talk back #2

Since our first talk-back was such a success last weekend, we've decided to make it a regular feature of every performance. It's a natural extension of our "conversation."

Last night, we got some great questions from the audience.

One young man asked whether we thought the government could do more to change the problems we have in America. Some cast members said that the changes had to come from the bottom up, from individuals changing the culture, rather than the top down. When the audience member talked about the size of the problem by noting that, despite welfare reform, "the line at the welfare office still stretches around the block," Marielle responded (as she often does!) by saying that improving your station in life was a matter of personal responsibility. In her opinion, welfare should be around for people who've just arrived in America and don't know anybody, but people shouldn't be able to be on it for long periods of time. Not everyone agreed with her but we didn't have enough time to get into it fully...

Someone else asked if we thought American society -- and human life in general -- was "all just one big beauty contest." This reminded us of Cynthia's comments in rehearsal about actual beauty ocntests and the symbolic violence that they inflict on young women. What particularly bothers her, she said, was how the pageant organizers say they're "changing America one girl at a time." Other cast members pointed out that it's not only in America that we over-value beauty; every culture has a standard of beauty that people strive for. Perhaps it's part of human nature.

One great question that we got at the end: Is America built on opportunity or is it built on what we sell it to be. This got the cast talking about how America sells itself, in particular how the military sells the Armed Services to be a really "cool" job -- instead of talking about what it really is, a line of work in which you might end up killing people or being killed.

We could have gone on talking a whole lot longer and I hope that we do! If you have something to say in response to some of these questions, post a comment!