''Notes from the Field'' (also known as ''Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education'' and '' Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter'') is a 2015 play, which was written and performed by

Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series '' Nu ...

. The play was first presented by the

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident ...

, before touring and being adapted into a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

. It discusses issues revolving around the themes such as race, class and America's

school-to-prison pipeline In the United States, the school-to-prison pipeline (SPP), also known as the school-to-prison link, school–prison nexus, or schoolhouse-to-jailhouse track, is the disproportionate tendency of minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgroun ...

, to mention a few.

Background

The play is drawn from more than 200 interviews with students, parents, teachers and administrators caught in the school-to-prison pipeline. Smith (the author/writer of the play) references several real-life events throughout the play, few of them such as the

death of Freddie Gray On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African American, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department over his legal possession of a knife. While being transported in a police van, Gray sustained injuries and was taken to ...

and an incident where a 15-year-old black girl was restrained by police.

Structure

The play consists of two acts: during the first act, Smith introduces the people in the school-to-prison pipeline, acting as each character herself. After the interval, she invites the audience to interact through

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

, culminating in Smith asking the audience to sing "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for bot ...

". The play makes use of real-life footage, which is projected onto the walls around Smith, such as the video of a 17-year-old black girl being flung across the room by a white male officer.

Characters

Despite it being a

one-woman show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...

, the play has Smith act as 17 different people, each one telling their own story. Smith is also joined onstage by someone playing the

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, a role originated by composer

Marcus Shelby Marcus Shelby (born February 2, 1966, in Anchorage, Alaska)Jones, Kenneth"Marcus Shelby Keeps Jazz Orchestra Rolling" MTV, December 21, 2000. is an American bass player, composer and educator best known for his major works for jazz orchestra, ''P ...

, though it is still a solo performance.

Television adaptation

''Notes from the Field'' was adapted into a

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

and premiered in February 2018. It was directed by

Kristi Zea Kristina Gwyn Zea (born October 24, 1948) is an American production designer, costume designer, art director, director and producer in film and television. Born and educated in New York City, she discovered she had a talent for design while workin ...

, edited by Paul Snyder, and produced by

Gary Goetzman Gary Michael Goetzman (born November 6, 1952) is an American film and television producer and actor, and co-founder of the production company Playtone with actor Tom Hanks. Life and career Born in Los Angeles, Goetzman began his career as a ch ...

and Smith.

Awards and nominations

* 2017

Obie Awards The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for Special Citations – won * 2018

Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...

for Best Graphics in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film) – nominated

References

{{Reflist 2015 plays HBO Films films Obie Award-winning plays Plays by Anna Deavere Smith