Tiny Epic, Fall 2014

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My friend made me watch Moonrise Kingdom, and my narrator basically looks like Suzy in her raven costume - just bigger wings.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/books/review/cris-beams-to-the-end-of-june.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

A book I definitely should have read for this.

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I chose a performance of the caucasian chalk circle as inspiration because I felt, and had other member of the class point out to me, that my play had a Brechtian feel to it. Ignoring the interview portion of this video, I saw elements in this performance that I could envision in my play, such as the interpretive set made out of crates. This reminded me of my wall of dresses. It would be interesting if a designer incorporated this theme into the rest of the set. Other elements I was inspired by were the baby as a puppet and the musicians onstage. Although as of now my play does not include elements like this, I am considering putting more in to alienate the audience further.

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Man up! and WOW factor on Asu campus

Their goal is to create a climate of respect, equality and (sexual) safety on their campus. Instead they seem to be perpetuating sexism with their names.

Here are quotes from the articles:

  -If Man Up is attempting to create a climate of respect on campus, then why does its title perpetuate the most stereotypical vision of masculinity — a masculinity that inherently degrades feminine identities? The phrase “man up” is one of the most common, and most misogynistic, expressions of patriarchy. This idiom literally means “don’t act like a woman”; for an organization that claims to be about respect, its title is pretty impudent.

  - WOW Factor!, otherwise known as Women of Worth, is the feminine response and partner of Man Up; and at least women have a voice in this organization, right? Well, sure. First of all, the phrase “Women of Worth” implies that only once a woman has joined WOW Factor! can she be considered “of worth.” Of course, this implication might not have been the intention of the club’s charter members, but it certainly is an implication. Plus, as much as this club claims it is about teaching women to respect themselves, this club focuses on teaching women how to warrant respect from men and their sponsored events prove this.

  This is important to me because I feel that a lot of latent sexism is trapped in the words we use and their implications and I believe we often underestimate the power of these words.

  http://www.statepress.com/2014/10/08/man-up-and-wow-factor-perpetuate-sexism-and-rape-culture/

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Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson allegedly removed his two bottom ribs so that he would be able to suck his own dick. It doesn’t matter to me that this is almost 100% a rumor, I use this as pretext for a few jokes about rib removal throughout my play.

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Mill Creek woman 'giving all I can' to Seattle Children's

50 cents becomes $1.5 million

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One of the few talks on women's assault that focuses on the men's involvement in the solution. For those whose plays pertain to this topic.

Adding my tag so I can search it -- Aaron

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The Beliefs of the Branch Davidians

So one of the big critiques when I workshopped was how one of my characters, David, appeared non-violent, yet set off the cycle of violence I show in my play. I finally found ways to combat that.

I've found a pdf copy of the Danforth Report, which is a report the government requested following the Oklahoma City Bombing about the Waco Siege. Besides being a good historical document in general about the event, it also has the beliefs of the Branch Davidians, the cult that David led and the government attacked. It basically is a biographical document of David once he became leader.

I also have stats on the firepower both sides had in the siege. Obviously, I can't show it on stage, but having characters talk about there being 1.9 million pounds of ammo in the compound can still let the audience know that these aren't the "good guys".

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Don't call me babe

In the workplace, terms of endearment can cause offence. But what can you do if you're on the receiving end, asks Tania Ahsan.

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Department of the Interior Guidelines

Sexual Harassment

The Department of the Interior includes terms of endearment (i.e. "honey," "darling") on it's list of activities qualifying as harassment.

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The two main types of sexual harassment as defined by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission

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Truth in Comedy: The Manual for Improvisation [Charna Halpern, Close, Kim Howard Johnson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Truth In Comedy is a Meriwether Publishing publication. This improv manual introduced the concepts of the "Harold" -- the innovative improvisational tool that helped Saturday Night Live's Mike Myers

The more and more I think about it, some of the best Epics are created by good long form improvisation. This book was written by the creators of the "Harold." If you have seen any long form improv in the last 20 years you most likely saw some form of the Harold. Basically, the show starts with an audience suggestions that is translated into one central idea (our social justice topic). From this idea, the improvisors create three different scenes (episodes) with different characters examining that subject. The next episodes are a blending of different combinations of the created characters put in different situations, locations, time periods, etc. If done right, the scenes should come together by the end to create a larger point (the call the action).

I don't know if I explained this very well, but one of the best visual representations of a Harold is like pouring water over an egg: the water starts at one point at the top, then splits off as it wraps around the egg, and meets at a central point on the other side. The show starts from one idea, that splinters off to examine the idea in different ways, then comes back together at the end to sum it all up.

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This is one of my favorite stand up rants about gun control. I re-watched this today and realized that I totally turned one of his bits into a cut-away/episode in my play.

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Question: "Why did God use Adam's rib to create Eve?" Answer:Genesis 2:18-24tells the well-known account of how God created the first woman, Eve, by removing part of Adam’s body and fashioning it into the woman. Many Bible scholars have translated the passages to indicate that God used Adam’s rib to create woman instead of making her from the dirt of the land, as He did for Adam. The question also arises as to why God created woman out of Adam’s rib as He did, when He apparently had formed male and female animals individually. God used part of the male to form the female to show that they were actually the same created being, two halves of a whole. The female was not created as a separate being, second to the male. She was formed as part of the initial man, in order to be a “helpmate” for the male. Eve was brought into being to strengthen and powerfully help the male, but she was made from the same “stuff,” and she was every bit as perfect a creation as man and every bit as patterned after God’s image and likeness. The word translated “helpmate” is not synonymous with assistant, servant, minion or subordinate. The Hebrew phrase,azer k'negdoin all other instances in the Bible refers to powerful and extensive aid and support. In most cases, the phrase was used to depict dominant military forces or armed men. Other Scriptures, includingDeuteronomy 33:7,29andExodus 18:4, use the same phrase to discuss the potent interventions and deliverances of God Himself. Woman, therefore, was created as a complement to man, as an integral part of man, and as a powerful and influential companion for man, on an equal footing with him. Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “suitable,”K'negdo, carries much more meaning than simply “suitable” or “appropriate.” This word also means “opposite or contrasting.” This implies that the two beings were designed to work and fit together perfectly, not just physically but in all ways. The strengths of each compensated for the weaknesses of the other. Together, they became something far stronger and more magnificent than either of them was alone. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Adams-rib.html#ixzz3KQY6ptGP

***This is textual evidence of the beliefs of my Boy character in my first episode whom thinks of woman as the ultimate complement and "helpmate" for man.

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Male News Anchor Wears Same Suit for a Year to Protest Sexism

This male news anchor wears the same suit for a year after his female co-anchor was criticized for something she wore. No one noticed that he wore the same suit. I feel like don't really need to explain why. One interesting point made by the video, though, is that most of the criticism that the female anchor receives is from other woman. 

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Always #LikeAGirl

Part of what I have been exploring for my play is the power of language and the connotations that come with the words woman and girl and feminine. A message I would like to incorporate into my play is that we don't need to change the words, but we have to change the meaning behind our words.

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Glenn Beck: The Media "Just Raped Bill Cosby"

Glenn Beck, person who profits by saying outrageously dumb things, said another outrageously dumb thing Thursday. Specifically, he claimed that alleged rapist Bill Cosby is actually a victim of rape himself—media rape, by the evil and predatory mainstream media!

This basically drives home the point I am trying to make in my play. Glenn Beck implicates the media while also offending everyone in the process, which is another example of how the media continues to blow things out of proportion.