It Took Ovaries

This is what I did this past weekend:

It was one of the most amazing performance experiences I've ever been a part of. On Friday, performance artist and co-playwright Bobbi Ausubel came to Royall Tyler Theatre to teach our Playing With Femininity class (seriously the best class ever---we just spend three hours reading plays about women and experimental theatre pieces while talking about sex, gender, and political issues) her physical technique of exploring character through improvisation, movement, and vocal work, not necessarily through sense memory and "The Method." She explained to us how emotions are held within our bodies, and the only way to act is to unleash these emotions through physical engagement. It was the most natural and invigorating way to act and explore character than I've ever learned. I loved it, and I want to use it in every acting work I do from now on.

Saturday night was the workshop performance. We performed the scenes from the play we had worked on and then Bobbi held a discussion of gender themes and what it means to live a bold lifestyle. She explained how change can only happen if we have the courage to stand up for injustice in our lives, in our society. The audience was amazing, and I had never felt such a connection with the audience before. It was all a shared experience just as gender discrimination and oppression is a shared experience every human being faces. Then in the nature of the play, Bobbi invited members of the audience to come up to the mic and share their stories, women for a time when they were bold, brazen, or courageous and for the men to talk about a woman in their life who had an ovaries moment. Some of the stories we got were funny, some were extremely emotional, some were inspirational, and some were a little awkward. I even got up and shared a story from high school. We created such a community in the theatre that night, and we had an amazing time celebrating women and a bold life.

"High School Gauntlet"

Bobbi Ausubel explaining the project.

I shared a story!

An emotional end to the scenes. "Rana"

For more information about the play That Takes Ovaries, Bobbi Ausubel, or how you can host an open mic, check out http://www.thattakesovaries.org/.

Peace out!

Political Action

I've been reflecting and acting on a lot of political things lately. It started with the whole "ground zero mosque" thing as you could tell from this blog post and with the talks about repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" - fueled by Lady Gaga. (Click here for some info.) Megan and I even ended up calling our Vermont state senators about that one. This week, on Wednesday, I continued my streak of political action by wearing purple. It was LGBTQ Spirit Day - so called to memorialize, remember, and reflect on all the teen suicides that have occurred recently and which have been sparked by bullying and harassment because the individuals were gay. For more information, click here. To see what Megan wrote about the subject, click here.

These tragedies cannot go unnoticed. Someone needs to take a stand. Wearing purple on Wednesday was a sign of what a few people can do to spark change and hope. Almost everyone in the theater at UVM was adorned in purple. It was amazing, and we were all incredibly excited to be a part of the movement and support. Our generation must be the voice that stands up for what is right. Discrimination and harassment just because someone is different from who you are is one of the cruelest evils in this world, a wrong going back to the slave trade in America and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Some people can say, "get over it," or "it's a part of life." But, I've been there. You can't get over it. Sometimes suicide can seem like the only way out, and the only form of escape for these people, but that is only because they feel so alone and so isolated. But they need to know that they are not alone, that there are people out there who care about other people, and who are willing to make a difference.

So I wore purple.

On another note, today Megan and I watched the new documentary film Waiting for Superman for one of her classes.

The film is about our nation's educational system and basically how America is failing our children. Did you know that America ranks last in math and science scores among developed nations? Did you know that the reason most jobs in America go to foreign countries is because no one is qualified for them...because they haven't been educated? I think the chancellor of the District of Columbia school system Michelle Rhee put it very well. She said that the education system has become this thing that keeps the adults involved happy when it really should be about the kids. With my new career goal as a theater teacher, I realize I will soon be thrown into the system, but that is why I want to be a teacher. I want to help kids and inspire them like I have been inspired. I wept when I saw how these children are being cheated out of life. Their entire futures depend on a lottery that will tell them if they get into school of not. They have teachers who don't even teach them. They just sit there reading a damn newspaper, completely protected by tenure while the kids slip right through the system. It made me incredibly upset to see how messed up our system is.

I don't know why I've been so fired up about political things lately. Maybe it's just because a lot of stuff has happened recently all at once. Maybe it's just because as I get older I notice more about our world and all of its wrongs. Maybe I'll follow Bertolt Brecht and do political presentational theater. I don't know. It's really sad when you think about it, but then there's always hope. There's always a protagonist willing to stand up for what is right. I think the voice of our generation is just that. Thanks for listening. I hope I've brought some things to light maybe you haven't thought of before, and maybe I've inspired you. Just know that you are never alone.

Peace out!

Happy Constitution Day

Today is Constitution Day and with 9/11 being only a week ago, it's had me thinking about a lot of things political (or maybe it's the atmosphere at UVM, it breathes political protest). One of which, actually one of the biggest that really has been plaguing my mind for quite awhile, is the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" that is being proposed for New York City. This "mosque" is supposed to be built near the site of the World Trade Center. The building in question, however, is NOT A MOSQUE! What is being proposed is a community center with a basketball court and swimming pool. And yes, on the top floor there is going to be a prayer center for Muslims. Another fact that has been blown entirely out of proportion is that this "community center that the media has sold as a mosque" is to be built right next to Ground Zero. IT'S GOING TO BE TWO BLOCKS AWAY. Do you know how far away that is? It's quite a distance. People need to get over it. If we as closed minded Americans do not let a community center be built because it is pertained to a single religion, we are giving in to the extremist terrorists. It's saying-"yes, we are going to judge an entire group of people because of a few radicals." The same thing has happened to my religion, Christianity. Because of radicals and extremists, the entire religion has been judged. This needs to end. Wouldn't it be a stronger image if we as one people can rise above this hate and judgmental attitude and tell terrorists that we do not care what they do-we will stand for who are?



In tandem with this topic is that fact that before September 11th of this year, a Florida Baptist church said it would hold a "Burn a Qur'an Day" is memory of 9/11. Honestly? That's what we will do in the face of terrorists? Fuel a fire of hatred? Show them that they are right? Really? And when President Obama condemned this, the church said it would end it's proposition. Guess what, another church, the Westboro Baptist Church from Kansas said it would take the initiative in this horrible act. This is wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to describe. Not only that, but it goes against everything Christianity is about. My belief is that Christianity is inherent love because God has love for all his people. How can a church condone this kind of action in the face of Christianity, in the face of love?

Maybe if America actually still stood for its Constitution, then maybe Constitution Day would still hold some weight. In these moments, I'm not very proud of my country and some of the people who live in it. That does NOT mean that I hate America (jeez, I can see the FBI coming after me now). I am so grateful I live in a country where I have the opportunities that I do. I understand the value of freedom, but is that what America is standing for right now? I would like to think that I stand for what America originally stood for: love, tolerance, respect. Maybe we should reflect on that during the time of September 11th and Constitution Day.

Quoted from RamenXBaka (Youtube):

The new mosque is not in the least disrespectful in fact did you know there were two mosques inside the WTC? So stop your bigotry, and learn what America is about, do your homework.

Peace out!