Performance Name: Permanent Collection
Location: Bush Theatre – Central Michigan University
Date/time: Friday, October 16, 2009 – 7:30 p.m.
Performance Type: Dramatic Play
Websites: CM Life Article
Thoughts: Race. Discrimination. Being a racist. Changing for the times. Preserving history. Speaking out. Being silent. A lot of issues were presented which made me think of both sides of the story. Does ones actions make one a racist? Or does being a racist guides ones actions? Does standing firm for your beliefs when those beliefs involve race make you a racist even if your main belief isn’t about race but something else (art being the something else in the play)? By staying silent about an issue, is that better or worse than speaking out for the issue? Fighting hard again discrimination in the past – can that lead to discrimination now? What makes discrimination discrimination? If you perceive it as being discriminatory does it make it so? Does it matter what background you come from?
Should we always preserve the past as it was asked to be done? Should we change to match the changing times even if it goes against the wishes of someone? Does respecting the wishes of someone who you believe isn’t a racist, even if those wishes make you appear to be a racist, make you a racist? Should we change to preserve part of someone’s wishes even if it means going against some of their other beliefs?
As you can probably see – this play gave me a lot of questions without many answers. It does go to show that even in this day and age when most people think the issue of race is almost said and done, plays like this, and news stories about a mixed race couple not being able to get a marriage license, makes us realize the we still have a long way to go. Next time you need to make a decision – take a moment to think about both sides of the coin and see if that helps clears it up or makes it even more confusing.
Pet Peeve of the Evening: Late starting shows. They have a set time for the show to start, everyone knows it, so then why do shows always start late?
Repeat Rating: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being fingernails on a chalkboard and 10 being a Krispy Kreme doughnut, the chance I’d see this performance again is a 6.