In October 2014, Theatre On the Square was bursting with local residents as they watched the highly anticipated stage play “Sacrifice” come to life during two sold-out performances. Presented by Hubler Automotive Group and MayDay Filmworks, the play about romance, racial tension, and of course sacrifice, will show an encore performance at the Pike Performing Arts Center March 21 at 7 p.m.
The show highlights two families, one Black and one Latino, whose children fall in love despite their families’ feud. It also showcases a father’s unwillingness to let go of his past, which causes major issues for his future.
Marcus May is the mastermind behind the popular production and the owner of MayDay Filmworks. The IUPUI graduate of the Kelley School of Business and now employee at JP Morgan Chase, began writing plays a few years ago.
“I’m a banker by day and a filmmaker at night. If I ever really had to choose, that would be a tough one,” he said.
Before returning to Indianapolis, May lived in New York where he took courses in screen writing at New York University. Since then, his passion for film continued to evolve. One of his first projects, “Unfamiliar Paintings” has aired on BET.
“When I first moved back here, I felt like a lot of people were doing more corporate videos and commercials and not really narrative films or shorts. After I wrote ‘Sacrifice’ I felt like it could be done as a play since it required a minimal amount of characters and locations,” commented May.
May, who is married to a woman of Latino decent, said although he did not experience racism while getting to know his wife’s family, he knows there is still a bit of tension between the two ethnic communities.
“This is more simplistic because there is a reason behind the feud between the Black and Latino family. Usually it’s because you don’t know someone,” noted May, who also addressed the confusion between the Puerto Rican, Dominican and Latino communities.
Four auditions were held in three locations around the city of Indianapolis in search of the perfect characters for “Sacrifice.” May believes the arts community in Indianapolis is growing as he experienced a high volume of actors seeking roles.
Trent Hawthorne-Richards plays Trey in “Sacrifice” and is not a newcomer to the stage.
“I don’t have any formal training but I’ve done a lot of plays, short films and even features. In high school I did theatre and that’s about the most training I’ve ever had. It has always been something I’ve wanted to do,” said Hawthorne-Richards who remembers writing short stories as a child. “My character is making the transition from high school to college. He is a star football player and has a lot of teams looking at him. At the same time, he meets a girl, so he’s trying to balance different aspects of his life to please his father.”
The play’s sequel “Sacrifice II” will debut Dec. 19 at the Athenaeum downtown. May said the sequel has great twists and humor. It tells the story about the struggles the couple face as they witness one another change and grow within their own lives.
“This is a topic that needs to be shown on all levels and it needs to be on a platform in which people can identify with,” mentioned Hawthorne-Richards. “The story itself is one everyone can relate to, maybe not just on the racism aspect but we’ve all been young, in love or parents. Anyone who comes out to the show can expect one thing but take away something else. This is a format people can enjoy. It touches you but it’s not too serious.”
For more information on “Sacrifice” or to purchase tickets to the upcoming show, visit Sacrifice.bpt.me.
