A rock thrown through the window of a black student can start a campus-wide cry for action, but, more importantly, it can make one woman look deeper into herself than she ever wanted to look. Rebecca Gilman’s play Spinning Into Butter presents the common issue of racial tensions, from a very uncommon approach. Gilman delves far beyond the surface level problems of threats, intimidation and degradation, to rock the foundations by exposing the root of the issue – an individual's desperate subconscious struggle with covert stereotypes.

The action takes place in the Dean of Students’ office over several days as the college is shocked by the placement of threatening notes on a black student’s dorm-room door. Quickly events take a turn for the worse as the faculty's well intended responses expose a more subtle strain of the same disease – racial discrimination. By the time the culprit is discovered, the fallout from the racist actions have shaken the school too much for it to return to its pictureque facçade.

One of the more important artistic choices made by Gilman is to never reveal Simon, the victim, to the audience. By intermission the curiosity and anticipation for his reaction are mounting; by the time the final scenes play out, that expectancy is heightened and every member in the audience wonders “what will his response be?” And they are left wondering. By leaving Simon out of the picture, the playwright is able to affect his character by perception. Becuase the audience never has an actual personage to discredit or verify character traits of Simon, whichever character happens to be on stage controls what the audence must accept as the "truth" of Simon's personality. This allows for perception that is skewed by stereotype, time period, and prejudice to define the victim for good or bad. We can’t ever know who Simon really is, only what he is to the people around him, and through that view of Simon, Gilman exposes misled views of the masses.

Gilman not only expertly draws the audience into the intensity of the situation, but also skillfully works in natural humor throughout the show to relieve the dramatic tension. With this subtle mix, she allows the audience to never feel overwhelmed, but still imparts the sense of magnitude and fierce internal conflict. No single character serves as comic relief, which makes each one all the more believable. Yet each character, at times, prompts laughter from the crowd. It is an uncontrived kind of humor that elicits only a moment of diversion and flows seamlessly through each scene.

The cast capitalizes on Gilman’s subtle humor, particularly Kathleen M. Brady (Academic Dean) and Greg Thornton (Dean of Humanities) with their interpretations of University administrators and their pride and their simple pleasures. But not to be overlooked is the intensity delivered by Rodney Lizcano (Patrick) and Annette Helde (Sarah). This duo creates an explosive confrontation in their final scene before intermission. It is a back and forth struggle for understanding. Two parties incapable of accommodating one another clash for a mutually woeful result. The writing is astute and the execution of the dialogue is piercing.

In the end, Spinning Into Butter challenges your thoughts and perceptions in ways that haven’t been approached before. It forces a recognition of intentions vs. resulting action that leaves many reconsidering their fundamental approach to harmonious living. Though the gloom and cheerless events of the ending could leave the show on a low note, this viewer sees a glimmer in the last moments of the show. A long looked for redemption by Sara begins with her final disclosure; Gilman ushers us out of the Dean’s office with one final thought – hope.

Spinning Into Butter closes March 2nd

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-- Tony Burnett