Hi All,
In trying to keep the Final Decisions thread about final decisions, I thought I’d start thread where the diversity topic could be discussed as it relates to each person’s personal journey. Be kind.
My kid has narrowed it down to 2 choices, and diversity is a factor he is considering. 2 years ago we saw a play at DePaul, and the basic story was 6 students were creating and writing a play about a genocide in Africa. The students only had letters from the German soldiers as the source, and the actors explored how to tell the story from the African perspective. The work was brave, powerful and shocking as the students explored thoughts about race. The ending was so painful, and I was not prepared with enough tissues. There was a talk back after the show, and I love those, and love to hear the reactions. It is honestly the best play I have ever seen. I can only imagine the types of conversations that these students had in the making of this play, WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT…by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Hence, my crush on DePaul and sadness when son didn’t go the BFA route.
I tell this story because if there were no people of color at the school, this production couldn’t have been done with the same impact. My kids theater teacher gave the advice to look for productions at school in which the actor would want to do. I also think the college experience is not just about training, but about the growth of a young person into an adult. Theater allows our kids to explore themselves in ways that are so powerful. That growth demands a safe space.
I believe in the power of the arts to hold up the mirror to ourselves. If you’ve got time to listen, this was an good story of using the arts to change behavior in Rwanda.
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/16/602872309/romeo-juliet-in-kigali-how-a-soap-opera-sought-to-change-behavior-in-rwanda
6 days 'till decision day.
@DoinResearch I heard that story on NPR and it was really eye-opening. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on diversity!
I want to see that play! I just Googled it. Wow!
My D who lives in London saw a production of this play a few years ago there and really loved it! Diversity within theatre departments will allow for more varied options in a school’s productions. With larger programs, this is less of an issue. CMU, many years ago, made a concerted effort to admit a diverse class. I’m assuming that this is still the case even though their program is not a large one. I wouldn’t be surprised if many others have followed that course as well. Seeing shows, meeting current students, checking out program Facebook programs, showcase photos, etc. are a good way to see who is attending, keeping in mind that things can change from year to year everywhere.
Hey @DoinResearch - great topic. High on my D’s list of “needs” for a college was a highly diverse student body - and frankly, it was tough to find in combinations with her other requirements - a lot of schools that met her other requirements really didn’t pass muster when it came to diversity.
I’ve been interested in the various national articles about casting concerns - both calls for color-blind casting and also the outrage over casts so often being “white washed”. It’s a little like affirmative action - it’s absolutely true that the casting system has been so biased against POC for so long that making an effort to level the playing field is critical. On ther other, I have a white kid and she has been cast in roles intended for non-whites (high school productions only) because she had the best audition. Mixed emotions there.
One interesting story from our journey - her high school did “In the Heights” and she got a role. Some “friends” were very critical that it was a story about people of hispanic background and should never even be done at a school where there weren’t enough latin actors to compete for roles. I was more than a little nervous about the appropriateness of the casting. Opening night we sat in the audience and enjoyed the show and my spouse said afterwards that he LOVED the show. I said yes, it was a good story and he said “No - It’s MY story”. And suddenly I realized - he was right. He’s an immigrant from the middle east, came here as a 10 year old and had to learn to be American, was the first in his family to go to college, had to struggle with the dual identity of being American vs keeping his own identity. Here I was so I worried about the ramifications of straying from the original casting that I wasn’t seeing the universality of the story and how it completely applied to my own family.
I think what is most pwerful about Theater is its ability to speak directly to us - all of us. And join us together in the human experience.
I just heard about a play by Alice Childress called ‘Trouble in Mind’ that deals with race relations. It’s an older play, but getting produced anew recently. I have to take a look at that one!