Is that DeAldon??? Posting on the blog???

Well, I know you guys thought that it would never come, but here it is, two blog posts in a row from yours truly!

This blog is centered around how the issue of representation was in effect in our own backyard this semester. And since this is a CLOSED BLOG...I can bring up the issue of The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God. During the rehearsal process, as I'm sure all of you know by now, there were major alterations made to the script. In fact, it was altered to the point that all of the participants in the show got new scripts about 2-3 weeks before opening. In altering the script, how can one be sure that the story that the playwright intended was represented accurately by the production? It brought to mind Peter Brooks and The Mahabarata, and Tadashi Suzuki's productions of Shakespeare and Chekov. They too made changes to their texts and generally made the texts into what they wanted it to be. What was so baffling was the fact that I'm only just now drawing the parallels between the person in charge of the play and the controversial names we've discussed this semester.

It seems that ultimately, as long as the person or persons being represented don't negatively comment against the representer that the message is what the representer says it is. In fact, even if there are negative comments from the person being represented, once the production has been seen by the public, the representation is there for the world to see, whether it is an accurate representation or not.

Therefore, the truth may lie in that which one chooses to represent, and how dedicated one is to fully representing that idea, intention, culture, mindset, etc. Conversely though, there is always more than one way to get to the same place, so the real issue may be discovering what is at the heart of what one chooses to represent, and deciding if that same message can be delivered through a different channel.