Faculty Theater Trip Spurs Conversations

10/4/2016

More than a dozen faculty members spent a recent Sunday afternoon at the A.R.T.’s acclaimed production of Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, and shared their reactions to the play at a follow-up Critical Conversations discussion with other Rivers teachers and staff later that week.

“Anna Deavere Smith’s exceptionally moving one-woman show stimulated social justice awareness in everyone fortunate enough to be in the audience,” reflected Assistant Head of School James Long. “I continue to think about the various characters she brought to life and the enduring messages each individual told.”

Smith, nationally recognized for her work on race and justice, focused her narrative on America’s “school-to-prison pipeline,” where bias has led to a disparity in the disciplinary treatment of students of color, which in turn has caused many to turn to crime and eventually prison. One of the play’s most moving moments was Smith’s portrayal of the pastor who delivered the eulogy at Freddy Gray’s funeral.

Act two of the play was a facilitator-led conversation about race, where the audience was invited to “reflect on how we might begin to collectively move forward from difficult histories and devastating social policies.” The play concluded by tying in the Civil Rights movement in the 60s with today’s crises and sent the audience off with perhaps more questions than answers.

“From a theatrical standpoint, it was a real mix of theater and social justice,” said English and drama teacher Juliet Chase Bailey. “It was remarkable how Smith morphed into different characters –a member of the NAACP, a prisoner in maximum security, a social worker, adding layers of perspective for the audience. We don’t always see these scenarios played out – through theater you ‘witness’ stories. During the second act, a young woman in the audience spoke up about the unfairness she felt as a student in a Boston public school, not having the advantages of suburban schools, and she received such affirmation from the rest of the audience. Putting a face on a story like that makes such an impact on you.”

“It was so helpful to see the play together and then debrief afterwards, talking about our roles as educators and as citizens. It’s easy to stay on campus, in our cocoon. We need to help our students connect with the larger world and develop empathy. We forget sometimes that all of us—faculty and students alike— bring our own lens of experience to the classroom. Using a story we’re teaching as a way to open a discussion will help our students become global citizens.”

Language teacher and play director Chris Holownia was equally moved, finding the play to be “very powerful and very emotional.”

“During the audience discussion, we were asked to turn to our neighbor and talk about the people in our own lives that we could have conversations with about race and inequality,” said Mr. Holownia. “I realized that while I’d be comfortable talking to anyone in my life about these issues, I did wonder whom my students might talk to. I hope that they each have someone open and understanding to turn to.”

“The takeaway for us was that we need to have open, honest conversations with our students —in class or in advisories— and that we need to acknowledge the vulnerability we all feel with these conversations,” said Director of Diversity and Inclusivity John Bower after the Critical Conversations meeting. “If we don’t initiate these conversations, we lose having another voice and perspective in our lives, whether it’s about literature or politics or current events. It is part of our obligation to teach cultural competency to our students.”

“We’ve begun to have these discussions as a community, but we need to help our students relate to issues that can seem far removed to a lot of them,” concluded Mr. Holownia. “We can help them through service learning opportunities that put them out into communities that they’re maybe not familiar with. I hope too that some of the speakers who are coming to campus this year will help us open up the dialog more, in a safe and productive way. This is—and will be—an ongoing process at Rivers.”

[Led by faculty members John Bower and Jen Dalton, the Critical Conversation Series is a venue for any and all faculty and staff to engage in monthly conversations about diversity and inclusivity both inside and outside of the classroom. We read articles, watch videos, discuss theories, and challenge each other to consider best practices when approaching challenging conversations about identity and inclusivity in our teaching and social development of students.]

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