Plays don’t materialize out of thin air, they’re called upon by the people. There’s a zeitgeist, shaped by political unrest, a stifled collective voice aching to be heard, a long avoided truth, a need to release--something to which the theatremaker responds. The people then become the listeners and receivers when they sit in audience. So, if theatre’s of and for the listener…what is it that the listener’s soul craves in 2023? I began with a question: What role does theatre play in our lives in this current moment? In a time of stolen human rights, inflation, ongoing battles with COVID, continued police violence on Black bodies, mass shootings that take the lives of children, teachers, Queer and Trans folks…what do we need from the theatrical experience as a whole, and what do our hearts need from the stories being told today? After some reflection and posing the question to my various communities, a list was born. What follows are my personal musings on a few selections from this list (shout out to those who contributed offerings, thank you for sharing your heart): #1 Truth--We’ve lived through the worst part of a pandemic, we can handle the truth. The world is filled with real problems, real traumas, and real work to be done. Don’t sugarcoat. We need to see it. We need to hear it. And we need to take action. #2 Belly laughs--When’s the last time you truly laughed deeply and fully? Guffawed from the root of every follicle? Give us laughter that’s unencumbered and feels good in our bones. Give us farce. Laughter that doesn’t have to mask pain. Give us joy. Laughs that humanize not dehumanize. Give us laughter that soothes our stinging burns. Give us laughter that’s truly free. #4 Masks--Some of us still need them. All of us want to feel safe. #6 Diversity--Give us stories by playwrights we’ve never heard of, actors we’ve never seen. Give us fat romantic leads. Give us Queer stories. Give us Black women. Give us Black love. Give us Black people dealing with conflicts other than racism. Give us stories featuring people with disabilities--and hire actual people with disabilities. The people for whom just living is a revolutionary act, put us on stage and give us a voice. #7 Community--We need the theatre that doesn’t “other.” That builds solidarity and true care for one another. Theatre that brings people together for community meals, talk backs, artist markets, donation drives…We need theatre that becomes more than a performance. #8 Bigger seats--No, ‘cause let’s talk about it. #9 Wine--Nothing grounds one quite like a taste of the familiar. Settling into your seat, handing your glass to your partner while you debate whether your jacket should go over the chair back or blanket your lap. The tingle of that first sip of cab, unlocking a well of excitement as the pre-show speech cues the dimming lights. Oh, to have a sip of the things we miss. #12 Release--Let us unclench our jaws. Let us cry as catharsis washes over us like a Spring shower. Let us yell. Let us mourn and grieve. Let us feel broken and sad, and know that that’s okay. Let us let go in order to move forward. #15 Softness--It is tiring to be strong all the time. Let us see ourselves be soft and tender. Hold space and lend us support while we rest our weary hearts. #17 Escape--Whisk us back to child-like wonder. For just a few hours, remind us of a time when things were maybe a little less complicated. Wow us with magic. Inspire us with spectacle. Give us a show that we will never forget. #20 Hope--Life isn’t wrapped up in a perfect little bow. It can be messy, uncertain, and sad. But don’t make us leave the theatre feeling helpless. Give us hope, courage, resilience, healing. Let us gaze into a mirror that doesn’t just reflect back at us the world as is, but a glimmer of optimism in what it could be. Some of these go hand-in-hand, some may contradict. Such is life—one giant, matted ball of contradictions. Let's get to untangling. *Published in Encore program, March 2023 Download full program below
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AuthorI'm no different from anybody else--just a passionate person with opinions about the world. This is my platform to express them. Archives
May 2023
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