Uncanny

            I thought of the scene from Chicago where Billy Flynn and Roxie Hart are meeting with all of the reporters. “We Both Reached for the Gun” is a song where Flynn is feeding Roxie all of the things she needs to say to get the media on her side. When a couple of things she says are doing the opposite of that, Flynn takes over completely and there is a vast change in the scenery. Suddenly they are in a tiny little theatre and all of the reporters are puppets on strings and Roxie has turned into a ventriloquist dummy. Their makeup makes them look somewhat less than human. They also move in a very puppet-like manner which adds to the uncanniness of their appearance. This was certainly intentional. They are human enough that you still believe that they are people and that they are still their characters. But they are unhuman enough that you get the idea that they aren’t fully present in the moment. They don’t seem fully alive, if you will. Since they aren’t completely there, it is a bit of a jolt. It’s not necessarily creepy, but it is a little uncomfortable.  You get the sense that Billy Flynn is controlling all of their speech, thought, and movements.  He is the puppet master and they are the marionettes. Even though it’s obvious that they are still the actors that are portraying them, they do a very good job of appearing somewhat less than living.

            In this instance of the uncanny, humans are used to portray the lack of liveness. Surprisingly, this is very effective. In fact, in this case, I think that using humans with makeup, strings, and a specific type of movement is more effective than using puppets that just look like the actors. There is a certain amount of creepiness to ventriloquist dummies because they are so close to humans and I think that the point of the scene would have been lost if the audience was creeped out by the puppets. Instead, you’re reminded of the creepiness of dummies without actually being presented with something creepy. It gives you a certain impression of Billy Flynn that’s partially positive and partially negative. Here’s a clip of the scene from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9dFKRZ8EbU

Empathy

I believe that the first step to initiating change is to get the audiences back on our side.  I see a large distinction between people who go to the theatre to see something that is moving and makes them think and people who go to the theatre to be entertained. Sadly, the second group is a much bigger group of people. They tend to see the less entertaining, more thought provoking theatre as being strange and inaccessible. Theatre needs to find a way to reach the vast majority of people who are quite closed off to the type of theatre that wants to do something. I think that we need to find a way to make these performances more accessible to the people whose minds we want to change. If it makes them uncomfortable to the point that they aren’t interested in even going to the theatre, then we have lost them and also lost the battle. I do think that it’s important to make bold choices, let the audience feel uncomfortable, and even shock people in order to make a statement that could evoke change.  However, we must be careful not to exclude people. Currently, I see that the types of shows that are important in changing society are shows that only certain people want to see. And it seems that those certain people are the ones who are already thinking towards different types of change.

The second question is a difficult one. Of course there is a point where theatre is not as effective as other things with these huge issues. That being said, I do not think that it is ever not ever one of the answers. I strongly believe that different people are given different gifts and strengths and we are to use those to help other people and bring about change if we must. Therefore, that is the one way that some people have to begin to change the world. And I believe that it can be incredibly effective if it’s done in a way that can truly reach people.

Comment!

I commented on Brandon's blog!
http://bturn4130.blogspot.com/2014/11/explain-this-to-me-please.html?showComment=1415726399236#c278296982887446284

Protest

If I had to do a protest, I think that it would most likely have to do with abortion.  I’m pro-life and it’s one of the few social issues that I feel pretty educated about and have some strong opinions about.  I know that it’s a very touchy subject, so I would want to be extremely careful about how to handle it because I know that I would definitely have some disagreement.  Lauren talked about how some pro-life protesters handled the situation very poorly once.  So I would take some of what she said about that experience and try to approach it very differently.  I know that I would want an incredibly large group involved.  My desire would be for it to be very peaceful.  While my intention would be to discourage the women thinking of getting an abortion, I would want to do it in a way that caused them to feel supported rather than condemned.  We would gather outside an abortion clinic and attempt to have conversations with the women who are considering abortion.  We would not try to stop them or block their path physically.  We would just want to share the facts and the truth with them and explain to them the other options.  We would want them to know that they do have a choice that they get to make.  And to help them make the best and wisest choice that doesn’t include ending a life.

We would decide before the protest a certain time that it would begin and end.  Perhaps it would even take place once a week or twice a month or something like that.  I wouldn’t want to cause a big fuss or disturbance, but just open people’s eyes to the options that exist.