←Recommendations of Black Santa

In "Black Santa," David Beardsley tackles white privilege and unconscious bias within a company's Social Committee. The request for a Black Santa Claus at a holiday party exposes underlying racial tensions. With compelling characters and a contemporary workplace setting, the play prompts reflection on diversity, inclusion, and personal biases. Very well written.

Wow, there's an uncomfortable feeling running through all this and a large part is David Beardsley's knack for making these characters having a point of view that in their minds is completely understandable. No one comes across as a cardboard villain or virtuous hero. They sound like real people here. And that's what makes it uncomfortable. No one here is going to be completely pleased with the outcome. Just like in real life. I thought this was terrific.

I was drawn to this play by the title, and I was thoroughly engaged by the subtleties of the conflict. This is such a relevant issue with so many complaints these days about there being a "war on Christmas" by just using the word "holiday" in office and school celebrations. The upsetting, implicit biases that Marvin faces from his coworkers is countered by his sincere story of his dad as his own "G.I. Joe" and the tragic circumstances that Marvin had to face. It is a stunning story that never feels forced. Wonderfully written piece.

I am usually not a big fan of office plays, but this play transcends the genre into something big and important and of, course uncomfortable. The tension in this play is incredibly real and relatable. Tightly crafted dialogue and great plotting make this one of the best short plays I have ever read.

This is the perfect play for right now, as more and more individuals and companies are paying lip service to diversity and inclusion, but infrequently backing that up with real action or change. Beardsley has a deft hand in portraying microaggressions without turning his characters into easily written-off cliches, and he lets the silences and actions carry as much, if not more, weight as the dialogue. This should be added to every holiday short play festival this season!

David Beardsley has crafted such a well-written and complex 10-minute play about subtle and overt discrimination and racism. He explores white privilege through dynamic characters and pays careful attention to the ways these characters are understood by each other and by the audience. This play should be a welcome addition at many festivals.

DAVID BEARDSLEY’s play, “Black Santa”, handles the issues of race, prejudice, white privilege with a simple issue of: Who should play Santa? The question is not the person but their skin color. We all think of ourselves as unbiased. If only it were true. I really enjoyed this play. It should be included in a holiday play festival and any other time of the year. I would love to see this play performed and watched by high school students.

I am thankful every day that I work with a company which puts diversity at the heart of its values. Unfortunately, that’s not the norm for most workplaces today and this play cuts to the heart of white privilege at its worst because that privilege lives with all of too subtlety and it’s easy for it to rear back into life if not for constant lessons like Beardsley’s gem of a play. May we all keep striving to learn about this great big planet we all share, and all those who call it home.

This is a great exploration of the dynamics of racism at work and will surely make audience members uncomfortable in the best of ways! Beardsley is able to carve whole three-dimensional characters in a very short piece without going into long speeches - his details and backstory are spot-on! This should be produced in many festivals!