Eddy’s got a problem: a crisis of conscience and principle. A struggling actor and a young White liberal, he’s up for a role that might be his big break, but the script calls for him to say the “N-word.”

On top of this in playwright David Alex’s “N,” Eddy is working as a caretaker for Mrs. Page, an elderly Black woman who is both a devoted conservative and, to further complicate matters, an astrology buff.

As Alex observed of playwriting: “If there’s no tension, we don’t have a play.”

Tension is guaranteed in “N,” which opens tonight at Point Loma Playhouse with Milena (Sellers) Phillips and Dori Salois co-directing. It’s the sixth-ever staging of Alex’s one-act play, which premiered in his Chicago hometown in 2019.

In Point Loma, Portia Gregory stars as Mrs. Page, with Tyler VanCamp as Eddy and Nate B. Smith as his Black friend DeShawn.

Alex, who is White, recalled a conversation over 10 years ago that sparked the idea for his play.

“I had an actor tell me that he did not believe an actor would refuse to use the ‘N-word’ in a play (as Eddy does in ‘N’), especially one that could be a major production.”

In the years since, “I’ve seen changes in the theater community regarding the use of the word, and as you can imagine there are differences about it in the Black community and the White community.”

Actor Gregory, the play’s star at Point Loma Playhouse, has another perspective.

“It’s a wonderful discussion to open up. We’ve got folks who are woke and some who aren’t. I feel, as an actor, that you are asked to do or say certain things. If you feel strongly against it, that’s your decision. If I had to keep saying (the ‘N-word’) over and over in a script, I would have a problem.”

For his part, Alex insists “It’s a play that covers so many areas — it’s not all about race. We don’t portray any group in a negative way.”

Alex acknowledges that “I don’t know what it’s like to be Black, but I do know what it’s like to be a White liberal male. One of the tropes that I ignore is this: ‘Playwrights should write what they know.’ I learn and grow from what I’m writing.”

Both Alex and Gregory expect that audiences will come away from the production filled with thoughts and motivated to discuss its issues.

“What I hope,” said Gregory, “is that there will be a healthy discussion about people’s cultures and backgrounds and about being able to be respectful, whether you agree or not. Maybe it’ll take some blinders off and expose something, a prejudice, that you were harboring but didn’t realize you were.”

Added Alex: “I believe you bring your baggage with you. Men and women will not see the same play. Mothers and daughters will not see the same play. Blacks and Whites will not see the same play. Young people and old people certainly will not see the same play.”

There will be an audience talkback after tonight’s performance of “N.” Playwright Alex will be present for the discussion.

‘N’

When: Opens tonight and runs through March 10. 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays.

Where: Point Loma Playhouse, 3035 Talbot St., San Diego

Tickets: $18-$22

Phone: (619) 800-5497

Online: pointlomaplayhouse.com

Coddon is a freelance writer.