As I share my plans for this trip with friends and family a few common reactions arise. Encouragingly, most people think it is a great idea and exactly the kind of dialogue we need to have. Others are baffled by the desire or misunderstand my goal as a desire to change the minds of strangers over a single meal. Still others warn me (with varying levels of ominous foreboding) to, "Be careful."
I suppose that last category of response is exactly the reason to do this project. I know many friends, colleagues, students, and collaborators who do not feel comfortable or welcome in small rural towns in the United States. They see stories on the news or video of people at rallies saying derogatory or cruel things. I see those same videos, but don't feel the same sense of danger. Certainly I'm an outsider to these communities, but I don't fit any of the categories of marginalized folks who fear that who they are makes them a target in various ways. My privilege gets me past the threshold with less fear which is exactly why I should use it to walk through the door. Before I go, I'm looking for people here in New York City to sit down with me and talk about what they think I'll find on my trip. Do you have expectations or ideas about what these communities will be like? If so, send a message and let me hear what you think I'll see and discover.
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AuthorScott Illingworth is an Assistant Arts Professor in the Graduate Acting Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and a freelance theatre director. Archives
July 2017
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