The New Journal: Center stage at the Iseman Theater, a woman stands clutching two hands to her chest in front of seventy-five first-year students of the Yale School of Drama. “These are my breasts,” she says. “These are Evan’s breasts, and when I come to rehearsal, I don’t want you to touch them.”
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Reading these stories and the mention of the Last Tango in Paris story makes me so viscerally uncomfortable that I actually feel like I want to throw up and cry just reading it. I know we have similar situations in the school of drama, and I know the right things aren't being done about it. I find it deeply disturbing that a significant portion of our faculty feel that the new classes are being too "sensitive" and that rather than changing the community we should change how sensitive we are. That was one of my first introductions to the school of drama, during the first town hall we had. The fact that I was barely integrating into the program and already being made to feel safe within my program is troubling at best. As a community, we have no recourse for situations like that where we are made to feel the way these Yale students felt, even though we are led to think we do. We have to stop this toxic thinking that if our faculty makes a choice, they are obviously correct, and the faculty needs to stop the thinking that if we express something that we are obviously being too sensitive. We can both learn from each other about how to go forward and be better humans in the world, and put on performances that aren't physically traumatizing to those involved. I know that I tend to have an extremely strong reaction to depictions of sexual assault, but if there is a reason for it, and it serves a purpose as commentary or to ask a question, then I am willing to put myself through that discomfort. It is when the discomfort is entirely unnecessary, and the story isn't actually saying anything that I have no tolerance, and neither should the school of drama, as Pilgrims showed us. I do not think that after only a year at this school we should have had so many instances of controversial situations that required group conversations.
This article is so poignant to the present world that I’m apart of. For the first time in my Carnegie Mellon Career, I’ve stepped into the rehearsal room and it’s so very different than any other space that I’ve been apart of. The intimacy of the rehearsal, the world of the actors is so different from working in the shop or work with other crew heads in their fields. This article was so enlightening to the subjectivity and the blurry line that is acting. When actors are simulating a sex scene, it’s as good as real if there isn’t consent. When people are doing stage combat, the victim is the one in control because not only do they sell the violence, but they’re the one that can actually get hurt if they’re not in control. To hear that these intimate scenes are extremely “choreographic” is reassuring. When something is so choreographed, it takes the fear out of the situation.
It mentioned Last Tango in Paris, which at this point, creates nothing but negative thoughts in my head, specifically because of how Maria Schnieder was treated. The movie itself is an erotic film, and it is under my impression that Schnieder was aware of the content. She wanted to be respected as an actress for how she was able to play this specific role of Jeanne. Her treatment on the set, especially with the butter scene is absolutely unacceptable. I can understand a director wanting to really glean true emotion from the actress, but this premeditated act against Schnieder -- I genuinely have no words for how angry knowing this happened makes me. Her trust in her director and fellow actor were broken, and her image was shifted in a way that she had no control over. Although she passed away a couple of years ago, there was significant trauma she carried with her for the rest of her life. An actor is not their character, and while you may want to treat a character a specific way, does not mean you can treat the actor the same way. There are levels of safe storytelling, and as theater creators we all want to push the audience, and tell a genuine story, but unless these sensitive moments are discussed beforehand and practiced to the point that everyone feels comfortable, don't include them. Especially from an educational standpoint, it's not worth it to suffer through something that will only cause you suffering and trauma for a very long time.
This article was SO MUCH to take in but the comments about the Last Tango in Paris scene… wow. The director wanted to get a real reaction out of Maria, so he literally gave Marlon permission to sexually assault her. Stage sexual assault without consent is just sexual assault. I don’t understand how that was EVER allowed to happen or why Marlon agreed to do it or why either of them even thought for a moment that it was okay?? Like… what. This whole article just reminded me of how much bad is still occurring in the world. Another moment that really stuck out to me was the data from the Yale sexual assault survey that said “78 percent of other gender graduate and professional students reported” sexual assault during their time at Yale. That’s HORRIFIC and heartbreaking and just so incredibly saddening to hear. Honestly, while the process of dealing with sexual assault in theatre needs to be improved A LOT, it sounds like Yale is really working to better their policies and while it might get “boring at times” to keep doing shows about it, obviously that what the Yale community needs to be confronted about.
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