Theatrical Therapy
You don’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
This is what your eighth grade Social Studies teacher tells you when you ask if there on any limits on what you can say or what you can express. It is dangerous, she says. It is not covered by the First Amendment, he says. Well, on a balmy Athenian Saturday night in early March and Kevin Vaught yelled “fire” in a crowded theater at the top of his lungs.
Kevin was one of twenty-three Ohio University students baring his soul on stage in the name of art. Twenty-three men, women, boys, girls, queers and dolls let the audience in on their deepest secrets and darkest fears. Some of them were water, some were sick of being sexual objects, some were transgender, some were, ahem….5.25 inches and yes, some were even on fire.
The one-hour performance was brought together in a weeklong production by performance artist Tim Miller. The Californian native travels the country performing pieces detailing personal aspects of his life and his political struggles for gay rights. For Miller there is very little difference between his politics and his day-to-day life.
“My husband Alistair and I have been married for fifteen years,” he said before taking a bite into a Chipotle chicken burrito. “And he can’t get a VISA back into the U.S. We know we won’t be welcome to stay here much longer so I’m trying to get as much as I can get done now before we have to leave.”
Soon to be a man without a home, Miller channels these pains and frustrations into artistic expression on stage. And when he comes to town, he makes sure everyone else does too.
Sophomore Glenna Brucken was one of twenty-three.
“I heard about his workshop but didn’t know if I’d have time because it was finals week. But within two minutes of his show I was like I have to go this workshop. This would be the chance of a lifetime,” she said.
The performers went through a process resembling group therapy more than rehearsal. Miller instructed the recruits/performers to fake orgasms while walking on broken glass. They had to draw pictures of themselves as who they really were…anthropomorphic forms needn’t apply. They had to imagine a time in which they made a stand. They had to reveal the most personal aspects of themselves to complete strangers. They had to be vulnerable.
It doesn’t sound quite like acting…but maybe that’s the point.
“I think I was more inclined to do it because it was just us talking about personal stories,” Senior Emily Cline said. “I was like ‘well , I don’t know how I would do memorizing lines and act out someone else’s character.’ But I do know myself, you know. It was al lot larger than I expected it to be.”
“Pieces of Us” was a therapeutic experience for thespians and audience members alike. When asked why he chose performance art over any other type of expression the night before the performance, Miller thought for a moment and then said: “What happens in this theater tomorrow will be special. It will only happen once and it will only happen for the audience,”
End scene.
Direct link: http://backdropmag.com/hype/theatrical-therapy/