This past Sunday I had the opportunity to experience a newly written play at Quinnipiac. Through the cast members’ revealing of their own personal stories to the cast members interviewing others about their lives…Monologues and scenes were written and put together to make up the play “WhiteWashed: The Rough Draft.” Directed by Crystal Brian (pictured left), chairman of the visual and performing arts department at Quinnipiac, this play explores what it’s like to be “the other.”
The “other.”
This could mean a ton of things. Obviously this means you stand out from the rest.. But this could be good or bad…And in this play’s case…It definitely isn’t the good that shines through.
There were monologues and scenes covering a variety of topics, including rape, being fat, ugly, being homeless, being gay/lesbian, the horrible “n” word, and so much more. There are so many things that you could say that make someone else an “other.” But I’m so glad they brought these issues to light.
A cast member spoke to the audience saying “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me. Wrong. Words hurt. What you say to people matters. Think about it.” While there may be physical reminders of the scars you have from your past on your body, the mental scars stay with you forever. And while many may say “oh I don’t judge people at all, I’m so great and nice!” Trust me, we all judge others. It’s honestly a way of life. But plays like this can make a difference in helping that one person not get raped, or be called fat, or be called a “n*****.” Words like that were written on a chalkboard throughout the entire play. These words hurt. And I hate that people don’t understand this.
This play is an ongoing project, which was another cool thing about this play. The cast members revealed information about themselves to the world in this one weekend. But the actual writers didn’t read their own work, they let other cast members read it. While scenes were memorized for the most part, the monologues were found scattered throughout the stage posted on walls to be ripped down and in garbage cans to be ‘picked up.’ You’ll never know or realize when you will hear a person’s story.
Another topic brought up in this play is the idea of ‘masking.’ My theatre history class of all classes spoke about this. Theatre is truth, my professor Kelly Morgan (pictured left) says. But why then in real life, don’t we reveal truth? Why don’t we confront people when we need to. We need to keep on our ‘masks’ so we feel ‘comfortable’ around the other we are trying to talk to. But this does not help the situation. We should not have to hold back from our feelings. In a way, the society we are in puts us in this masking situation. Following standards, “rules” that were created in the past to make us “better people.” I don’t think segregation made anyone better in the 60s. I think it definitely made us worse. When people judge people before getting to know them, it bothers me.
Bloggers: When you are judged by someone else, how does it make you feel? Post your comments here.
I speak about confronting others because in this play, they strategically wore masks when their characters were uncomfortable with being in their own skin. Once the mask was off, they had to tell the complete and honest truth, and needed to be open and direct with their feelings as well. There were several scenes throughout the play that displayed this, and they displayed this very well. I was very proud of several cast members who were able to read these monologues and scenes with conviction, and facing the reality of the situations they were reading in front of them.
The use of videos and pictures above the actors enhanced the play further. My only issue with the projections was that the curtains they were projecting the information on were ribbed, making it very hard to read whatever was on the screen. If one stared at it for a few minutes, they may be able to somewhat decipher it, but you really would need to stare at it for awhile.
The use of music made the play even more powerful. Mike Castro (pictured left), Pete D’Alauro, Molly Heintzleman and R. Sam Chaney were EXCELLENT. I’ve known Mike for a few years now, and his songwriting skills proved the other night to be extraordinary (You can listen to Mike’s music here). He wrote a song about being ‘white washed’ and being isolated from others in society, being the “other.” His words were powerful, and the music behind him was powerful and triumphant. It was amazing when the triumphant music was playing at the end of the play with the trumpet blaring and the cast members “white washed” the chalkboard with white paint. It symbolized taking a giant leap into this day and age with an awareness of how to perceive others from that day forward.
After the performance ended, I was very emotional. Certain monologues affected me in various ways and brought me back to very dark places of my past I honestly didn’t want to be in. But they reminded me of the play’s message: that words HURT. And it’s so VERY unfair to be disrespected by someone for something that is beyond your control. Because it was an ongoing project the cast had a ‘talkback’ with the audience and took comments, questions and suggestions to improve the piece further. The most shocking comment of the night was “there are no blacks in this play.” This angered me. Yes, there may have been only ‘whites’ up on the stage, but I must say, White people are diverse too, (which this woman also said and noted that there should have been a monologue on reverse discrimination), and there weren’t only just WHITES on stage! I saw someone who was Asian, I believe there were several Jewish and Christian people on stage. People of different sizes and shapes. Different genders , obviously, and (from personally knowing cast members) different sexual orientations.
Diversity is beyond skin deep, everyone. That’s what “Whitewashed: The Rough Draft” was trying to say. And it blew me away with it’s message. This play MOVED me.. It was inspiring and because it is an ongoing work, I very much look forward to seeing what new monologues and scenes develop through talking with even more people over the next few years.
The play is over now, but since it will be put up next year most likely at the Long Wharf Theatre Stage II again, I DEFINITELY recommend either submitting your own stories or just going to see it. Plays like this will make a difference in the community, and it has certainly made a large impact on myself.
Here’s a great poem that speaks about how words can hurt:
And here’s a video that I LOVE which definitely addresses the “race” issue (“Black or White” by Michael Jackson!):
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((Pictures courtesy of Quinnipiac.edu, wordscanhurtorheal.com, firstbaptistchurchfcc.org, scoes.wythe.k12.va.us, imagecache2.allposters.com))
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