Post #11

I think one really subtle way that the uncanny is presented in performance is through familiarity. When I watch movies, tv shows or theatre, I always find a character that I kind of relate to. Someone who seems like who I would be if I was in their "world". I think that when a character is super relatable and you seem to understand them it feels uncanny. Through this self-expression in performance, it can create an uncanny feeling because of the similarity. However, I think this is a very subtle use of uncanny, and not so dramatic like when we are talking about chat bots and such. I do think that this use of uncanny provides a creative outlet for self-expression. It makes you feel like someone else relates to you and can make you feel less alone in society. I think it is a valuable sensibility for artists to develop because as an actor you can be relatable to the audience. You want to engage them and their emotions. I think this is a very valuable skill to be able to perform the uncanny, no matter what the context is.

Post #10

As theatre evolves to create more room for empathy, in this age of cynicism and narcissism, and apathy, I think the next step theatre must take in order to create new dialogue, initiate chance, and hopefully combat age-old issues of oppressors vs. oppressed is to create a culture of compassion. I think if our culture has compassion on people, it will removes our focus from ourselves and initiate change out of love and empathy.

I think that theatre is a great vehicle to drive social chance and create a buzz about issues. It gets people thinking and can bring up hard pressing issues in a non-threatening environment (for the most part). Although, I think there is a greater answer to major issues in society. I think that love is the answer. More specifically, I think that Jesus's love is the answer. In class this week we talked a lot about "religion and politics" and the tension that they bring up. In this prompt, I was asked is there ever a point where theatre stops being the answer and if so, what is... and that is what I truly believe. When I mentioned having compassion, it isn't compassion that comes with selfish agendas or any unpure motives. It is a compassion that comes from Jesus and the way He lived His life and what we learn from the Bible. I think if people had a "relationship" with Jesus rather than striving to do "good works" as a part of "religion", then people would want to be more like Jesus not to work their way to heaven, but to have an abundant life on earth and share Jesus's love with everyone they know. And loving people and having compassion would bring peace to the chaos, freedom to the oppressed, and light to this dark world.

I think that theatre can be a forum for social chance. For me, acting/theatre is a way to express myself and a way of entertainment. I think that theatre can be extremely thought provoking and create emotions in people that move them to action. I think Invisible Theatre can be effective, especially the way it was done by the experiment in class. Their experiment evoked emotions in me and during their argument I picked who I agreed with and who I disagreed with. It made me think of what I would do in that situation and had me thinking about the issues they were bringing up. Invisible theatre makes it less as a performance and more as a real life conversation. The one experience I have with invisible theatre was did make me more involved in the issue.

Post #9

Baton Rouge is one of the top ten cities for human trafficking. This issue is important to me and our local community because of its prominence in our city. The I-10 corridor contributes to the issue of human trafficking in Baton Rouge. I am apart of Tigers Against Trafficking (TAT), student organization, in which every year we put on a race to raise money to combat human trafficking. TAT also partners with Trafficking Hope organization, which has a home right outside of Baton Rouge that is a rehab facility for trafficking victims. My act of protest/activism would be to participate in this race to raise money and awareness to end human trafficking in our city. My tactics are raise money to donate to the A21 Campaign that is an international campaign that hands on rescues victims. My act of activism would not directly deal with human traffickers, but would raise awareness to be able to take action within our city. Media will help our cause by promoting the organization to raise awareness of "modern day slavery". I once participated in #enditmovement, which was promoted on social media to raise money and awareness. I went "silent" on social media (as a protest) for the day and changed my profile picture to black to signify the 27 million people enslaved in human trafficking that have disappeared. It was a powerful movement and the media and internet housed the protest. The fight against human trafficking will probably never end, but the protests and activism will feel more successful as we see the number 27 million decrease and as victims are being freed and recovering.

http://www.enditmovement.com/

http://www.tigersagainsttrafficking.com/

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=736219583065562&set=vb.471663386187851&type=2&theater