Our early discussions were really excellent, I thought, even though we only had a handful of people not in the class ... all of whom were family members of ours! I think this kind of process is very slow to catch on, but I'm determined to convince people of its value. This occurred to me during President Obama's address the other evening, when he said something related to each and every person's point of view being valuable. I think this kind of engaged process makes so much sense in a political environment that is attempting to re-focus the country's priorities on ethics, responsibility and real participatory democracy. I think Naomi Wallace's plays call for the same kind of engagement.
That said, I want to include some notes two of our community members sent to me (who happen to be my mother and my aunt.)
My Aunt Peggy was present at all three readings, and wrote to me that she was very impressed with the students and their insights about the plays. Here are the notes she sent regarding questions of what struck her in general, what she related to personally, and what issues the plays address that are relevant to the local community:
Slaughter City: The themes relating to the inability to find other jobs; equal pay for women; job discrimination resonated with me and with what I hear from some of the people I talk with who are struggling to make ends meet. There were some lines that hit on current themes: "What happened to this animal called hope." Of course, we have just completed a presidential election on that theme.
Trestle at Pope Lick Creek: I think this caught very well the current economic situation the country is in, in terms of closing of plants and job losses. I think it has appeal because the trestle at Pope Lick Creek is pretty well known in this community and has an aura of danger and risk about it. The risk taking of youth and the discovery of the opposite sex themes are ones lots of folk would relate to as well as parents who struggle through these years with their children. I had thought this would be my selection, until today.
In the Heart of America: I think this was a powerful play for our time. I was so impressed that some of your students thought so, too. Since the Vietnam war the pictures of war that come back to the American people through the news have been sanitized and the real horrors of war are not shown. This play brings them home. With the second Iraq war phasing down, the war in Afghanistan is being expanded, and so we do the same things and we do them again and again. The juxtapositioning of the description of the various weapons with the attempt to develop a relationship has meaning on several levels. One is that we can use weapons to focus our attention away from the individuals on whom these weapons are going to be used. Another strong theme is the need to be trained to be a soldier and to channel anger against the "other" regardless of whether the other is the source/cause of our anger or not.
If I had to pick one play, it would be "In the Heart of America." However, I think taking scenes from several of the plays, particularly if they relate to a similar theme could be very effective also. I look forward to seeing what the class decides to do.
My Mom (Mary Ann) was present at the last two readings, and I'm paraphrasing her notes here:
In The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, she noted the difficulties of people being out of work. She was also struck by the strength of the women in the play: she made a note about Pace being a particularly atypical and strong female character. And she related to Gin's comment about trains taking people away, but never bringing them back; it occurs to me that loss and grief of various kinds are major themes in this play, and the others as well.
She noted a number of lines that stood out in In the Heart of America. One expressed the idea that facts are there to be interpreted to the benefit of whoever cares to use them; she later mentioned that the issue this raised for her was the current Iraq war. Another line was "what's done is often done again and done again" - this play points out the similarities among wars in which the U.S. has engaged in the 20th and 21st Centuries. She also noted the poetic names for all the weaponry: that people never actually mention what these things do to human bodies.
In both plays, she noted that they address stereotypes of poor Kentuckians, and particularly people from Eastern Kentucky.
My mom didn't express a preference, but she had a lot more notes about In the Heart of America.
I was so thankful that my family was supportive of the work we're doing and wanted to attend, but am also thrilled that they engaged so closely with what they were hearing and were willing to offer some comments. Thanks also to Rocky's mom for her very insightful input. I hope they'll continue to discuss things with us as we move forward.
Just one thing I wanted to note: I directed a laboratory version of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek six years ago. One line of Pace's really jumped out at me this time in a way that it didn't before. She says, "Dalton Chance, when we're grown up, I want to stand here with you and not be afraid. I want to know it will be okay. Tonight. Tomorrow. That when it's time to work, I'll have work. That when I'm tired, I can rest. Just those things. Shouldn't they belong to us?" I find each part of her simple desire so moving - the "here" that means having a place, the "with you" that means love and companionship, the lack of fear of persecution or loss, the need for satisfying work, and the need for rest - and it's so much what these plays are about to me: the need to recognize which people in our world lack those simple human needs, to examine how we might contribute to their inability to have them, and to do our best to transform inequity and injustice in our own lives and communities.
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