Spring Break
Director excited about past, future
Jessie Burche
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News
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"Quindaro" is an original play, written by Kathleen McGhee-Anderson and directed by Khan.
Quindaro, Kan. was a settlement made up of Native Americans, African-Americans and white people. The town was a stop on the Underground Railroad on the Kansas side of the Missouri River.
"Quindaro was this kind of Camelot where black people and white people and Native Americans stayed together," Khan said.
Khan spoke about the Missouri River's symbolism.
"It's [Quindaro] overlooking the river … that was the boundary between Missouri, a pro-slavery state, and Kansas, an anti-slavery state," Khan said. "Slaves would cross the river to freedom."
Quindaro is a Native American word that means bundle of sticks. Sticks are weak alone, but when they bundle together they become stronger, Khan explained.
The audience can draw hope from "Quindaro," Khan said.
"In 1856, in the Kansas City area, we got it right," Khan said. "We can get it right again."
He spoke about why he wanted to direct the play.
"It [Quindaro] fascinated me two years ago because that [togetherness] is the dream we have," Khan said. "Two years later, we're contemplating who to put in the White House … there's a good chance it might be a black man or a woman, or maybe even both."
Descendants of people who lived in Quindaro helped piece together stories from the five-year life of the town. Many who are involved with the production also went to the ruins of Quindaro to gain inspiration for the play.
"Quindaro" will be produced at Union Station's H & R Block City Stage. Khan saw four different theatres before picking this one.
"This is a visual and visceral experience," Khan said.
He wanted to bring the Missouri River to the stage.
"When I got to Union Station, I saw the river in there. That space is so deep," Khan said.
Though "Quindaro" is produced by the UMKC Theatre Department, it is a play for everyone in Kansas City, not just UMKC students. This is another reason why Khan chose to show the play at Union Station.
"My message to students is if you believe in a rainbow nation, if you believe in working together, if you believe in Camelot, if you believe in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream, then come because you'll see that dream on stage," Khan said.
Khan talked about racial problems Kansas City is still encountering.
"I've known a lot of places, but I've never known a place as divided as Kansas City," Khan said. "I worked in South Africa. There are parallels in the communities working so hard to keep divided."
He spoke about the opportunity the nation has in 2008.
"We are about to have a presidential election that includes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton," Khan said. "This is a pretty extraordinary time. There's no other time where voters had that choice and when your vote could change the world."
Khan said the audience will be able to draw parallels between what happens in the play and what is happening now in Kansas City and the nation.
"People will say 'Wait a minute, I'm living this now,'" Khan said. "The story of Quindaro will show them not only do you have the right and the power [to work to bring everyone together], it's happened before and will happen again and it's happening now."
Quindaro will run Feb. 13 to Feb. 24.
jburche@unews.com
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