Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters

Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rocco, Olivia
Language:English
Published: Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK 2021
Subjects:
Ethics
Performing Arts
Theater
Caribbean Studies
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors158773070360455
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ouhonors1587730703604552021-08-03T07:14:40Z Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters Rocco, Olivia Ethics Performing Arts Theater Caribbean Studies Americans often imagine themselves as champions of anti-colonial action. The origin of the country was, after all, a story of the British colonies in the soon-to-be United States defeating the great British Imperial force in the name of freedom. Unlike what the story of brave revolutionaries who fought Britain to form a new “land of the free” implies, the United States of America has not vanquished colonialism once and for all. On the contrary, the U.S. has become an imperial-colonial power on a global scale. Challenging citizens in the United States to acknowledge the American empire and turning to subjugated groups for their perspective can provide insight into the real-world consequences of these contradicting narratives. Colonial bias has informed many political decisions in the U.S. empire, which has resulted in devastating consequences for Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony. This was especially true when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the uneasy Commonwealth status proved insufficient and unsatisfying (Harv. L. Rev. 2017; UN 2006; UN 2018). Constrained by a history of unjust colonialism, confused by a patched together legal relationship, and stunned by such instant devastation, Puerto Rico could not act, and the United States government would not help. That is the narrative that emerges when the people of Puerto Rico tell their story—one that defines colonialism as an ongoing force, articulates the challenges of fighting for rights against an empire, reveals the devastating costs of maintaining the American global power, and asks if Puerto Rico should really have to answer to the United State of America. Through a process of collecting testimony for, writing, and directing a verbatim play, I explore how a verbatim theater project can provide perspective on colonial relationships. A verbatim play is constructed from speech found in court documents, speeches, interviews, personal writings, or other public documents, and has the potential to raise awareness, inspire justice, and encourage empathy. In an attempt to break the pattern of silencing and othering that maintains colonial relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, I examine how verbatim theater can 1) allow creators and audiences alike to question the deeply held colonial beliefs about Puerto Rico; 2) disrupt the dominant discourse about a significant event, Hurricane Maria, by giving a voice to the people who experienced it; and 3) examine how colonial bias can manifest in discussions of ethics and theater. 2021-01-09 English text Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors158773070360455 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors158773070360455 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Ethics
Performing Arts
Theater
Caribbean Studies
spellingShingle Ethics
Performing Arts
Theater
Caribbean Studies
Rocco, Olivia
Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
author Rocco, Olivia
author_facet Rocco, Olivia
author_sort Rocco, Olivia
title Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
title_short Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
title_full Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
title_fullStr Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
title_full_unstemmed Ethics and Theater-Making in Contemporary America: Making and Avoiding Unnatural Disasters
title_sort ethics and theater-making in contemporary america: making and avoiding unnatural disasters
publisher Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK
publishDate 2021
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors158773070360455
work_keys_str_mv AT roccoolivia ethicsandtheatermakingincontemporaryamericamakingandavoidingunnaturaldisasters
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