Thank you so much for all those who came to our last meeting. Due to various personal committments and the intense rehearsal schedule for Shunya’s upcoming play, we have scheduled our next meeting for Saturday, January 22, 2011. Yikes, that’s next year!
In the meantime, we discussed numerous possibilities for common themes/threads that could tie our final presentation/show together.
Some of these ideas include:
What is family?
-Nuclear Family, Extended Family, Family of Humanity
-Appearance versus Reality
-How American individuality affects family life
-Family life versus Public life. Are they really separate? How do they affect each other?
What is the woman’s most important role in society?
-Mother
-Career
-Can you have both?
-Why is the woman’s role of homemaker and mother often given little respect in the “real world”?
The Individual versus Community
-How to find this balance
-In countries like India, often the individual is defined by his or her role in the family and extended family, accompanied by a loss of individuality
-In America, individualism has become so ingrained in how we interact in family life and community life. Sense of community is often lost
-How does the woman help build and sustain community? What it is that women possess (versus men) that help create this sense of community?
-America/Hollywood – It’s all about me. If only you could hear MY story! Self-reliance.
-I am who I am because of who we all are. I would not have a story without my family. Our dreams are interwoven.
-How does faith and belief in a transcendant God bind us together and help define us both as individuals and as a community?
Common theme that came up: Running, Marathons, The Journey of Life, Where are we going? What is the ultimate destination? Who helps us reach the finish line? Does the path change? Sometimes, it’s not about winning, it’s about slowing down, to share the journey with the ones we love.
So over the next couple months, we will be taking some of these ideas and creating our own stories. As we write, we will have a better understanding of how to weave them all together in an interesting, dynamic, and artistic way. Some people may choose to write monologues or dialogues or songs or poetry or prose. Or maybe you just have a few ideas jotted down. Whatever it is – it’s awesome! When we come together, the individual ideas and words will become part of the mosaic we build together. As you begin your writing, feel free to share what you have written on the google group, as it may spark ideas with others. I will use Thanksgiving break to do some writing of my own, so will post soon after that:)
If you’re interested in joining the conversation, please email sara@shunyatheatre.org!
Sara
