Breaking Character: A lot of my students, right now, in 2017, are scared. A lot of that is the usual teenage concern about not fitting in, the changes in their bodies and the like, but lately something is definitely different. There’s an edge to the fear my students are feeling. I know because I feel it too. I am a British-born high school theatre teacher in America, I witnessed the results of the UK referendum to leave Europe, and then, well, November, USA happened. A consistent thread of these populist movements is the apparent normalization of being openly hostile to minorities, specifically people who are non-white.
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I found this article to be extremely moving. I attended the Ghost Light Project here at CMU, and just being surrounded by those who care and fight for the same things I do was an experience that I will never forget. The fact that it also occurs nationwide makes it even more beautiful. There are thousands of students taking time out of their day to announce and accept the rights and freedoms we have as citizens of the United States. I love that this teacher brought the Ghost Light Project to his high school, because it is teaching younger people that what they believe is right and that they should be able to express that belief. One quote that really spoke to me and inspired me was "that there is an inherent strength in recognizing and celebrating our differences, and that unity does not mean agreeing with everybody’s opinions all the time." This is absolutely true, because there is no way that in a room full of thirty people everyone will have the same exact beliefs on everything. It is just important to remember that everyone has an opinion, everyone deserves to feel safe sharing that opinion, and that everyone should be respected no matter what.
I was really caught by the title of this article, because I attended the Ghost Light Project as well, and it was an incredibly moving and powerful experience that i am eager to continue participating in. i think now more than ever, this movement is more important than ever, because of the fact that we no longer have a president fighting for our rights, we must take that fight into our own hands and make our voices heard. Theater is an incredible vessel for change, not only because of the ability to send a message to an audience, but because of how many people it touches, and accepts. in theater, celebrating your differences is accepted and encouraged, and i know personally, i have felt accepted and i know i can celebrate the things that make me different.I will continue to support the ghost light movement, and will encourage more people to do so as well.
It is so clear how much of this teacher’s heart not only goes into his students and his work, but how much of it went into this article and this project is incredible and very obvious. The understanding of the politics of the relationships between school and parents and what role students play in that is extremely developed; however, it only shaped his decision, it did not restrict it (as it would with some high school teachers). I feel like this article is extremely important to show other schools and other high school teachers that spreading this word of what theater really is – and being a part of a bigger movement with the rest of the industry – is extremely powerful and meaningful. Hopefully, the students will keep this with them and continue to spread the ghost light project for many years to come along with the rest of the theatrical industry.
One of the largest things that has struck me about the past few months in terms of the socio-political climate, is that more than ever students are involved. And I’m not talking college age. I’m talking about 14, 15, and 16 year-olds who weren’t even able to vote. I’ve seen kids barely in their teens not only feeling the negative effects of our new administration, but actively fight against it. And the worst part is, the majority of them are told to be quiet. That they’re too young to participate in politics. And that’s the worst possible thing you could say to a young person concerned about the well-being of their country. So I’m very glad that educators are talking about ways to guide their students and affirm them. The introduction of the Ghostligght Project is just one way in. I encourage educators to consider this and other similar programs. Side note: I don’t think it’s a political statement to say you want marginalized group to be treated equally.
I thought that the participation of CMU Drama in the ghostlight project was a very touching and heartfelt moment for the whole school, as well as a great public display of solidarity and reaffirmation of all of our current fears and concerns. While it was said multiple times that this wasn’t an event “for or against any political candidate”, I can’t imagine many people in drama mistaking a collection of diverse theater students as anything but inherently anti-Trump, and pro-Resistance. While the “we all need to love each other and hold hands” attitude is definitely something that I’ve aligned myself with in the past, I think at the current moment in politics this is more than ever about preserving the safeties of those who are less fortunate than us. The blatant disregard and violence against people of color and immigrants is just flat out unacceptable, and no, I don’t think we should be holding hands with racists. While the idea of bringing a ghostlight to the darkness of our current times, I think being the light doesn’t always mean being a beacon of positivity; I think the most positive thing we could be doing right now is fighting back against unhumanitarian policies and reminding everyone what we as America need to stand for, and also remembering that symbolic acts mean little to nothing without actual action behind them.
This high school theater teacher approached the situation perfectly in my opinion. High school is a very hard place to discuss politics in, but theater is so political by nature that this inevitably can be difficult to navigate for a high school theater department. At the same time though, students in high school theater programs should be aware of what's happening in the world and understand how they feel about it and what they can do about it. I commend this teacher for creating a safe space in which young students can express their values. I think those students will be able to grow immensely because of this. I do begin to wonder how the school reacted to what the teacher did. In some schools even this type of organization of students wouldn't be considered appropriate for a teacher to bring into a classroom. I would hope the school is one that encourages these kinds of open conversations.
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