Joyce:
I joined the IPTN delegation at the US Social Forum (USSF) in response to an email I received calling especially for “people of color” to join what Susan Metz, who organized the delegation, described as a “mostly Euro” group of Playback practitioners. I was initially a bit concerned about what this meant. Obviously, it was an attempt to achieve some kind of diversity, but what kind? Physical, or cosmetic diversity, or something deeper? Despite my concerns, I did want to meet and learn from other Playback practitioners, and I was also interested in attending the first USSF.
In the end, it was great for me to meet and work with others who share a love of Playback Theater. I found that we all share the desire to serve humanity through our art, and that we share a certain language in terms of the major conventions of Playback. We also discovered the ways in which we speak this language differently.
Part of the challenge of collaborating came from coming from troupes with different styles of doing Playback. In our troupe, Living Arts PT in the Bay Area of SF, we are accustomed to a short huddle with the other actors before doing an enactment. It was challenging for me to perform without this opportunity to verbally check-in with others in the ensemble.
Another challenge came from the fact that we come from different cultural and class backgrounds. Especially difficult for me, as a Chinese-American, (or would you identify yourself) was one story in which a South-Asian American woman described her experience of living in the U.S., including relationships with and inspiration from different cultural traditions. Enacting this story challenged us to not simply reiterate a long history of cultural appropriation that supports European colonial and imperialist ventures. Minstrelsy and other forms of cultural drag have been used for centuries to paint pictures of people of non-European descent as inferior, or inhuman. “White” people may also dress-up as non-“white” people in various festival, Halloween, or frat party contexts as a way of expressing desires that have been repressed by certain dominant Christian traditions. (?) For what? Do you want to say more? Meanwhile, however, they retain the privilege of being insulated from the everyday oppression that non-“white” people face in the U.S. and beyond I would delete beyond unless you want to explain. (OK!)
Some members of the audience and our ensemble felt unsatisfied with the enactment of this woman’s story, because some elements seemed to fall into a – albeit unconscious and unintentional – mocking of other cultures. This experience launched a conversation about what the responsibility of a Playback practitioner is in terms of working with material or populations with which one is less familiar. We talked about emphasizing the relationships described in a story rather than trying to portray the culture. For example, the teller’s partner is Arab. It is more important to play the love relationship than it is to try to play an Arab. Afterwards, another audience member expressed discomfort at seeing a European American actor attempt to sing the blues. We talked about if there might have been a way to represent the essence of the blues without having to try to play a blues singer.
There is a certain pleasure we derive from playing dress-up, and a certain license that the history of white supremacy gives us to perform the cultural traditions of others. But being a responsible Playback actor means being vigilant of this history and of our own social locations relative to this history. In a split second I must be able to distinguish when I am making a choice to serve the teller with my knowledge of other cultures versus when am I just showing off or playing for my own satisfaction that I can speak another language, sing someone else’s song, or dance someone else’s dance. Jason Agar put forth his model of having his group study an issue together; i.e. taking the initiative to use one’s Playback company, and the form itself, to educate ourselves on issues we would like to know more about in order to become more culturally proficient. Deb Scott talked about bringing PT skills to communities outside of our own in order to give the tools to people who can start their own groups that may then adjust the work to be relevant to particular histories and/or cultures.
Working with folks from Ashé Cultural Center in New Orleans, the agency that sponsors the New Orleans Playback Theatre company, was a highlight for me. I could see how they integrate Playback with other structures. I especially appreciated how John O’Neal prepared the space by asking us to form a circle and to dedicate the work to someone significant to us. We also prayed together as a group. This reinforced the necessity of a ritual preparation of the ground for working with each others’ stories, and the possibility of finding new ways of calling on the support of the spirit that can work in diverse groups. Especially in this strange environment of the U.S., where we are all still struggling with a legacy of genocide, sexism, heterosexism, and racism, we must continue to educate ourselves, or take the initiative to heal ourselves, and to work to bring light to our own blind spots. I believe with support from spirit in holding the stories that are entrusted to us, we can do what is in the best interests of the teller.
Despite the challenges we faced, it was a highlight and a privilege for me to meet people from different Playback groups and work/play together. I am also very grateful that we were able to communicate with each other about our discomfort. I hope that we all can continue to find better and better ways to use Playback Theater to work together towards decolonization and positive social change.
This next report is from Deb, a member of our Playback Group at the Social Forum. Posted with her permission. Photos and photo captioning are added.
Impressions from the US Social Forum, Atlanta, 2007
Deb Scott – [Asheville Playback Theatre, North Carolina]
I went to Atlanta with the hope of introducing playback to the Social Change movement, (pretty grand ambition!) and the desire to be stretched by performing for, and with, a new and diverse group of people.
I had forgotten what it is to be in a great sea of people, intent on their work and causes, passionate and articulate, in the crucible of a very, very hot city. The streets of Atlanta were almost 100 degrees every day, and every indoor space was refridgerated. Events were all over the city, and the densely packed schedule allowed only a half hour between sessions. Of great interest to me was the street life that surrounded our somewhat seedy hotel, sandwiched in between one of the parks and a large and welcoming Drop In Homeless Center. This scene was juxtaposed with the throngs of workers for social change who moved on through the living room of the homeless with minimal interaction. One suggestion many of us felt for the next Social Forum is to consider programs that interact with the host city—in this case a shared meal or an invitation to the residents to participate freely at the conference. In fact, in retrospect, I wish the playback group had spontaneously offered a performance at the Drop In Center some evening.
We offered 4 playback events, two workshops, a performance, and a collaboration with Ashe Cultural Arts Center from New Orleans. The context of the work made me acutely aware of assumptions and the importance of moving gently into others’ experiences. This deliberation required focus and attention, and I found myself exhausted by constantly taking stock of my responses: Is this a cultural bias vs. a personal preference? Am I holding onto the “Master Narrative” as I listen to what is being said? Where are my blind areas? What does it take to educate the privileged (me), so often unaware of our privilege? And what does it ask of our neighbors who find themselves in the tiresome role of constantly enlightening us? I feel gratitude to those who continue to teach people like me out of their dedication to the creation of a new world and new understanding, one conversation at a time.
The publicity for the USSF proclaimed “Another World is Possible”. I saw once again that any tool kit for making a paradigm shift can benefit from the playback principles—listening, honoring human experience, being willing to initiate and to follow, and making everyone right. These principles allowed members of 5 playback companies to become an ensemble in a matter of hours, and allowed us to create a safe place for some difficult learning to happen. How I wish more groups carried such tools into their meetings and board rooms…
I conducted the first event, the performance on day one of the Conference. There were about 25 people in our hotel ballroom and I felt very confident that the team of actors would work well together. The stories we heard reflected several themes from the conference. A man told of his rich family tradition of gathering together, his divorce that forced his son from his life, and then recently coming back into relationship with his son when a crisis in his own marriage made him vulnerable. I heard in that story the cost of alienation, and a father’s inability to speak words of love and regret to his son.
The next story was told by a college student who described the endless parade of meetings in his life, and the uncomfortable discovery that in the heat of argument he was capable of behavior he did not respect in others. A young woman told of being drawn to the Conference across the country, and following this impulse knowing she had no way back home."The meeting agenda and group agreements"
The last story was told by a woman from (now I forget—Pakistan?) originally, but who has lived the life of an international, working here in the US with immigrant factory workers, finding moments of belonging through music and cross-cultural relationships. She did not specify what became her center, or a moment when she felt “at home”. It was a difficult story to conduct (and not an easy life to live) and I felt a sadness coming from the teller. The actors created a kaleidoscope of impressions, swirling around the teller’s actor, and ended with a chorus of voices saying “home”.
While the teller seemed to leave the chair moved, we got feedback from another audience member after the performance raising the question of cultural appropriation. She felt for example that it was inappropriate for a white actor to sing the blues (and Kerry from NOLA Playback did a really fine blues) even though this was specifically mentioned by the teller. I do not personally think cultural appropriation was an issue with this story, but the question has burned its way into my thinking about how to handle stories that are culturally specific. How do we honor the spirit of the story without resorting to cliché or cursory “playacting” when the actor is unfamiliar with cultural references? Is it enough to bring the emotional dynamics to the fore front, and in a general way honor the common humanity that we all can relate to? I think not.
So I am learning in real time some of the lessons Jonathan and others at the School have taught for years. About the responsibility of playback conductors and actors to be grounded in a broad and inclusive awareness of the world around them, of cultural and power dynamics, of historical and geographical facts, of Roles people play, and of what we do not know and how to ask for the information we need. The days in Atlanta were filled with discovery and I had a great time with my expanded playback family, asking hard questions and playing together. Thank you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment