The Art of Living: Our Country's Good

Throughout past posts, I have attempted to show how theater has been helping to improve communities around the world. From the United States to Africa, illegal immigrants to at-risk youths, theater advocates have been doing all they can. Now, I believe it is time to let my readers understand how the words of a play have the potential to change society as we know it. For those who live in Los Angeles, this November the University of Southern California's School of Theatre is putting up a show entitled, Our Country's Good. Written in 1988 by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country's Good tells the story of the first officers and convicts who were shipped to Australia from England in January of 1789. To put this in historical perspective, by the late 1780's, the crime rate had severely increased, therefore allowing British law to identify a wide range of offenses as capital crimes. For instance, stealing candlesticks or a loaf of bread was considered a hangable offense. Yet, judges were reluctant to send people to death for such minor offenses. So they were instead exiled to the colonies on the island of what was known as New South Wales, now Australia, with Royal Marines resentfully serving as jailers. Under the direction of their Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip, RN, some of the colonies' convicts acted in George Farquar's The Recruiting Officer, directed by 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clark, which was used to humanize and civilize the prisoners. Our Country's Good follows the lives of these ten convicts and officers involved in the play and the hardships they had to endure while being exiled to, as one of the characters describes, "this flat, brittle burnt-out country." This play discusses the class system in the convict camp and presents themes such as sexuality, punishment and the idea that art can act as an ennobling force.

While watching a performance of a play at Wormwood Scrubs, a prison in England, Wertenbaker said that "…in prison conditions, theatre can be hugely heartening and influential and indeed in prison your options are so limited you can become a born-again Christian, a gym-queen constantly working out, a bird watcher or you become passionate about theatre." This is why theater activities have become so popular in prisons over the years. She stated that it seemed as though the convicts had become, even only for the moment, civilized human beings and had taken their work very seriously. The theater director Wertenbaker worked with on Our Country's Good, Max Stafford-Clark, said, "The convicts knew their lines absolutely because they had nothing else to do and they didn't want to waste time with pleasantries, as soon as you came into the room they started rehearsing. The two hours were very intense because the time was so valuable and we saw immediately how doing a play could become absolutely absorbing if you were incarcerated."

Many actors, authors and playwrights believe in the idea that theater can change lives and the way one views the world. One French playwright thought this way. Antonin Artaud believed that theater should affect the audience as much as possible. To achieve this with his work, he used various forms of strange and disturbing forms of lighting, sound and performance. In one of his essays, Theater and The Plague, Artaud wrote, "In the true theatre, a play disturbs the senses' repose, frees the repressed unconscious, incites a kind of virtual revolution...and imposes on the assembled collectivity an attitude that is both difficult and heroic." I play the character of Mary Brenham (below right), a convict from London. In the story, Mary becomes the star of The Recruiting Officer and begins to shine because of the production. Research has shown me who Mary really was and by learning her heartbreaking story, it became so clear as to why she finally is happy again. Even Liz Morden, a heartless and mean bully, befriends Mary and becomes a human being again. The character's lives change drastically for the better because they are involved in something bigger and greater than themselves. The director of USC's production, Jack Rowe, writes in his Director's Notes for the playbill: "It is her design that the actors play both convicts and jailers-a rich device that places on trial all our assumptions about what 'civilization' means. It is at once a meditation on the redemptive nature of art, a celebration of the power of compassion, cooperation and creativity, and an insightful look into the very nature of theatre." After watching Our Country's Good, a reviewer for the London Times wrote, "All people tend to become what society says they are! In performance the convicts challenge their definition."

As important as theater may be to improving society today, it was not always so. In the 19th century, there were two kinds of supporters: those who believed in art for art's sake and those who believed in the social responsibility of art. According to Larry Shiner's book, The Invention of Art: A Cultural History, many did not support the idea of art for art's sake. They supposed that art should embody moral content and should neutralize political content. Shiner says, poet Friedrich Schiller could even write in 1803 that art should “totally shut itself off from the real world.” Many saw art as fundamentally alien to a society propelled by commerce and industry. The rest of society might be dominated by the government and materialism, but art can be a refuge where the human spirit may roam freely.

Wertenbaker's play exhibits true human behavior as we experience it every day. The words give me chills every time I read them or hear them in rehearsals. I can only hope that they may have an effect on someone's life who truly needs help. I can also hope that our production will live up to the lives of who these people were and do them justice. Bertol Brecht once said, and I truly believe, "all forms of art serve the greatest art of all: the art of living." Please come out to support the theater: The USC School of Theatre presents Our Country's Good, a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker-November 6-9, 2008. Buy your tickets at www.usc.edu/spectrum.

Drama In Society: A Look Around the Theater World

Last week in my post "An Expression of Civilization: Theater and Immigration Laws," I discussed how theater is being used to improve communities around the world. To discover more, I explored the blogosphere this week to find out what others are doing. The following links are all placed to the right in my LinkRoll. To begin to understand what theater is about and "how to be an actor," I suppose the first question one may have would be "How do I act?" Even though this question cannot truly be answered in one simple sentence, I stumbled upon a website that appears to be a good jumping off point. At The Applied & Interactive Theater Guide website, I found many different acting techniques, theatre techniques, as well as the history of theatre. The site is very simple and easy to navigate, however, the simplicity makes it appear to be less professional than it may be.

Similarly, The Applied & Interactive Theater Blog follows the same rather dull color palate, however writing about theater news and events around the country. While reading about what is occurring in the theater community, the C.A.T Community Actors Theatre website interested me. This theater company puts on productions written by the surrounding community--oh, and did I mention they are an all black company? By reaching out to the black neighborhood, C.A.T begins to redefine a new generation of theater. The website has a fun, funky feel to it with easy to use links. However, there appear to be misspellings and grammatical issues throughout the site.

Another theater group I found is Theatre West. The actors involved in this theater company not only act, but also teach acting workshops in multiple techniques. The homepage has numerous pictures with quotes about an actress or play and many links to informative pages. However, when I click on a link and then wanted to go back to the homepage, I found no way to click "home." It became annoying to retype the web address. Another website with many links and photographs belongs to the National Theatre in the United Kingdom. This theatre company is one of the largest and well-known companies throughout the world and their website proves it. With fourteen brightly colored links to their season of plays (picture above left), it is very easy to get lost in the website. However, it almost seems to be the point to get lost and find yourself on a page called Discover, where you can find out about their programs, plays, and backstage tours.

To find out what is happening in the art community in New York, I headed over to Gothamist: Arts and Events blog. The summaries of each post are easy to see and to read with interesting titles. However, the large and often brightly colored advertisements in the top and left margins of the page subtract from the simplicity of the blog.

The Next Stage is a fun online magazine discussing what they call "new theatre." The picture atop the page makes me laugh and pulls me into what they might have to offer. Everything is laid out neatly, making it possible for even the most internet incapable to find what they want to read. Yet, as interesting as the magazine may be, there will be random posts about unrelated topics. Something similar happens on the blog entitled, Theatre Notes. Here the author, Alisson Croggon, keeps a blog about her theatre reviews. Even though the theatre reviews are very insightful, Croggon's posts about Patti Smith do not seem to fall under theatre reviews and the copious amount of links turn me away.

At the theatre section of the Culture Monster blog, through the Los Angeles Times website, I found many posts about theater and events going on around the country. This was a great place to gain knowledge without any issues. Everything is easy to read and the writing is excellent. The only problem I had is with the categories sections; there are so many links that are in such a small text, they are difficult to read. On the other hand, the New York Times' theatre posts had no category section, only Most Popular and Critic's Picks links. The New York Times website, however, is spectacular. Not only are there interesting articles about theatre in New York, they have performance videos and audio. Everything is a bit packed in, but still easy to navigate.

There are many theater companies around the world who deal with helping children, at risk teens, families and communities. The Unusual Suspects is one. Their website has a great slideshow of people involved in their programs and photographs of their productions. However, there is so much material being presented on the homepage, I feel overwhelmed trying to take in all the information. The Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY) works as a therapeutic center. With a headshot and quote from Susan Sarandon, the front page is welcoming and open, giving the information in a calm way. Nonetheless, the huge red "Donate Now!" sign is extremely noticeable and detracts from the tranquil-ness of the page. ENACT is a drama therapy program which could use some help from the web designer from the CANY site. The page is laid out in a boring way with a lot of extra space not being utilized. The writing throughout the site is great, but the design could use some work. Broadway Cares is a company that is working to fight HIV/AIDS. Their website is patriotic and fun and makes me want to donate. The layout of the "important" links is easy to find and read, yet the left hand margin is packed with tiny writing and links to other information about the company. This is equally important as the donation page but is harder to find. Juxtaposing the Broadway Cares website, the Apollo Theater Foundation has enlarged every link, making everything seem of the same importance. It is vital to restore the Apollo Theater, however, the different scholarships they have for students are important to donors. I had to dig through a few pages to find out about those scholarships.

The America-Israel Cultural Foundation has a similar problem. Even though their mission may be clear, I had no idea how much they give back to the community until I happened to click on a link titled "Artists." Somehow the topics of “money” and “awards” do not seem to fit under that term. The government has also helped spread the arts. Soon after the Great Depression, Roosevelt mounted the Federal Theatre Project (above right). This website is the collection of all the plays, as well as photographs, playscripts and administrative records from these productions. The site is easy to navigate and themed appropriately. However, the way the way the information is presented is confusing and I just end up skimming over what they have written.

Some of the most interesting websites I came across talked about theater and technology. The Arts and Humanities Data Service has something they call a Digital Performance Archive, where they have performances that include various forms of technology. As interesting as it is, the search engine is difficult if you do not know what to search for. But there are a numerous amount of performances to choose to loose yourself in. Another out of the ordinary website is Teatre Virtual. Another site dealing with theater and the Internet, this website actually has "live" acting, as well as many other forms. The futuristic layout is enticing, but difficult to navigate, and the writing is hard to comprehend, since it was originally written in another language. Yet, it is still an innovative idea.

Lastly, a professor's blog entitled Theatre Ideas plays an alluring role in this search. Here the author writes on the role of theater in American society. He has book recommendations, theater quotes, posts on various actors and theater techniques. Even though his posts appear to lack order, his ideas are thought provoking.

My exploration of the web has given me a new perspective into the world of theater and its influences on society.

An Expression of Civilization: Theater and Immigration Laws

Previously, I wrote about theater helping the community, reaching towards convicted and at-risk youths. This week I continue to discuss how theater continues to deal with community issues, specifically illegal immigration. Living in California, illegal immigration has become a very prominent issue. I can honestly say I cannot drive ten miles without seeing someone on the side of the road trying to peddle something or get a job. As sad as that may be, the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States are astounding. According to The American Resistance, "In a letter dated February 2004, no less an authority than Arizona Senator John McCain recognized that Border Patrol apprehension figures demonstrated that 'almost four million people crossed our borders illegally 2002'– experts on the subject agree that illegal crossings have only increased since then." The website continues to say that there are approximately 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the country, but it could be much higher. While researching this topic, I came across a blog which addresses this. In Immigration Drama: SoCal Day Laborers to Have Their Own Theater Troupe, Mike Boehm, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, explained how the Cornerstone Theater Company wrote and performed a production called "Los Illegals"--a show performed by illegal immigrants who shared their personal stories, some of which were in Spanish. I have personally seen a show similar to this at the University of Southern California and I found this to be an extremely important, thoughtful and moving piece of theater. When researching, I also came across a very similar story written by Fim Kennedy, a playwright and writer for a British theater blog. Can Theater Change Immigration Law? begins by describing the story of a man named Benjamin and his heartbreaking story of how he found himself a refugee in a British immigration removal center. Then she explains that she was writing a play about refugees and asylum seekers. This blog begins to question if theater can really change society and influence peoples actions. I found it particularly interesting because that topic has recently been on my mind. I am currently in the rehearsal process for a show entitled Our Country's Good, which discusses theater and its social influences. Below are the comments I left on each of the blogs, as well as their links.


Immigration Drama: SoCal Day Laborers to Have Own Theater Troupe

Comment:
Thank you very much for writing about such an important topic. Illegal immigration has definitely become a problem in this country, especially in the state of California. I am glad that there are people who believe that theater can, and does, have an influence in everyday life. I find it interesting, however, that the goal of this theater troupe is "a sustainable, independent theater troupe by and for day laborers and domestic workers," with a mandate to dramatize their lives and immigration issues at "work sites, street corners, protests, churches, community centers and union meetings throughout Southern California." I wonder if that goal has been and/or continues to be achieved. Also, I am interested that their goal does not include something to do with helping these day laborers. It would seem that this play would have an effect on them in one way or another but shouldn’t a group that is using these personal stories have the welfare of the people at the forefront of their goal? And with having these “nonthespians” (as they call them) performing, taking their time to help and give their stories instead of getting work, do they get paid with that $100,000 grant they were given? And what have they been doing since this production over a year ago? The Cornerstone Theater Company continues to do plays that interact with various people but it does not seem as though they have started another play that will involve these immigrants and their stories. I do hope this is something they continue, as I believe it is extremely important to hear their side of the story. It is a heartbreaking one--the world would benefit to hear some of these stories.


Can Theater Change Immigration Law?

Comment:
First, I would like to thank you for writing such an interesting and informative blog. It is so heart wrenching to hear stories like this one, knowing there is not much we can do—yet. I would first like to ask how you stumbled upon Benjamin? As you said, you were doing research for your play, but that still must be difficult to find people if they are being held in an Immigration Removal Center. It is unbelievable how much like a movie this all sounds—a prisoner’s word against the guards, “forgetting” important documents. I find it hard to believe people can be that cruel, even to people who may be illegal. I would like to find out about how the production of your show actually went. Did it have enough publicity to get it out there? To make politicians and lawmakers notice? I find it hard enough to get “everyday” people to the theater, let alone politicians. How would you go about getting politicians and lawmakers to notice and become interested in such a story? Since you wrote, “A well-connected theatre company may be able to achieve the first…” I would assume you have an idea. I absolute love the quote that John McGrath said, “the theatre can never 'cause' a social change. It can articulate pressure towards one ... it can be the way people find their voice, their solidarity and their collective determination.” I find that is the question of theater—can theater change society? If it can, how so? In the play Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker, one of the characters says, “The theatre is an expression of civilization…for a few hours we will not be despised prisoners and hated gaolers. We will laugh, we may be moved, we may even think a little. Can you suggest something else that will provide such an evening?” I truly hope that theater can change society and how we live in it. Please keep us informed if this continues in any way.

Arts Education: How To End After School Crimes

Crime is one of the most problematic conditions of society today. Many of these crimes are committed by those less than eighteen years of age. According to the Juvenile Crime Statistics, approximately thirty percent of minors in America were arrested in 2002. Many of these crimes have found to be committed almost immediately after school was let out. Even though these minors may be enrolled in school and are receiving decent education, wouldn't this percentage dramatically drop if they were involved in after-school extracurricular activities?

Besides sports, one of the most well known after-school activities is Drama Class. Many think of this class as an easy class; however, theater and arts education may be one of the most productive ways of keeping minors safe and out of trouble. Frank Hosdoll, a Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, once said "Serious arts education will help them--to understand civilization... to develop creativity, to learn the tools of communication...and to make wiser choices among the products of the arts." Arts education can help prepare the next generation for the future as well. By watching and being involved in visual and performing arts, people may learn how to manage their lives better. From time management to articulate communication skills and even problem solving with new ways of thinking, arts education is a foundation often forgotten. This is why arts education would benefit minors, especially those who are considered to be "at risk."

These "at risk" youths now have a place to go for help, The Geese Theatre Company. Located in Birmingham, England, they have opened their doors to the Criminal Justice system to help youths who are in prison, on probation, or those who have mental health issues. By using arts education to stimulate self-awareness, they are able to "consider the connections between personal behavior, choice and responsibility and broader social, economic and political factors." They encourage their students to look into their behaviors to help them become better citizens in their community. They may then be able to teach others how to do the same. Their approach to this is quite simple.

By choosing fictitious stories, the students and instructors delve into various situations and behaviors. They discuss alternatives to these actions in a discussion and debate setting, then "rehearse" these choices for future reference. Another approach they use involves using theater masks (see photo on right). These masks allow the students to understand they can still express what they feel without having to show the world their insecurities. By using this technique, the students understand that everyone wears a mask of some sort, "some habitually, some self-consciously." The masks allow the students to look into their destructive and coping mechanisms, and how those strategies can be changed.

In a movement course last year, my class and I were to use similar masks during many of our exercises. Even though we were using the masks to learn about our bodies and how movement and body positions can express many types of emotion, it is understandable how mask work is an important part of this rehabilitation process. Each of us learned not only what our body looks like and expresses on an everyday basis, we were taught how to change and improve upon it. This is why the Geese Theatre Company's approach to helping these youths is so innovative and interesting. One of the most captivating, yet simple ideas I took away from that class was that any habit could be broken; it is just a matter of time and dedication.

It appears that is what this group believes and by diving into their "stories," these students relearn how to live their lives and become a great addition to society. Some of these performance stories include: Inside/Outside-an interactive performance for lifers and their families preparing for release, Journey Woman-a performance and residency for women prisoners, Open Your Eyes-a play about the dangers of trafficking recruitment, So Far-a sex offender treatment, and so on. These open-ended stories allow for audience members to question and influence the actors who are bound by a story they must continue to live in. As strange as it may seem, this method appears to work. A prisoner said about the performances, "That was spot-on. You hit the nail on the head. Some of the scenarios you presented today brought tears to my eyes."The actors are all convicted offenders and yet, these performances give them a chance to feel free--even if only on the stage.

The Geese Theatre Company's performances and groupwork interventions address many different offender issues. They have even started to expand internationally, helping with the Azerbaijan Women's Prison in Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as the issue of trafficking in Bulgaria. Because of their unique mask theater work, the company's approach is welcomed internationally and continues to find advocates for what they do. We can only hope that soon the Geese Theatre Company finds it way to America, to continue serious arts education and help fight for the future of the convicted and at-risk youth population.