The Brandeis community came together two weeks ago to discuss the Undergraduate Theatre Collective’s production of “And Then There Were None” and the implications of potentially showcasing it. 

The play is based on a novel of the same name written by Agatha Christie, and the title of the book has undergone a number of changes since its original publication in 1939. These title changes obscure the history of the title, a major reason for the controversy surrounding the play. Originally, the book was titled “Ten Little N-----s,” and the plot focused on ten individuals who are killed off methodically, according to the narrative set forth by the “Ten Little Injuns” nursery rhyme from which the play takes its name.

In an email to the Justice, Prof. Carina Ray (AAAS), the associate professor of African and Afro-American Studies, explained that her primary concern with the production was the implications behind the historical presence of the play. Dr. Ray explained that for the AAAS department, “The novel’s appearance at the outset of a World War in which extermination was on the horizon is significant.” 

Ray elaborated, “The popularity of Christie’s novel when it appeared suggests a fascination with, if not an appetite for, two of white supremacy’s most important pillars: violence and extermination.” She continued by expressing “that “the novel could draw its odious title from a popular nursery rhyme about the murder of Black children suggests the prevailing British comfort at the time with symbolic or actual violence against this community.”

The forum came about after backlash from several University faculty about the play who advised that the show not be premiered opening night. A community-wide forum was scheduled instead to garner community responses and ideas about how to move forward, with or without the production.

The discussion featured members of the Brandeis Undergraduate Theater Collective and was facilitated by Dr. Mark Brimhall-Vargas, the chief diversity officer and the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion of the University.

The meeting was established to discuss whether or not the remaining plays should also be shown. At the start of the gathering, Alina Sipp-Alpers ’21 explained that there were “many steps taken to ensure that not only go back on the erasure of the book’s racist history, but also to bring it forward as one of the talking points.” At the meeting, a member of the production staff explained that in the first rehearsals of the production, the group took hours during each rehearsal to learn about the history and the difficulty in producing the show, and the production staff and the actors involved sought to discuss the problematic history of the play and make it their prime concern when showcasing it. 

The UTC intended to have a director’s note describing the history of the show in conjunction with the production process which would be read at the beginning of each performance. Additionally, each actor would read a description of how these issues persist in our society.  These statements were written individually, but actors worked with the director of the play, Merrick Mendenhall ’20, and Stephanie Grimes, the assistant dean of student activities, to have their pieces edited so they would prompt conversation about the issues of race within the play. Despite this, a member of the UTC explained that members of the community “did not feel safe because the play itself was happening on the campus.”

At the end of the discussions, Brimhall-Vargas issued a crowd poll, and despite the majority of students approving for the show to continue, the main votes to cancel the show came from UTC members.

The UTC ultimately decided to showcase only one performance of the play to the community. The play was performed in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater on Saturday night.


—Chaiel Schaffel contributed reporting.