Art and Politics Mix at Campus Events
April 30, 2004
“Matheson had a gun under his jacket,” explained Michael Wells, a character played by David Jenkins. The Balch Arena Theater, seats dropping steeply to the floor and lights dimmed to a pregnant brown glow, housed “Two Rooms,” a Pen, Paint, and Pretzels presentation of a play by Lee Blessing, directed by Natka Bianchini, on the night of Tuesday, April 27.
“He had to know what the world can doif it just feels like itto a man,” continued Jenkins, as he described his friend’s vain attempts to fight off a gang of heavily armed kidnappers in Beirut where he was taken hostage as an American. “These people have been taking hostages for thousands of years; they know how to do it.”
The play continued and the audience met Lainie Wells, Michael’s wife, played by Nicole Frattaroli, and Ellen Van Oss, played by Betsy Goldman. As Lainie desperately contacted Damascus, Washington, Syrians, Lebanese, Muslims, and Christians in vain attempts to get information about her husband and to have him released, the play’s political message became obvious to the audience. As Lainie said, “Everyone says they’ll do everything possible to get him back,” but nothing is accomplished. As Lainie and a reporter played by George Rausch showed the audience, the life of one hostage can and does make a difference, and is not something that can be sacrificed without cost in the name of a political message.
The play concluded with the death of the hostage and left many audience members wiping tears from their eyes as they quickly rose for a standing ovation. While the play was just an evening of entertainment for some, it also drew attention to the presence of political discourse and its stimulants on campus which do not necessarily revolve around the oft-discussed upcoming presidential elections.
Indeed, the play served very educational purposes, and the characters discussed the Iranian, Syrian, and Isreali factions fighting for power in Beirut, and the young age of the boys that fight with their lives for their beliefs. “We haven’t had to fight for the ground we stand on in a century,” said Jenkins. “We’ve forgotten that level of sacrifice.”
As the play took place, a different and broader political agenda was discussed in Eaton. Pangea, the alliance between Tufts clubs Why ME? and Sparks International, met with students to discuss the education of its members and the world on issues of social change. Tufts Why ME?, a student organization that got its footing at Tufts this year, is working to educate Tufts students about global issues. The group’s goals are to motivate Tufts students to learn about global inequality through organized events, to use this knowledge to determine ways to aid the international community, and to take action by raising money, providing supplies, and hosting international service trips.
As students divide their time between preparations for Spring Fling and finals, it is clear that campus organizations are uniting to make their final pushes to politicize an unfortunate, often apathetic, student body.
