Name of event: Lysistrata's Children
Organizer: Theater for the New City
Time/Date: Sunday. November 24, 3pm-4pm
Hours: 1
I saw Lysistrata's Children today with Ashely, Mariel, and April, and I'll skip the synopsis since so many people have posted one. I thought it was a powerful play to show students what is possible if a few people speak out against an injustice. After all, the play began with one girl saying that she wanted to end war, and her friends doubting her ability to do so.
From a Social Justice Education standpoint, the play also gave some great ideas for how to spread the word as a student. They discussed blogs, chatrooms, and email as viable options to reach others. I thought this part was great; by keeping it current with some realistic ways to be active in a digital society, the play seemed very possible to me. Not to mention the political satire and pop culture references, which also gave it that "these are things teenagers would actually say" feel.
Another one of my favorite parts was when the students decided the stage a protest against their parents, denying them love until they signed the petition. It was very well done and hilarious, but I wasn't sure if I liked it going with the theme of the play. The point was to talk things out and end violence, and then the students had a calculated, semi-cruel protest against their parents, many of whom would not sign for thought-out reasons (fear of government, against their beliefs). I felt that this part was promoting something negative: attack others and force them to sign your petition to get things done. Just because someone signs the petition does not mean you've changed their way of thinking. This may have been lost in the quick ending and happiness at the closing.
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3 comments:
Katrina, your post really got me to think about the play in a different light. While watching the play, I remember thinking to myself “what ingenious thinking!” as the children devised a plan to deny their parents of love. After reading what you wrote, I began to question whether this was indeed “ingenious” – was it effective? Then I started thinking about the reason behind the children’s desire for their parents to sign the petition against war and violence. It makes you wonder about the motive behind signing the petition. Was it just for the sake of ending their children’s protest? Did they believe in what they were signing?
I also saw the play and I agree that it incorporated things that are very much a part of today's society (blogs, chatrooms,e-mail). Like Una, I didn't think about the play in terms of what you brought up. It is kind of true that the way they went about pushing their parents to not support war was in fact slightly going against what was being advocated for the entire play. It's an interesting and different way to look at it.
When I read your blob the way they gave the many different ways to spead the word around reminded me of the event I attended. The name of the event is "conversation of color" they too talked about some effective in which you can spread the word around. For example the media and also how do some people think about graffite work as a way of expression. You also mentioned the protest the student staged defeated the purpose of peacefully getting results. I agree with you because Martin Luther King showed people that they can protest without violence. It is important to voice your opinion but it should be always done in a peaceful nonforceful manner.
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