As college students, we are constantly looking for ways to entertain ourselves, and for those of you who don’t already know, StudentRush.org is a HUGE help. A few weeks ago, some friends and I received an email for free tickets to an off-Broadway performance called Standing on Ceremony in the Minetta Lane Theatre (although it inevitably cost us five dollars each with reservation fees). It would consist of a series of plays about gay marriage.
Upon taking our seats, we saw a cute wedding set at the back of the stage, and high in the air were two intertwined rings. In front of this set, however, were six seats side by side evenly spread across the stage. Stands were placed in front of the seats, and I was at first confused because surely they would not be reading lines from them… but that’s exactly what they did. We’ve experienced many different types of performances throughout the semester, but none like this one. The set behind the six seats and six stands had no purpose in the plays but to be something nice for the audience to look at. The first set of actors that came out seemed to be staring down at their lines for way too long. It was noticeably unprofessional and all I was thinking was what did I get myself into here? I realized, however, that the two characters were looking down at their “vows” which they were arguing over, and so I let the lack of eye contact slide. From then on, they did not look at their lines nearly as much.
Of nine mini-plays, the one entitled “On Facebook” was the most meaningful to me. It was the reenactment of a conversation that actually happened on Facebook. It basically consisted of a debate between different groups of people holding different opinions toward gay marriage. In the end, the woman against gay marriage shows very little understanding for the homosexual community and is more or less shut up because of her closed mind. Throughout this play, the actors and actresses were sitting down, and there was barely any movement. It was real, though. Their words were meaningful and intense–perhaps that was the point. Perhaps in this case, words mean a lot more than any action that can be performed on stage. Perhaps the purpose of these plays were to ask for everyone to stop what they are doing and just listen to each other rather than judge each others actions and make assumptions.
I haven’t actually been to see these plays, but I would like to suggest a possible interpretation of the two (of nine) mini-plays that you actually describe. In the first play, you mention that all of the actors are reading their lines directly from a script. This does seem a little unprofessional, BUT I think it may be symbolic. After all, the play is depicting a wedding, and don’t weddings always feel a little like “scripted affairs,” in which everyone has lines that they must read? The bride and groom have their vows, the priest/rabbi/judge has his lines, and even the guests in attendance must know when they are allowed to speak. In the second play that you mention, “On Facebook,” the two individuals reading the conversation that supposedly took place on Facebook deliver their lines with emotion, but you note that they are seated and showing very little movement. Again, I think this is symbolic. After all, when you are on Facebook, you are generally seated comfortably in front of a computer. If you engage someone in a conversation, you may get excited about what is being said, but I highly doubt you’re about to jump up out of your chair and start flailing your arms. There isn’t a need to because the other person can’t see you anyway… That’s just my input about the symbolism in the plays and the plays themselves. In more general terms, I want to express my excitement in seeing how beautifully politics are interacting with the arts. Homosexuality is a hot topic of debate in politics (and it is even the center of Rick Perry’s most recent controversial campaign ad) and it is great that there artists making people more aware about the truth.
I like how your opinion of the plays changed after you looked beyond something that you considered strange almost “unprofessional.” It shows that we all have to be more open to different art forms, especially ones that are not considered “high brow.” It also shows how significantly something can change your outlook on something when you never thought it would.
I was lucky enough to see this show, myself, and like you, felt an intense connection to it afterwards. Although the general aesthetics of the play was different, it almost made it so much more important for the audience to understand what was going on and what the characters are meant to portray. During “On Facebook,” I found myself so angered by the character of the woman who was openly discriminating and bashing gay people. It was so real to me and I felt so hurt because I know that people do this all the time and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Nevertheless, the message was somewhat hopeful in the end, because I’m sure it made a lot of people more aware of what’s going on in our society.