yourself. To do what you need to do to make sure you survive…Cuz eventually, all of this--you, me, Riverwood Park--it’s all gonna go away when the Earth overheats and kills everybody, and massive earthquakes shake us all back into the dirt.”
Miss Penny cares deeply about the people of Riverwood, as shown through her interactions with Lenard and Dedra especially, but she also has a deep seated belief that she can do nothing to help or protect them. Dedra is in stark contrast with this belief—she knows that perhaps her contribution will not do much, but that doesn’t matter. She’s going to stand up anyways. The differences between these two women serves to illuminate what I believe is one of the main themes of the play: That caring is never a bad thing, and we serve our communities best by doing whatever we can to help them thrive (even if it doesn’t feel like we can do much).
Tel and Crunch’s storyline illuminates yet another conversation that frequently happens in low income communities— that of the worth of higher education. Crunch has the support of a few teachers at school, which Tel doesn’t seem to have. Crunch also reveals that he is a visual artist, which Tel thinks is cool, but he still doesn’t seem to understand why Crunch wants to go to college. This is the main conflict between them throughout the play, and Creech shows us both sides of the argument without judgement. I can see very easily why Tel wouldn’t view college as a good choice— it’s expensive, and he’s seen people in their community leave only to come back and not be able to get any more pay or a better job for it. Crunch is idealistic and optimistic, yes, but he also has something that Tel doesn’t seem to have— support. And support makes all the difference in the lives of students. This here is where the message of these boys’ story lies, in my opinion. Students in these communities that are becoming gentrified rarely have the necessary support system that would enable them to go for higher education, let alone succeed in it. And that’s not their fault— they deserve and need support just like any other student. It’s the fault of the government for not giving adequate funding to public schools in these areas (and in general), but that’s a rant for another time.
The big climax of the play happens when Miss Penny entrusts Lenard to take that month’s rent to the bank, and instead, he spends it all on lottery tickets. He thinks he has won, only to take the ticket to the gas station and have it revealed that while he has all the correct numbers, two of them are switched. He wins some money, but nowhere near enough to replace all the rent that he has stolen. It’s here that we see another issue that arises in a lot of low income communities; people becoming desperate, so desperate that they’ll try almost anything to get out of dire financial straights. None of the characters necessarily judge Lenard for this. Miss Penny is mad as hell, and doesn’t talk to him for a bit, and Dedra is disappointed in him, but it’s made clear that on some level they understand his motivations.
I don’t want to spoil everything for you guys however, because you really should read this play and experience the ending without knowing what’s coming. What I want you to know, is that while these characters experience a lot of struggles, the thing that keeps them from going completely off the deep end is each other. The main point of this play for me is the importance of a community. Often in this day and age it seems we are encouraged to be more and more on our own, or in our little romantic pairs, cut off from most people. But there is so much power and love in our communities— our families, our found families, our neighbors, our libraries, our local theatre companies, etc. And the best outcomes occur for everyone when we participate in those communities.
Maybe it’s because of what’s been happening in my life this year that this stood out to me so much as the main thematic message, but even so. Creech’s words are important, and I hope they reach not only the Black community that it is clearly a love letter to, but everyone else too.
Creech uses his characters in such effective ways to convey the play’s purpose. That’s the main thing I’m taking away from this work as a fellow playwright. Every character here is dynamic and lovable, but they also have such a clear viewpoint that moves the play forward. It’s smart, concise, and never overdone. The character’s wants are so obvious, and it’s those wants that makes you root for them. Any actors who work on this play don’t have to do crazy deep dives to figure out what motivates these characters, which I find refreshing and so, so human. Brava, Mr. Creech.
Here is my official recommendation from NPX:
A phenomenal ensemble piece that tackles so many important conversations that happen in these communities that are being gentrified. The characters are dynamic and lovable, and the dialogue is so realistic and natural. Super easy read, as it flows so incredibly, and I'd love to see it onstage!
Have you read this play? Let me know what you think by responding to this email or messaging me on the SubStack app!
Here are three other plays I added to my library this week:
The Bed Trick by Keiko Green
Chaos Theory, a play seeking order by C. Meaker
witch play by Erika Phoebus
Want me to read one of these plays, or have another recommendation? Let me know by leaving a comment on this post!
Have a good week, and happy reading!
~Brynn