Priyanka Shetty’s #Charlottesville, currently running at the Keegan Theatre, is a searing and deeply personal exploration of one of the darkest moments in recent American history — the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. More than a mere recounting of the events, the production offers a visceral and emotionally charged portrait of a community fractured by hate, capturing both the human cost of extremism and the collective struggle for justice and healing.
What makes #Charlottesville particularly powerful isn’t just Shetty’s remarkable performance, it’s the innovative structure. The play is based on over 100 interviews with residents, activists, students, and politicians, as well as transcripts, news reports, and political speeches. From this tapestry of voices, Shetty crafts a riveting one-woman show in which she embodies more than a dozen distinct characters, each with their own cadence, emotional rhythms, and perspective on the tragedy. With minimal costume changes or props, she deftly transforms from a terrified college student caught in the chaos to a disillusioned activist grappling with post-rally trauma, from a concerned mother to a calculating political figure. The result is a nuanced and multifaceted narrative that exposes not only the horror of the violence but also the lasting scars it left behind.
Visually, the production employs a sparse yet effective design. Matthew J. Keenan‘s stage is largely bare, with Dylan Uremovitch‘s projections of archival footage, news headlines, and abstract visuals providing historical context and emotional weight. The use of multimedia is both strategic and restrained — it never overwhelms the live performance but instead amplifies its emotional resonance. Uremovitch’s subtle lighting cues and Tony Angelini & Dan Martin‘s well-placed sound effects mark Shetty’s seamless transitions between characters, making it easy for the audience to follow the shifting perspectives without confusion.
Thematically, #Charlottesville is as much about the rally itself as it is about the ripple effects that continue to shape public discourse. The play doesn’t shy away from depicting the insidious forces of white supremacy, nor does it offer easy answers. Instead, it presents a raw and unflinching meditation on the fragility of civic unity and the dangers of collective complacency in the face of hate.
#Charlottesville at the Keegan Theatre, directed by Yury Urnov, is more than a theatrical production — it is an emotional reckoning. It reminds audiences that while the rally itself may be part of the historical record, its reverberations continue to be felt in contemporary America. Shetty’s haunting and compassionate portrayal ensures that the voices of those impacted by the events in Charlottesville are not forgotten. It is a bold, affecting, and deeply necessary piece of theater that demands to be seen.
