The ribbon was cut, the doors swung open and Shadowland Studio, the new “black box” theater on Market Street, held its first paid performance on Friday, October 22.

The Studio is a “theater in the round,” with a stage viewed from all angles by seats on all four sides. This has been a dream for quite some time, Brendan Burke, Shadowland’s long-standing artistic director said, “We’re thrilled to complete a vision for the space initially developed 10 years ago. This is an exciting new space for Ellenville / Wawarsing, and for the entire theatrical community of the Hudson Valley.”

And so to the preview performance of The Niceties, by Eleanor Burgess, directed by Jammie Patton. This play is a hard shot to the prejudiced mind, asking the difficult questions that are being debated with mounting rage and anxiety today about race and history. (Read our review of the play here.) The play begins with an African American student coming to see her white professor in office hours to discuss her thesis on the American Revolution. But as with discussion of the “1619 Project,” published by The New York Times, this one soon “explodes” into a high stakes debate over race, history, power and revolution. These topics are at the heart of what some clearly feel should be forgotten because it’s upsetting, while others believe they need to be studied and absorbed because various truths should be understood about our country.

But the play kicks it up a notch and things go public and the student and the professor must face the consequences. This is exactly the kind of performance that a “black box” space is good for, diving into the contentious, very real issues that haunt us, more “food for thought” than entertainment.

Burke describes the uses that Shadowland will employ the Studio for: “In addition to being the home to Shadowland Academy, our educational wing, the Studio will be the home to productions (by Shadowland and by other companies as well) throughout the year, and is available for rental for meetings, parties, performances and more.”

The Shadowland Studio has arrived, another element in the revival of the very central block of Market Street in the heart of Ellenville.