November 1, 2015 - 18:46
Like many of the people who have already posted, I felt a noticeable improvement in how the class ran on Friday. On a basic level, our conversations about guidelines seemed to help people feel more comfortable calling on one another to speak, and calling each other out when people spoke out of turn or spoke up too frequently. The small group format seemed to work well again, offering new members the opportunity to become more comfortable speaking to a couple people before speaking to the larger group. Though we had many activities and they were all very involved, the atmosphere felt even more laid back and informal than the last few have--we were able to laugh with each other from the very beginning, and this mood seemed to carry through until we ended class.
All of the readings we have done for Jody's class regarding theatre in prisons and the agency afforded to incarcerated people who at last have the opportunity to create possible futures and make mistakes were running through my head during class. It seemed like editing a part of the book, however minute or large-scale, was a way of taking ownership of the story, of claiming that we all have the power to rethink and reshape narratives. The enthusiasm the incarcerated people brought to the table during our small group discussion seemed to demonstrate that they enjoyed the opportunity for this reason--no longer were we acting as passive readers, intaking information put in front of us.
I also loved the comment somebody made in reference to the scene that was performed--something along the lines of: "I loved how you guys all brought parts of yourselves to the characters!" This was definitely something that rang true for me as well, and it was very clear that all of the characters being presented on "stage" had elements of the actors' personhood within them. This was both entertaining and beautiful to watch, as I felt like everyone in the group (incarcerated and otherwise) was using the performance of the piece to show themselves off in various, simple ways--and we as an audience were able to value and validate those personalities in a supportive environment. This kind of relationship building may be less obvious than direct conversation, but in many ways, I felt that it conveyed even more about the women performing than a direct conversation could have.