Guest Blogger: HAT Ensemble

"What do you mean when you say 'men can have periods, too'? How is that possible?!" As the words came out of my mouth, suddenly everything turned to slow motion as my shoulders crept up to whisper in my ear: "You  ignorant fool.  You will be kicked out of here for sure for that insulting remark." Here being the rehearsal room that Honest Accomplice Theatre (HAT) was awarded through a space grant by the Drama League for the amazing work they do.  I was thrilled when I was told that I would be a member of the company, though now it feels more like a family. I was invited to be apart of their latest show ReConfigured, a show about the body on many diverse levels. My body had been my enemy for more than 20 years: eating disorders, exercise binging, body dysmorphia, sexual deviance, drugs, the this diet, the that diet, the everything in between diet (rinse and repeat).  Part of the healing for me has been in sharing my stories in the hopes that it may shine a light on someone else's battles. This production seemed perfect for me. And we would also be bringing awareness to the trans community's experience of the body. Bonus!  But at the time of the seemingly ignorant remark I made in the rehearsal room, I was brand spankin' new and not as educated on the trans community nor the many facets of gender identity yet as I thought.  Being a bisexual and a supporter of the LGBTQ community, I thought  I was pretty well informed, at least on those topics. I would come to find out through many incredible devising sessions with HAT that I had a LOT more to learn.  More so, just how important it was for me as a cis woman-someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth-to spread this knowledge.  This helps to alleviate the trans community as being the sole educators all the time. 

Whenever I have the bravery to venture into Times Square, I look around at the Advertisements bombarding me and I wonder to myself if this is really 2016. I find myself surrounded by depictions of thin, tall, and typically white models that all seem as though they came out of a cookie cutter mold. And one thing is blaringly obvious: none of these people look like me. In fact, none of these people look like anyone I know. It's astounding to me that in 2016 this is still a reality.

Devising new work is a democratic anecdote to the capitalist commercialization of American theater. By holding space for the invisible, we can begin to build language around systemic oppression and foster curiosity across minority statuses. Moreover, the devising process provides an opportunity for? an? ensemble to dig beyond the murky concept of intersectionality and become active allies to each other's experiences. The conversation that begins in the rehearsal room of a devised theater piece is only the first of an ongoing dialogue that continues as the audience leaves the theater.

I'm going to ask you to write a show about "The Body". Write a show for an audience that will represent them and your own experience and give them new ideas presented in a meaningful way.

Some people think that being a senior citizen means that all of life's important experiences are behind you - opportunities are at an end.  I used to be one of them.  Honest Accomplice Theater never did think that way.