I am a theater director, which means I am a story teller. I am greatly concerned about the balance between truth and theatricality. I want to make art that is artistically stunning and equally grounded in truth. I also believe that being a trained artist is a privilege. With that privilege comes responsibility to respond to my current time and place through my medium of theater. I don’t identify as an activist, but see my work as community cultural development. I look to my community to ask; what do we care about? What do we fear? What are our questions and curiosities right now? I am a facilitator constructing a platform to project these concerns.
I am terrified of misrepresentation. I never want the story of my project to be associated with exploitation, appropriation or misinformation. I want the community perspective that I am sharing to be rooted in the truth of that community to where members feel that they are accurately represented. Learning the tools of inviting, collaborating, and active listening will help me grasp with more authenticity the stories of my community. With authenticity, I can more accurately stand by my stories and promote conversation throughout my community.
Willow, I appreciate your dedication to not wanting to misrepresent anyone, their story or their culture. I think that what we are learning in community and cultural development directly relates to your practice. As you continue to work on your project about the homeless population of Eugene, I believe that the listening and dialogue you engage in before your production will make all the difference in truthfully representing individuals the way they want to be portrayed. I do not see your work as activism, but I do identify it as a form of advocacy for the people’s whose stories you will shed light on. I hope the production acts as a catalyst for social change and the betterment of lives in the Eugene and Springfield area. I will be interested to hear at the end of the term how some of the ideas and theories we discuss in class have impacted your theatrical production.
Thank you Rose.
The weight of responsibility is still heavy, but I feel more grounded in knowing how others have gone before me to do this work.
Beautifully said, Willow. I would argue that you are an activist through your work.
Thank you for your vulnerability in admitting your fears. Misrepresentation is also a deep strife of mine, in regards to my whole personhood. Sincere authenticity is one of my greatest convictions (insofar as Alinksy would say it is my ideology or compass in which to find my truth), I strive to present myself that way to the best of my ability. I worry over someone misinterpreting my actions or who I am, and make it a point to convey my intention when necessary. You are tasked with great responsibility, Willow. And there are many grey areas, thin lines, and hard judgement calls to make. I commend you for your work and honesty, as always 🙂