CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, July 26, 2017

I Had a Profound Theatrical Experience at a Talkback, of All Things

Theater - The Stranger: I expected the 30-minute teaser and subsequent discussion of eSe Teatro's production of Mud to be mildly interesting, if not 100 percent boring, as is the case with most if not all extracurricular theater activities. But during the talkback portion of the event, a woman wearing a yellow dress burst into tears. Then in response, one of the actors in the show burst into tears. Then many members of the audience burst into tears. And then there was me, a confused and conspicuously white man sitting nervously in a folding chair in a roomful of Latinas.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This article discusses the powerful effect that theater can have, in its ability to connect with and support people. I think the most impactful theater is that in which people with a shared experience come together to tell a story that is often neglected. I think what makes this kind of theater important is its ability to tell a bigger story by focusing in on a few individuals. The author mentions that, even though he is a white man, he felt that he could understand the story and, while I think the article would have been better if he had just focused on the play, I do think that the point he makes is an important one and reveals how difficult it is to do this kind of theater. In my opinion, I think it is more important to tell the story accurately than to try and appeal to everyone but if a play can do both, it becomes more than just a personal story, and it has the power to gain attention and impact a lot of people.