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MFA: THE PARENTING EDITION EPISODE 12 SHOW NOTES
Episode title: Oh Say Can You See
Episode summary: what is political theatre? What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves? What are our values, in society and our home? What’s the difference between a belief and an idea? Is one more dangerous than the other?
Politics is a performance very much like the Song & Dance of Parenting. It is a play of and for power. With our power to choose these leaders comes the responsibility of unpacking our own values and beliefs to investigate how we can best serve not just ourselves but the future for our children and our children’s children.
Quick History of Political Theatre Through the Ages
Ideas, Beliefs and Values
Angelica Interlude
Politics of Parenting
A Short Story Before We Go:
The Raise a Glass Series:
Spread a Beautiful Act of Kindness:
Sources that inspired this episode or random tidbits of knowledge:
Full Transcript
Mom: Angelica, can you say hello?
Angelica: Hello! Hello?
Mom: How are you today?
Angelica: I doing well…how are you?
Mom: Well I’m doing well also. (she laughs)
Welcome to MFA: The Parenting Edition, I’m Taisha Cameron. These lessons from the theatre for raising ourselves and our kids came about when I realized my MFA in acting trained me for life as a mommy better than life as a full-time actor. Today’s episode dives into political theatre and our family values. We’ll explore some challenging questions, I’ll share some stories, and then we’ll end our episode with the Raise a Glass Series. So, without further ado, this is MFA.
Quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor Frankl
Episode Twelve – Oh Say Can You See
Question – what is political theatre? What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves? What are our values, in society and our home? What’s the difference between a belief and an idea? Is one more dangerous than the other?
Ohhh, down the academic rabbit hole of research I have gone. You’d think I was writing my dissertation on political theatre the way I’ve been researching. I mean when it comes to writing I am one who gets more obsessed with the research than the actual writing. The same is true for acting; I’d spend more days in rehearsal than performance if given the opportunity. My mind craves exploration and newness and investigation but what does one do with all that information and knowledge? Apply this to the political climate we currently live in. There is more information available to us now then there has been ever in history. When I went college (oh I can’t believe I’m using that line already – “back in my day…” [sigh] getting’ older) well, when I went to college, we learned to identify credible sources of information, to fact check, to site information accurately giving credit to those whose research has help frame our individual idea. We learned about primary and secondary sources; I had a theatre history paper take me to the fucking Library of Congress to find primary source information for my work – my professor was no joke. But in this day, it seems like that is either no longer something we know how to do or just don’t care about anymore. So, it made me wonder what we do care about as a society. What are the values we hold to that define our culture, our home, our community, our country and our existence as a human race?
Quick History of Political Theatre Through the Ages
“We tend to think theater is this elite cultural pastime, but it really wasn’t in history. It was a religious, civic, political, and social ritual.” This is director Diane Paulus in The Atlantic’s article “The Vital Role of Political Theater.” Her production of Julius Caesar at the Public back in 2016 created a lot of heat resulting in protests, which, if you’ve read or seen a staged or film version of this play is exactly what happens after Marc Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! I have come to bury Caesar not to praise him” speech (and this is the second time in this podcast I’ve made reference to that exact speech). So, in this case life was imitating art which added another layer of political theatricality to an already political piece. But going back to Paulus’ quote, she spoke of theatre being a religious, civic, political and social ritual. Throughout history theatre has always commented on the political and social issues of the time. Historians have written about the invention of democracy in Greece coinciding with the birth of theatre and, consequently, dying with it when Sparta kicked Athens ass with the end of the Peloponnesian War. Scholars have written about the politics of theatre in Shakespeare through his history plays and dramas. There have been actors and creators such as Erwin Piscator, Bertolt Brecht, Augusto Boal and more who have developed ways of creating theatre to address social and political issues in there community.
When you look up political theatre on the good ‘ole internet you’ll get this definition on Wikipedia, “political posturing or theatre that comments on political and social issues.” I read a Washington Post article “Notes on political theater: the perils of spectacle,” from 2016 (remember that happy year) that extrapolated on the political and art definitions. The author said, “In the public sphere, “political theater” is synonymous with “empty show.” It’s a gesture. Posturing. Grandstanding. Sound and fury, likely to be signaling no genuine idea but certainly indicating a play for power.”
Recently, I watched Gore Vidal’s The Best Man presented by Broadway’s Best Shows and it had a great cast with big names and for a virtual performance/reading (because most actors were not off book) it was more engaging than I expected. It dealt with two political opponents fighting for the presidential nomination from their party and each were strung along by the ex-President hoping for an endorsement. We saw a candidate’s personal life smeared to discredit him. Another blackmailing a story they heard to negotiate a more fair playing field with the other. An ex-president’s true nature being revealed while unscrupulously dangling an endorsement in front of either candidate so you never really know who he truly believes is the best man. You can’t get more political theatre than that. I mean, as its name suggests it is the theatre about government.
The author states that “Political theater” in the artistic realm, by contrast, is exemplary citizenship.” Now that only holds true when theatre creators and producers step up and tell the stories that engage the public to take political action and challenge their ideas and beliefs. Does that happen enough? Or does the theatrical community wait until all hell breaks loose after shit’s hit the fan in the political world to then create work that, at that point, is a mere comment on events instead of a proactive vehicle for prevention?
Before we get into the topic of ideas and beliefs, one thing that’s important to remember in the concept of theatre is that an audience is required. Theatre, throughout history, has either reinforced the social and political norms of its time or challenged them. In the entry on theatre in the Encyclopedia Britannica it says, about an audience, “Activity is required of the theatre audience if the performance is to succeed; the audience is required to share with the performer and to assist in the act of creation. Every audience helps to create or to destroy the performance.” When you look at the spectacle of political theatre in, let’s say, an election year in this country like the campaign trail leading towards election day, you see just how important our participation (as citizens, as the audience) is, in the savagery or civility of the campaign and discourse amongst ourselves. Political leaders understand the influence of the arts. They use is to gain their own power. They also politicize the arts for their own political gain ignoring the historical relationship between the arts, politics, society, and religion. In the western world we have turned our back on the spiritual ritual of theatre as a way of gathering and cleansing the community through celebration, intellectual discussion, emotional catharsis, and physical expressiveness. We don’t see it as value except as a political bargaining chip. We make our choice on which political actor we support based on the ideas, beliefs and values we hold. These are the things we pass on to our kids, so what are we passing on to them?
Ideas, Beliefs & Values
Actors have the fortunate opportunity to argue vehemently for opposing ideas and beliefs. It’s an occupational gift. Every character we play is going to have a different set of given circumstances, beliefs, and values then our own, which includes political views. The job is to understand your character at its core and fight for what they want. Storytellers are always creating complex examinations of ideas, beliefs and values because that is were characters develop, conflict and drama live.
What do we fight for in our lives? What are the values we want to instill in our children? Values we want to see in ourselves? The values we respect in others?
There are over 7.8 billion people in the world. Here in the United States, our population is over 330 million human beings. And every four years we narrow our choices down to 2 people with whom to choose the leader of our country (that is insane). And every four years, and throughout those four years, we fight about who is in charge only to get ready to battle it out again. How the fuck are over 300 million people all supposed to agree on the same damn person? It is not possible! It’s not even plausible to think that that could happen.
So, what is it that we look for in our leaders? What are the values and beliefs we feel so strongly they need to have?
I feel one of the most dangerous words we can associate with our opinions and ideas is the word belief. A belief is an idea we cling to as a defining characteristic of who we are. People kill for their beliefs, people commit unforgiveable atrocities for their beliefs, people can explain away horrors happening to other people through their beliefs. Once we’ve allowed an idea to move into our soul and stay awhile, maybe given it a special room with a sign on the door that says “Do Not Disturb, Belief Resting,” we’ve chosen to hear every opposition to that belief as a personal attack. When we feel attacked we go on the defensive, when we go on the defensive we stop listening, when we stop listening what we’re really saying is “you and your beliefs aren’t valid or worth hearing because you have verbally attacked me with your opinions about my beliefs and I am not emotionally mature enough or resilient enough to engage in a decent conversation with you.” And we end it by grouping people into two categories: Good People Because They Agree With Me box or they’re Batshit Crazy and are the Spawn of Satan Himself Because They Don’t Agree With Me in this box. Our ability to close ourselves off from what we don’t want to hear, distance ourselves from others and strengthen our sense of importance and self-righteousness by clinging to social biases with likeminded mob mentality, is what keeps us in constant turmoil as humans.
In the world of politics and social justice, my desire to want to be safe and unbothered has, for a long time now, has been at odds with my desire to make change and fight for what I feel is important. I’ve been too scared to speak up out of fear of what others might say about me or how they’d perceive me (and I’m someone who can speak their mind). I’ve been too comfortable in my life to want to rock the boat. My parents have raised me, intellectually and emotionally, to be a fighter but I was raised in middle class white America so I’m the least likely to fight for anything unless something disturbs my immediate comfort. It’s always someone else’s fight to take up, not mine. This place of comfort, complacency and fear is not how I want to raise my daughter.
*Angelica Interlude
Angelica: Come on mom.
Mom: Sweetie I told you I would read you two stories but –
Angelica: I’m not tired!
Mom: I understand that –
Angelica: I NOT TIRED!!
Mom: I understand you’re not tired Angelica –
Angelica: I not tired, I not tired!
Mom: Listen to me!
Angelica: I not tired!!!
Mom: We’re taking a rest, (Angelica whimpering) If you wanna play in your bed that’s fine. You don’t have to sleep. (Angelica whining) But everyone’s taking a rest right now.
Angelica: But its morning.
Mom: It is the afternoon.
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: And it is that time –
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: Look at me!
Angelica: It morning, it morning, it morning. It morning!!!
Mom: I don’t have to read you any stories –
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: I would like to –
Angelica: It morning!
We’re gonna start by cleaning up and (Angelica cries) then if we can get through that peacefully I can read you some stories before rest time. If we cannot do this peacefully there will be no stories. So, let’s open up your dresser so we can put those baskets back.
(growling)
Mom: I know. I understand.
Angelica: I’m gonna get Woody
Mom: You’re going to get what?
Angelica: And I’m gonna get Elsa and me gonna get them in here
Mom: So –
Angelica: That gonna be a great idea!
Mom: So, if there’s anyone like Elsa or Anna or Woody that you would like in your bed for rest time I would suggest putting them now No? Ok.
Angelica: Yeaaaas…oh wait!
Politics of Parenting
The choice to become a parent is a personal decision you make. We touched on that back in episode 1. In this country, it might be the same in other countries, I don’t know, here in the United States of America the choice to become a parent also has political significance. The government and society as a whole have politicized parenting from contraception to conception, through healthcare, through education, through socioeconomics lifestyle; I mean from the moment we are thought and brought into existence our lives are tied to politics. And then as a nation, we are constantly attacking each other about not politicizing issues that we have already made a political issue.
My uterus is open for political debate. In the words of Eve Ensler, “My vagina’s Angry”! In our capitalist nation, the goal of having kids is to raise them to get a good job one day so they can consume more things. As a parent, now a days, we are told to consume more things for: our child’s safety and well-being, toys and gadgets for educational purposes so our kid don’t get left behind, and on and on the list of things a parent needs, which were never necessary in any other time in history, to be considered a good and worthy parent. What school are they going to, where do you live, who do you know, what’s going to help get them into college (cause they are clearly incapable of doing it on their own merit so we must pull strings for them), are you pro life or pro choice, are you religious or a heathen, are you pro guns or anti guns, are you a weird homeschooler – oh wait isn’t everyone now?!!!
Kids don’t give a shit about the political views of their peers or adults. They don’t. If you talk down to them and treat them like shit, they won’t like you. If you speak to them with respect, listen and hold space for them, play and empathize with them, they will think you’re a great person. I feel, we are making the choice as a society to continue politicizing the job of parenting instead of nurturing the relationship of being a parent. As a country, do we have united values on what are our core values of family and the type of humans we want to help nurture in this world? Do we even prioritize family here?
So lovelies, I’ll ask you again
What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves?
What are our values, in society and our home?
What’s the difference between a belief and an idea?
We’ve lost the communal ritual of theatre for the purpose of uniting a group of people in their examination of social, political, religious and civic rights and responsibilities to one another. Politics is a performance very much like the Song & Dance of Parenting we discussed last week and in episode three. It is a play of and for power in which, in this country, we have a say in the leading and supporting actors we cast in these roles of power that affect our lives and the country as a whole. But with our power to choose these leaders comes the responsibility of unpacking our own values and beliefs to investigate how we can best serve not just ourselves but the future for our children and our children’s children. Our legacy. Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in the ground we’ll never get to see. I’mma save that for another Raise the Glass Series but ya get what I’m sayin. Political theatre cautions against complacency and comfort. Our opinions and ideas are challenged and may evolve throughout life if we’re open to growing as a citizen of this world. The same happens with parenting. I don’t think anyone would say the things they feel are important now in their life are the same exact things they felt were important as a kid, teenager, even as a grown ass adult before, I don’t know, let’s say, the year 2020, what a shit show this has been!
A Short Story Before We Go
Our leader shouted, we pulled the blindfolds and ropes from our pockets and began taking hostages. Most of them submitted without a sound. Then the laughter began. A chorus of girls in the center of the classroom were cackling. Our leader rushed the pack, personally restraining them. The laughter continued but was shifting, as if they were trying to stop but couldn’t. Once the lot was rounded up we dragged them to the second location. [never allow yourself to be taken to the second location] The room was pitch black minus a few strategically placed small lights. Get them in, force them down was our goal. We removed the blindfolds but keep them bound. Our ritual began. We encircled them with Balinese style movements and gestures. We accosted our victims with boxes and bags of foul and aggressive smelling items. Hysterical fits of laughter were now occurring from the same group of girls. It hadn’t mattered they were separated, their collective resistance called to each other and echoed throughout the space. Our attack intensified. Movements became more frenetic, flashlights created strobe effects, our chanting grew in strength. An aggressive baptism had begun with incense engulfing the room and Florida water being doused on the hostages. And still they laughed.
When the ritual had concluded we were invited to sit amongst the class to discuss the experience. Our professor began her dive into the group discussion first by questioning the laughter from the participants. At this point the girl in our group who had been “our leader” let go of the rage she’d been bottling up and it poured from her eyes with a sob from her heart. Our discussion led us to explore the ways people react when they are uncomfortable and nervous. The lack of control we face in a heightened situation, even one in which we know there is no immediate impending danger, manifests differently in all of us. Then there’s the mob mentality, safety in numbers. It’s that comfort in feeling that because someone else has given permission through their expression others can join in with more ease. It happens all the time in theatre. You attend a show and feel moved to respond in a grand way but no one else is doing it so you restrain yourself. And it goes the other way as well. The response of the collective audience, even a small group within it, can drastically alter any performance.
Our group project was to demonstrate Theatre of the Absurd made famous by playwrights such as Beckett, Ionesco, Genet and many more and Artaud’s Theater of Cruelty. I can’t remember all the other elements that went into this undergrad theatre history project but while this part was clearly the cruelty section, it most definitely was fucking absurd as well. But shouldn’t that be the goal of theatre, to shake your soul out of the dream we walk around in all day? To be aggressive? To be a bit absurd and out of the ordinary? To break conventions so your mind is needed to engage instead of being lulled with the familiar and safe? To create a spiritual experience that forever rocks the foundation of how you see and engage with the world? To alter your perspective and question your beliefs? To enliven your heart to action and ignite intellectual conversations towards change? What if the purpose of theatre is not what I’ve stated in previous episodes, a vehicle to create an emotional response within you but, a vehicle to make you take action. Maybe the entire purpose of this performing art form is to require the audience to act, to take action, to do something. Maybe the passive role the audience has taken, that the theatre community has helped foster, is ass backwards and artists, creators, and theatre lovers and supporters are responsible for killing the driving force of the art we cherish. Maybe sitting silently, being entertained and comforted by traditional conventions creates the same loss of spirit it does when we stifle our children in the exact same manner. It sucks the resilience and creativity right out of humanity.
Raise A Glass Series
The Raise a Glass Series is a space for reflection and gratitude centered around the topic of the day and inspired by lyrics from Hamilton the Musical.
“Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away, not matter what they tell you.”
What is freedom?
Freedom is a privilege that comes with responsibility and functions best within a frame. Parents, who work towards an authoritative parenting style, know all too well how freedom does not mean allowing your kids to do whatever the hell they want and it doesn’t mean being a dictator. Artists understand their responsibility to themselves and community for making honest, challenging and engaging work, which can only be created within structure. A frame of agreements (laws, rules, whatever you want to call them) allows us more room to exercise our freedom. If we all were skillful at self-regulation, making the best choices to nurture ourselves and others, rules would never be necessary. But we’re impulsive and thoughtful. Compassionate and selfish. Fragile and resilient. We’re walking contradictions that are capable of greatness on the sides of Heaven and Hell. A framework created by man can be demolished and amended by man. Our ability to choose how to respond is where our true freedom comes from. That’s what cannot be taken away, that’s what Viktor Frankl was referring to in the opening quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Let’s raise a glass to freedom, both a privilege and a choice.
That’s all for today guys and dolls. Thank you so much for joining me again for another episode. As always, I hope this brings some joy into your day so your light can shine brighter.
To wrap up our pre-election day explorations, next week we’ll look more at social justice, theater and parenting. If you haven’t already, make sure to VOTE!!! Make the choice you feel is not just in your best interest but for the country as a whole. Remember there are over 300 million people in this country, the choice is never just about us.
If you are on Instagram so am I. You can find me @mfaparentingedition and give me a follow.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show your support please spread a beautiful act of kindness by rating it if your listening on Apple podcasts and leaving a kind review if you feel so inclined, and telling at least one person about the show and that they can find it wherever they listen to their podcasts. And always, thank you to those who have rated the show and left a beautiful review – I appreciate you.
Again, thank you and I’ll see you on the other side
Mom: Angelica, can you say good-bye?
Angelica: Good-bye, good-bye.
Mom: Thank you.
Angelica: Thank you.
Episode title: Oh Say Can You See
Episode summary: what is political theatre? What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves? What are our values, in society and our home? What’s the difference between a belief and an idea? Is one more dangerous than the other?
Politics is a performance very much like the Song & Dance of Parenting. It is a play of and for power. With our power to choose these leaders comes the responsibility of unpacking our own values and beliefs to investigate how we can best serve not just ourselves but the future for our children and our children’s children.
Quick History of Political Theatre Through the Ages
Ideas, Beliefs and Values
Angelica Interlude
- Naptime Meltdown
Politics of Parenting
A Short Story Before We Go:
- Absurd Cruelty
The Raise a Glass Series:
- The Raise a Glass Series is a space for reflection and gratitude centered around the topic of the day and inspired by lyrics from Hamilton the Musical.
- Today’s lyrics – “Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away, not matter what they tell you.”~ Jon Laurens
Spread a Beautiful Act of Kindness:
- Rate the podcast (and leave a kind review if you feel so inclined)
- Tell one person you know you enjoyed this podcast and they should check it out
Sources that inspired this episode or random tidbits of knowledge:
- The Vital Role of Political Theater article
- Notes on Political Theater: the perils of spectacle article
- Countdown to Election Day – Political Theatre to Watch article
- 10 Best Plays about Politics article
- Theatre of Cruelty
- Theatre of the Absurd
- The Star-Spangled Banner full verses
- Core Values
Full Transcript
Mom: Angelica, can you say hello?
Angelica: Hello! Hello?
Mom: How are you today?
Angelica: I doing well…how are you?
Mom: Well I’m doing well also. (she laughs)
Welcome to MFA: The Parenting Edition, I’m Taisha Cameron. These lessons from the theatre for raising ourselves and our kids came about when I realized my MFA in acting trained me for life as a mommy better than life as a full-time actor. Today’s episode dives into political theatre and our family values. We’ll explore some challenging questions, I’ll share some stories, and then we’ll end our episode with the Raise a Glass Series. So, without further ado, this is MFA.
Quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor Frankl
Episode Twelve – Oh Say Can You See
Question – what is political theatre? What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves? What are our values, in society and our home? What’s the difference between a belief and an idea? Is one more dangerous than the other?
Ohhh, down the academic rabbit hole of research I have gone. You’d think I was writing my dissertation on political theatre the way I’ve been researching. I mean when it comes to writing I am one who gets more obsessed with the research than the actual writing. The same is true for acting; I’d spend more days in rehearsal than performance if given the opportunity. My mind craves exploration and newness and investigation but what does one do with all that information and knowledge? Apply this to the political climate we currently live in. There is more information available to us now then there has been ever in history. When I went college (oh I can’t believe I’m using that line already – “back in my day…” [sigh] getting’ older) well, when I went to college, we learned to identify credible sources of information, to fact check, to site information accurately giving credit to those whose research has help frame our individual idea. We learned about primary and secondary sources; I had a theatre history paper take me to the fucking Library of Congress to find primary source information for my work – my professor was no joke. But in this day, it seems like that is either no longer something we know how to do or just don’t care about anymore. So, it made me wonder what we do care about as a society. What are the values we hold to that define our culture, our home, our community, our country and our existence as a human race?
Quick History of Political Theatre Through the Ages
“We tend to think theater is this elite cultural pastime, but it really wasn’t in history. It was a religious, civic, political, and social ritual.” This is director Diane Paulus in The Atlantic’s article “The Vital Role of Political Theater.” Her production of Julius Caesar at the Public back in 2016 created a lot of heat resulting in protests, which, if you’ve read or seen a staged or film version of this play is exactly what happens after Marc Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! I have come to bury Caesar not to praise him” speech (and this is the second time in this podcast I’ve made reference to that exact speech). So, in this case life was imitating art which added another layer of political theatricality to an already political piece. But going back to Paulus’ quote, she spoke of theatre being a religious, civic, political and social ritual. Throughout history theatre has always commented on the political and social issues of the time. Historians have written about the invention of democracy in Greece coinciding with the birth of theatre and, consequently, dying with it when Sparta kicked Athens ass with the end of the Peloponnesian War. Scholars have written about the politics of theatre in Shakespeare through his history plays and dramas. There have been actors and creators such as Erwin Piscator, Bertolt Brecht, Augusto Boal and more who have developed ways of creating theatre to address social and political issues in there community.
When you look up political theatre on the good ‘ole internet you’ll get this definition on Wikipedia, “political posturing or theatre that comments on political and social issues.” I read a Washington Post article “Notes on political theater: the perils of spectacle,” from 2016 (remember that happy year) that extrapolated on the political and art definitions. The author said, “In the public sphere, “political theater” is synonymous with “empty show.” It’s a gesture. Posturing. Grandstanding. Sound and fury, likely to be signaling no genuine idea but certainly indicating a play for power.”
Recently, I watched Gore Vidal’s The Best Man presented by Broadway’s Best Shows and it had a great cast with big names and for a virtual performance/reading (because most actors were not off book) it was more engaging than I expected. It dealt with two political opponents fighting for the presidential nomination from their party and each were strung along by the ex-President hoping for an endorsement. We saw a candidate’s personal life smeared to discredit him. Another blackmailing a story they heard to negotiate a more fair playing field with the other. An ex-president’s true nature being revealed while unscrupulously dangling an endorsement in front of either candidate so you never really know who he truly believes is the best man. You can’t get more political theatre than that. I mean, as its name suggests it is the theatre about government.
The author states that “Political theater” in the artistic realm, by contrast, is exemplary citizenship.” Now that only holds true when theatre creators and producers step up and tell the stories that engage the public to take political action and challenge their ideas and beliefs. Does that happen enough? Or does the theatrical community wait until all hell breaks loose after shit’s hit the fan in the political world to then create work that, at that point, is a mere comment on events instead of a proactive vehicle for prevention?
Before we get into the topic of ideas and beliefs, one thing that’s important to remember in the concept of theatre is that an audience is required. Theatre, throughout history, has either reinforced the social and political norms of its time or challenged them. In the entry on theatre in the Encyclopedia Britannica it says, about an audience, “Activity is required of the theatre audience if the performance is to succeed; the audience is required to share with the performer and to assist in the act of creation. Every audience helps to create or to destroy the performance.” When you look at the spectacle of political theatre in, let’s say, an election year in this country like the campaign trail leading towards election day, you see just how important our participation (as citizens, as the audience) is, in the savagery or civility of the campaign and discourse amongst ourselves. Political leaders understand the influence of the arts. They use is to gain their own power. They also politicize the arts for their own political gain ignoring the historical relationship between the arts, politics, society, and religion. In the western world we have turned our back on the spiritual ritual of theatre as a way of gathering and cleansing the community through celebration, intellectual discussion, emotional catharsis, and physical expressiveness. We don’t see it as value except as a political bargaining chip. We make our choice on which political actor we support based on the ideas, beliefs and values we hold. These are the things we pass on to our kids, so what are we passing on to them?
Ideas, Beliefs & Values
- An idea - a formulated thought or opinion
- A belief - a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing; something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion : something believed; conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence
- Values – the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something
Actors have the fortunate opportunity to argue vehemently for opposing ideas and beliefs. It’s an occupational gift. Every character we play is going to have a different set of given circumstances, beliefs, and values then our own, which includes political views. The job is to understand your character at its core and fight for what they want. Storytellers are always creating complex examinations of ideas, beliefs and values because that is were characters develop, conflict and drama live.
What do we fight for in our lives? What are the values we want to instill in our children? Values we want to see in ourselves? The values we respect in others?
There are over 7.8 billion people in the world. Here in the United States, our population is over 330 million human beings. And every four years we narrow our choices down to 2 people with whom to choose the leader of our country (that is insane). And every four years, and throughout those four years, we fight about who is in charge only to get ready to battle it out again. How the fuck are over 300 million people all supposed to agree on the same damn person? It is not possible! It’s not even plausible to think that that could happen.
So, what is it that we look for in our leaders? What are the values and beliefs we feel so strongly they need to have?
I feel one of the most dangerous words we can associate with our opinions and ideas is the word belief. A belief is an idea we cling to as a defining characteristic of who we are. People kill for their beliefs, people commit unforgiveable atrocities for their beliefs, people can explain away horrors happening to other people through their beliefs. Once we’ve allowed an idea to move into our soul and stay awhile, maybe given it a special room with a sign on the door that says “Do Not Disturb, Belief Resting,” we’ve chosen to hear every opposition to that belief as a personal attack. When we feel attacked we go on the defensive, when we go on the defensive we stop listening, when we stop listening what we’re really saying is “you and your beliefs aren’t valid or worth hearing because you have verbally attacked me with your opinions about my beliefs and I am not emotionally mature enough or resilient enough to engage in a decent conversation with you.” And we end it by grouping people into two categories: Good People Because They Agree With Me box or they’re Batshit Crazy and are the Spawn of Satan Himself Because They Don’t Agree With Me in this box. Our ability to close ourselves off from what we don’t want to hear, distance ourselves from others and strengthen our sense of importance and self-righteousness by clinging to social biases with likeminded mob mentality, is what keeps us in constant turmoil as humans.
In the world of politics and social justice, my desire to want to be safe and unbothered has, for a long time now, has been at odds with my desire to make change and fight for what I feel is important. I’ve been too scared to speak up out of fear of what others might say about me or how they’d perceive me (and I’m someone who can speak their mind). I’ve been too comfortable in my life to want to rock the boat. My parents have raised me, intellectually and emotionally, to be a fighter but I was raised in middle class white America so I’m the least likely to fight for anything unless something disturbs my immediate comfort. It’s always someone else’s fight to take up, not mine. This place of comfort, complacency and fear is not how I want to raise my daughter.
*Angelica Interlude
Angelica: Come on mom.
Mom: Sweetie I told you I would read you two stories but –
Angelica: I’m not tired!
Mom: I understand that –
Angelica: I NOT TIRED!!
Mom: I understand you’re not tired Angelica –
Angelica: I not tired, I not tired!
Mom: Listen to me!
Angelica: I not tired!!!
Mom: We’re taking a rest, (Angelica whimpering) If you wanna play in your bed that’s fine. You don’t have to sleep. (Angelica whining) But everyone’s taking a rest right now.
Angelica: But its morning.
Mom: It is the afternoon.
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: And it is that time –
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: Look at me!
Angelica: It morning, it morning, it morning. It morning!!!
Mom: I don’t have to read you any stories –
Angelica: It morning!
Mom: I would like to –
Angelica: It morning!
We’re gonna start by cleaning up and (Angelica cries) then if we can get through that peacefully I can read you some stories before rest time. If we cannot do this peacefully there will be no stories. So, let’s open up your dresser so we can put those baskets back.
(growling)
Mom: I know. I understand.
Angelica: I’m gonna get Woody
Mom: You’re going to get what?
Angelica: And I’m gonna get Elsa and me gonna get them in here
Mom: So –
Angelica: That gonna be a great idea!
Mom: So, if there’s anyone like Elsa or Anna or Woody that you would like in your bed for rest time I would suggest putting them now No? Ok.
Angelica: Yeaaaas…oh wait!
Politics of Parenting
The choice to become a parent is a personal decision you make. We touched on that back in episode 1. In this country, it might be the same in other countries, I don’t know, here in the United States of America the choice to become a parent also has political significance. The government and society as a whole have politicized parenting from contraception to conception, through healthcare, through education, through socioeconomics lifestyle; I mean from the moment we are thought and brought into existence our lives are tied to politics. And then as a nation, we are constantly attacking each other about not politicizing issues that we have already made a political issue.
My uterus is open for political debate. In the words of Eve Ensler, “My vagina’s Angry”! In our capitalist nation, the goal of having kids is to raise them to get a good job one day so they can consume more things. As a parent, now a days, we are told to consume more things for: our child’s safety and well-being, toys and gadgets for educational purposes so our kid don’t get left behind, and on and on the list of things a parent needs, which were never necessary in any other time in history, to be considered a good and worthy parent. What school are they going to, where do you live, who do you know, what’s going to help get them into college (cause they are clearly incapable of doing it on their own merit so we must pull strings for them), are you pro life or pro choice, are you religious or a heathen, are you pro guns or anti guns, are you a weird homeschooler – oh wait isn’t everyone now?!!!
Kids don’t give a shit about the political views of their peers or adults. They don’t. If you talk down to them and treat them like shit, they won’t like you. If you speak to them with respect, listen and hold space for them, play and empathize with them, they will think you’re a great person. I feel, we are making the choice as a society to continue politicizing the job of parenting instead of nurturing the relationship of being a parent. As a country, do we have united values on what are our core values of family and the type of humans we want to help nurture in this world? Do we even prioritize family here?
So lovelies, I’ll ask you again
What does the history of political theatre teach us about ourselves?
What are our values, in society and our home?
What’s the difference between a belief and an idea?
We’ve lost the communal ritual of theatre for the purpose of uniting a group of people in their examination of social, political, religious and civic rights and responsibilities to one another. Politics is a performance very much like the Song & Dance of Parenting we discussed last week and in episode three. It is a play of and for power in which, in this country, we have a say in the leading and supporting actors we cast in these roles of power that affect our lives and the country as a whole. But with our power to choose these leaders comes the responsibility of unpacking our own values and beliefs to investigate how we can best serve not just ourselves but the future for our children and our children’s children. Our legacy. Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in the ground we’ll never get to see. I’mma save that for another Raise the Glass Series but ya get what I’m sayin. Political theatre cautions against complacency and comfort. Our opinions and ideas are challenged and may evolve throughout life if we’re open to growing as a citizen of this world. The same happens with parenting. I don’t think anyone would say the things they feel are important now in their life are the same exact things they felt were important as a kid, teenager, even as a grown ass adult before, I don’t know, let’s say, the year 2020, what a shit show this has been!
A Short Story Before We Go
Our leader shouted, we pulled the blindfolds and ropes from our pockets and began taking hostages. Most of them submitted without a sound. Then the laughter began. A chorus of girls in the center of the classroom were cackling. Our leader rushed the pack, personally restraining them. The laughter continued but was shifting, as if they were trying to stop but couldn’t. Once the lot was rounded up we dragged them to the second location. [never allow yourself to be taken to the second location] The room was pitch black minus a few strategically placed small lights. Get them in, force them down was our goal. We removed the blindfolds but keep them bound. Our ritual began. We encircled them with Balinese style movements and gestures. We accosted our victims with boxes and bags of foul and aggressive smelling items. Hysterical fits of laughter were now occurring from the same group of girls. It hadn’t mattered they were separated, their collective resistance called to each other and echoed throughout the space. Our attack intensified. Movements became more frenetic, flashlights created strobe effects, our chanting grew in strength. An aggressive baptism had begun with incense engulfing the room and Florida water being doused on the hostages. And still they laughed.
When the ritual had concluded we were invited to sit amongst the class to discuss the experience. Our professor began her dive into the group discussion first by questioning the laughter from the participants. At this point the girl in our group who had been “our leader” let go of the rage she’d been bottling up and it poured from her eyes with a sob from her heart. Our discussion led us to explore the ways people react when they are uncomfortable and nervous. The lack of control we face in a heightened situation, even one in which we know there is no immediate impending danger, manifests differently in all of us. Then there’s the mob mentality, safety in numbers. It’s that comfort in feeling that because someone else has given permission through their expression others can join in with more ease. It happens all the time in theatre. You attend a show and feel moved to respond in a grand way but no one else is doing it so you restrain yourself. And it goes the other way as well. The response of the collective audience, even a small group within it, can drastically alter any performance.
Our group project was to demonstrate Theatre of the Absurd made famous by playwrights such as Beckett, Ionesco, Genet and many more and Artaud’s Theater of Cruelty. I can’t remember all the other elements that went into this undergrad theatre history project but while this part was clearly the cruelty section, it most definitely was fucking absurd as well. But shouldn’t that be the goal of theatre, to shake your soul out of the dream we walk around in all day? To be aggressive? To be a bit absurd and out of the ordinary? To break conventions so your mind is needed to engage instead of being lulled with the familiar and safe? To create a spiritual experience that forever rocks the foundation of how you see and engage with the world? To alter your perspective and question your beliefs? To enliven your heart to action and ignite intellectual conversations towards change? What if the purpose of theatre is not what I’ve stated in previous episodes, a vehicle to create an emotional response within you but, a vehicle to make you take action. Maybe the entire purpose of this performing art form is to require the audience to act, to take action, to do something. Maybe the passive role the audience has taken, that the theatre community has helped foster, is ass backwards and artists, creators, and theatre lovers and supporters are responsible for killing the driving force of the art we cherish. Maybe sitting silently, being entertained and comforted by traditional conventions creates the same loss of spirit it does when we stifle our children in the exact same manner. It sucks the resilience and creativity right out of humanity.
Raise A Glass Series
The Raise a Glass Series is a space for reflection and gratitude centered around the topic of the day and inspired by lyrics from Hamilton the Musical.
“Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away, not matter what they tell you.”
What is freedom?
Freedom is a privilege that comes with responsibility and functions best within a frame. Parents, who work towards an authoritative parenting style, know all too well how freedom does not mean allowing your kids to do whatever the hell they want and it doesn’t mean being a dictator. Artists understand their responsibility to themselves and community for making honest, challenging and engaging work, which can only be created within structure. A frame of agreements (laws, rules, whatever you want to call them) allows us more room to exercise our freedom. If we all were skillful at self-regulation, making the best choices to nurture ourselves and others, rules would never be necessary. But we’re impulsive and thoughtful. Compassionate and selfish. Fragile and resilient. We’re walking contradictions that are capable of greatness on the sides of Heaven and Hell. A framework created by man can be demolished and amended by man. Our ability to choose how to respond is where our true freedom comes from. That’s what cannot be taken away, that’s what Viktor Frankl was referring to in the opening quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Let’s raise a glass to freedom, both a privilege and a choice.
That’s all for today guys and dolls. Thank you so much for joining me again for another episode. As always, I hope this brings some joy into your day so your light can shine brighter.
To wrap up our pre-election day explorations, next week we’ll look more at social justice, theater and parenting. If you haven’t already, make sure to VOTE!!! Make the choice you feel is not just in your best interest but for the country as a whole. Remember there are over 300 million people in this country, the choice is never just about us.
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Again, thank you and I’ll see you on the other side
Mom: Angelica, can you say good-bye?
Angelica: Good-bye, good-bye.
Mom: Thank you.
Angelica: Thank you.