Exclusive Interview: Karen Zacarias adapts a much-needed story for the stage. SHANE is now playing.

Karen Zacarias adapts a much-needed story for the stage. SHANE is now playing.

By Natalie Shaw

I love to revisit history, as often as possible. Stories of the past are not only nostalgic in the memories that we and our elders hold dear, but in the predicting of our own futures, as is addressed in Bradford Reilly’s review of SHANE. Much like playwright Karen Zacarias, I too grew up watching the old Western movies of the 1950s and 1960s, especially when I visited my grandparents in rural Oklahoma. These movies always boasted a young, white cowboy hero, who often rode off into the sunset with a “little lady” he’d somehow rescued. But, what didn’t show up in these movies was a cowboy of color. In fact, I can distinctly remember asking my dad if black cowboys existed, after seeing one on TV for the first time. (I should mention that I’m white, and grew up in conservative Oklahoma—however, I’ve since seen the light, mostly in part to my progressive views on education and passion for Theatre.) He gave me the blankest of stares and said, “Well, of course!” I misread his surprise—if this were true, then where were they? There were no references of them to my young knowledge. This sparked a curiosity that I continue to unpack.

I couldn’t appreciate Karen Zacarias’ adaption of Jack Schaefer’s book for this very reason. It illuminates the truth and the hardship of non-white farmers who have struggled for more than a century to establish their own place in rural America—and we are overdue for change; in fact, the majority of white Americans have missed the boat completely. White elitism and oppressive racism towards people of color contradicts what we hold up as the American Dream. It contradicts what so many call a “Christian Nation.” It debilitates our charitable humanity, and sets narrow-minded greed in its place. Karen Zacarias sat down to indulge a few of my curiosities.

Karen Zacarias, thank you so much for agreeing to interview with me for Dallas Theatre Journal. Can you tell a little about your play, Shane, and a little about yourself as well?

I first encountered the book SHANE by Jack Schaefer, when I was a sixth grader, a year after my family and I had immigrated from Mexico to Boston. I had seen dubbed American westerns in Mexico; and the look of the American Cowboy is iconic worldwide.  The story of SHANE, however, was a different type of Western. It centered on a family, who like mine, had ventured to a different place in search of a safer and more prosperous future. The mother was called Marian, which is a common Latin American name and I imagined her as such.  And the sensitive and mysterious Shane, described as a lean, dark figure…lived in my imagination as my hero Roberto Clemente, the Afro-Latino baseball legend who had died trying to fly supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.  

I devoured the book; wrote a book report on it (3-5 paragraphs!) and then re-read it again that summer. I’ve never seen the lauded 1953 movie starring Alan Ladd (which I’m sure is terrific) mostly because I so enjoyed and felt “at home” with the vision of Shane I had built in my head.  It was my own version of American cowboys and the West. And perhaps only relevant to me. 

Fast forward a couple of decades, I realized that the real American West was very different than what was always depicted on films. One fourth of cowboys were Black; Mexicans made up another fourth. And most films and books completely erased the tragic impact The Homesteading Act had on the Native American community and the complicated complicity Westerns have in corrupting that narrative. The book’s examination of American values, individualism, and masculinity, however, was still as relevant today as it was in 1949 when it was written. 

So, I decided to revisit one of the first books I read in the United States with the memory of an eleven-year-old immigrant girl and the knowledge that came later… and, like Bobby in the book, see if I could unearth the story I thought Shane was telling me all along.

It would seem that an old Western story wouldn’t necessarily speak to America’s younger generation.  What would you say to them? Why do they need to see this?

This version of Shane is not a modern retelling....it's a more historically accurate depiction of how the West really looked like...and the story raises so many interesting questions that are relevant to our society today: how do we confront our violent past; how do we become better people; what is the difference between opportunity and oppression? And how do we stop greedy men from eating our world? I love that this is a play that also examines positive masculinity...and how a child learns from the adults in his midst. But it's also fun to see how our director and design team created all the "tropes" of a Western for the theater.  How do you do a western on stage without horses, projections. How do you do a bar fight and a stand-off?  The imagination that went into building this show is very exciting to people of all ages. And the story is told from the point of view of a young person... 

You’ve mentioned that this story resonated with you; that you “identified with the characters and their search for a future home in this vast country.” Are there any particular moments in the story that hit closer to home for you than others?

I love the moment the Starett family extends their hands to take Shane's for a moment of Grace at the table.  Shane has not been invited to sit at many tables...or hold hands with a family...and the effect is very moving. 

Lastly, do you feel that, in some ways, we are reliving elements of the American West?

I think audiences are standing to their feet...because there is something both human and heroic in Shane and his sacrifice.  Shane detests bullies and abusers...and is willing to do what it takes to get rid of them.  It's beautiful to see a character display real courage...and the enthusiastic response confirms that.

Be sure to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Shane at the Kalita Humphrey’s Theater in Dallas, produced by Dallas Theater Center, now through February 16th.