GCC Department of Theatre Arts and The Forum Players presents: "Dutchman" by LeRoi Jones

Batavia, NY (02/19/2026) — Genesee Community College's Department of Theatre Arts and The Forum Players are presenting LeRoi Jones' play, Dutchman, this February as part of their 2025-2026 theatrical programming. Dutchman was first presented Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village, New York City, in March 1964, co-produced by Rita Fredricks. The play was turned into a film in 1967, starring Shirley Knight and Al Freeman Jr. The production will be performed on February 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stuart Steiner Theatre on GCC's Batavia Campus. There will be a free preview performance available to GCC students, staff, and faculty on Thursday, February 26, at 12:30 p.m.

Dutchman is an emotionally charged and highly symbolic version of the biblical Adam and Eve story, written by LeRoi Jones-his last piece written under his birth name.* Clay, a young Black man, meets a white woman named Lula, who is as calculating as she is seductive. The emotionally tense, intellectual verbal sparring between Clay and Lula devolves into a symbolic act of violence that seems doomed to be repeated again and again. Taking place entirely on a New York City subway car, the play evokes imagery of both the mythical Flying Dutchman (the fabled ghost ship that endlessly sails on with a crew unable to escape the confines of the vessel) and the Dutch ships that carried enslaved individuals across the Atlantic Ocean. It is produced with a small cast and staged on a fixed set, allowing the story to take center stage. Dutchman is filled with symbolism and allegory, with a current of deep emotion carrying the viewer through the story. It is a powerful piece written by a prolific playwright that forces audiences to confront the realities of race relations in the 1960s and into the modern day.

*LeRoi Jones changed his name to Amiri Baraka in 1965 after the assassination of Malcolm X, which led Baraka to embrace Black Nationalism. The change reflects his embrace of his African roots, and he became a prominent figure in the Black Arts Movement.

Dutchman is directed by Maryanne Arena, with technical direction and set design by Sandy Nagar.

Tickets are on sale now. Seating is limited and unassigned. General admission is $10; seniors (55+), students, and GCC staff and faculty are $5. Tickets are available online at www.genesee.edu/campus-life/center-for-the-arts/. Contact boxoffice@genesee.edu with any questions or to purchase tickets in person. You may also stop by the Roz Steiner Art Gallery during business hours to purchase tickets. The box office will open one hour before showtime. Dutchman is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

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Genesee Community College

GCC Department of Theatre Arts and The Forum Players presents: "Dutchman" by LeRoi Jones

Genesee Community College

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