How do you get a group of college students to have uncomfortable conversations about racism, sexism and LGBTQ+ issues? That is the goal of Michael Agnew and his traveling theatrical company, GTC Dramatic Dialogues. Agnew has been doing shows for over 27 years and has seen a lot since starting GTC. “My background is in theater, and I wanted to use this to engage the audience and stimulate critical thought,” Agnew said after his group’s recent performance at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC).
During the College’s Foundation Day of Service, students participated in the GTC production, You. Me. We., presented to more than 300 students, faculty and staff. The Offices of Academic Affairs and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sponsored the program. The audience was presented with two different scenes of actors posing as students through a role-play that exhibited the difficult environment of multicultural relationships. The audience then expressed their views to the still-in-character actors about their actions with the conversations moderated by Agnew. “I am amazed to the degree to which students suspend disbelief,” Agnew said about the sessions. “It doesn’t generally take long. Someone from the audience will talk, and that will get us started.”
Agnew described how he has gotten an audience started if it begins slowly. “This is scripted improv. The actors have material and provocative statements that they can use. We use provocation to get interaction. We provoke, then pull back and then explain.” Student interaction with the characters helped the audience to see ways to discuss feelings and actions when dealing with people that are different from them. And there was no lack of interaction from the audience, with many audience members engaging the characters.
Dee Reed, associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, was delighted with the turnout of people and their participation. “The dramatization of real-life conversations provided a unique way to deepen our understanding of diverse people and their life experiences. The goal was to challenge, reflect and question our own opinions to help create a more inclusive campus culture. The small group discussions immediately after the program allowed faculty, staff and students to continue the dialogue.”
GTC Dramatic Dialogues does anywhere from 40 to 50 shows a year. Their presentations range from the program they did at SMWC about racism, sexism and LGBTQ+ issues to sexual communication and assault, alcohol and drugs.
Anneliese Weilhammer, a sophomore, admitted it opened her eyes. “This will encourage me to educate myself more and learn more about things and how they make people feel.”
Agnew reflects on the evolution of the programs since he started in 1995. “There has always been a need for these types of programs. The level of conversation we can have now is way deeper than 27 years ago. We can go into things now that we couldn’t then.”
Many students stayed after the presentation to discuss the performances with the actors.