Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Love in the Time of Coronavirus is a provocative interracial Romeo and Juliet set during the period between the onset of the pandemic and the death of George Floyd. Although presented as a comedy, the play's central thematic focus is the issue of racial inequality. It is a full length two-act play with five onstage characters, two adults and three teenagers. Two high school juniors in a small city near Minneapolis must overcome racial barriers, parental objections, and the COVID lockdown in order to pursue their relationship. As their passion blossoms, the play examines the emotional conflicts and altered family dynamics triggered by the fledgling love affair. Behind this romantic drama, the background chorus is the outcry demanding racial equality, social justice, and respect for the value of human life on behalf of the victims of bigotry, police violence, and a lethal virus. Each of the characters, in their own way, struggles to cope with the health crisis and searches for an appropriate response to the shocking display of police brutality that was broadcast around the globe. With a mixture of humor, tenderness, and indignation, the play conveys a sense of the upheaval, as well as the awakening, that reshaped so many lives during this era of radical transformation and tragic loss. The play's cathartic denouement, both heartbreaking and hilarious, portrays the personal and political maturation of the three teens as they assert their self worth and assume responsibility for guiding the adults toward a more enlightened world view. Love in the Time of Coronavirus artfully combines high school romance with historical tragedy, slapstick comedy, and political parody to produce a fresh and briskly paced drama that engages the heart, the mind, and the funny bone.