Monday, February 28, 2011
Fastball
AmericanTheatreWing: "This past Friday evening, I attended the Waterbury CT Arts Magnet High School’s production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a production that had been debated, then delayed, and about which I had been fairly vocal in my advocacy. The students acquitted themselves quite admirably, but the real discovery came during the post-performance discussion, which included the entire cast, as well as the actors Eisa Davis and Frankie Faison.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I am so glad that this production was able to take place, and that in addition they are able to host talkbacks like these that show just how insightful our generation can be. It is a shame that a lot of high schools aren't able to put on shows like "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" that truly challenge the students and expose them to some of America's great dramatic works. Certainly there is a place for more accessible and popular shows, but I hope that more schools can learn from this example and give their students the chance to dig their teeth into work like this, and remind them that not every performance needs to be a sellout. I think reading this article made me appreciate the fact that my high school didn't do big-spectacle shows or flashy musicals for the first time, because I realized just how much I learned from being involved in productions of Shaw, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Jonson, and others at such a young age, and I now see the value in that.
Wow. This article made me so happy. I'm especially glad that the 72-year-old woman said she learned she could learn from high school students. I am often made to feel by adults that as a young adult I am not able to handle or understand more mature topics. My understanding of these topics may be different and not as in-depth, but I am fully capable of grasping the basics of these ideas. The student who said we are surrounded by trash was right. While I must admit that I do pay attention to what people wear at the Oscars, I also pay attention to the news and what's going on in the world. We deserve the chance to be able to work with more meaningful works. Our exploration of them now can only help us to grow and understand them better in the future.
It is amazing that the students and the school were able to convince the school board to let the show go on. And this shows that high school students are not a dumb, shallow and incompetent as adults think. Students should be challenged with works that reflect our history. How else are they supposed to learn from our culture's past? How are students supposed to become adults that can think critically and make rational decisions about tough issues if they are not allowed to handle them? Society needs to lighten up and let kids explore content and ideas like this in the safe environment of a school.
Post a Comment