On Dec. 1 and 2, Curtis Hall was transformed into a lively after-school detention room for Envision Black Theater’s production of “Exception to the Rule” (2022). The audience watched as six students experiencing detention for different reasons chatted, flirted and argued. As time passes without any sign of the detention monitor, the tension increases as the students decide whether to stay or go. Throughout the play, we learn more about the characters and their relationship with the school system.

“Exception to the Rule,” by playwright Dave Harris, is set in an inner-city public high school. The play begins with six students arriving at detention one by one, each bringing a distinctive personality and perspective. We are first introduced to Mikayla (Ayah Harper) and Tommy (Pauly Osmond), whose playful conversation about Mikayla’s ex instantly intrigues the audience. Abdul (Wanci Nana) isn’t so interested in socializing and keeps to himself, maintaining a reserved attitude. Dayrin (Ayomide Oloyede) joins Mikayla and Tommy’s conversation when he enters the classroom and speaks his mind. Dasani (Sarah Simmons) is spirited and sweet, but nonetheless argumentative when the time calls for it. Lastly, Erika (Jenny Brown), also known as “college-bound Erika,” arrives to the surprise of the five other students.