Fraternity, Theater in the X
Malcolm X Park
5100 Pine St.
Philadelphia
Seen Aug. 21, 2025, wrapped Aug. 24
Under the tree canopy of Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, a crowd applauded as a fictional politician, Paul Stanton, delivered a campaign speech: “Freedom without commitment to communities is not freedom at all … I am not for you because you are for me, I am for you because you are me.”
One woman yelled out, “Stanton is the one!” It was evidence of the crowd’s allegiance to a new wave of revolutionary leadership depicted in Theater in the X’s production of Fraternity, a play written by Jeff Stetson and directed by Eric Carter.
On Aug. 21, neighbors gathered for opening night with their lawn chairs as a cool breeze ran through the park. Kids played on the swings and all the usual suspects of park life were present. Behind the set, you could see the steeple of a church, and the recently renovated 52 St. and Pine intersection was active as ever throughout.
Those who live around Malcolm X Park are no stranger to the rallying speeches of local leaders and revolutionaries. The green space regularly hosts political actions and community building events, reflecting the energy of the economic and cultural strongholds that surround it, including many churches and Black-owned businesses. This setting laid the groundwork for audiences to engage earnestly and emotionally with the play’s core issues.
The show follows the dynamics of seven men who are members of an exclusive social club. Their conflicts present difficult questions about privilege, responsibility, and the future of racial equity. Old and new ideas about leadership clash as two members of the club campaign against each other for a senate seat; the state’s first Black senator, Charles Lincoln, and his mentee turned rival, Paul Stanton.
Stanton represents a new generation of leaders at odds with the aspirations and legacy of Lincoln. Stanton thinks that the senator has prioritized his image over impact: “I want to prove you can make a difference without selling your soul,” he states. The senator, on the other hand, sees Stanton as pompous, naïve, and unaware of the harsh realities of the world.
For many, the idea of building a new world is a threat to the stability they have fought to find. When Stanton refuses to accept money from another club member, Preston Gherard, he reprimands his own self-righteousness: “I still haven’t found a dream that can pay the rent or clothe a bare behind.” The play argues that there is a compromise to be reached between the two, and a better way to be made for all.
Besides exploring the politics of young and old revolutions, the show also emphasizes the comfort that a church provides its patrons. Club member and reverend Benjamin Franklin Wilcox is a key figure in the play’s shift towards favoring Stanton’s campaign. He is a man of broken faith in the face of tragedy; in a flashback scene he asks himself and his congregation, “How do we stop the hopelessness and the betrayal, how do we get back the love?” Finding purpose and unity again is the primary struggle of the play. Each character represents a different path, and an individual choice to be made.
There are tense moments of struggle and conflict throughout the play. Characters butt heads, enduring some surface level fights as well as some arguments requiring professional mediation. By the end of the show, we still don’t know whether the senator was reelected — but it’s clear that the club’s members ultimately favor Stanton.
The audience is left to question where their own loyalties lie. The conclusion of Stanton’s speech acknowledges the past while urging the community to strive for more. He remembers his grandmother’s words to him when she voted for the first time: “It will never be the same again.”
The mission of Theatre in the X is to bring high quality theater to the people of West Philadelphia and the African American community at large. I’ve attended "theater in the park" events that alienated the venue's closest neighbors, and not everybody wants to hear a show each night out their window. But as I walked past the production of Fraternity on my walk home each night following the opening performance, I only saw the crowd grow, and every morning spotted more neighbors stopped on the sidewalk chatting about the show. The company has existed for 12 years, and people still look forward to and turn out for their productions — then eagerly discuss the latest installment after its close.
Stanton’s talk of community and togetherness was not just good feelings and fluff. While people cheered as he spoke on responsibility under the stage lights, I stood at the back taking notes and looking around. Park regulars and passersby had been absorbed into the crowd, children ran around the playground as they would any other night, and local businesses and food vendors set up tables for intermission. The play's political race was fictional, but the theater company's commitment to the people of Malcolm X Park was not.
The last showing of Fraternity was on Aug. 24, but you can check out what else is happening at Malcolm X Park — and donate — at Theater in the X's website.
