Last night Tony and I postponed our Sacramento Pizza Adventure to see NWC. A showing of N*gger, Wetb*ck, Ch*nk came to the Mondavi Studio and they added a 10:30PM show to their short sold-out run. For those of you who do not know them, they are 3 guys out of LA who basically do this 3 man storytelling show about race and stereotypes. Since nigger is the mack daddy of derogatory slang and I heard it said about 500 times over the course of the show, I was inspired to sing my own K*ke number to Tony's Wetb*ck grooves as we left the theatre. Pretty cool stuff with a strong clear message.
On Thursday night, I saw Guillermo Gomez-Pena perform his one man show El Mexorcist 2 in the Main Theatre on campus. It was packed to the gills and after a short intro given by Larry Bogad, one of our faculty members, playing a Homeland Security officer, we were off and running on issues of immigration and "straddling the border." Gomez-Pena came out in a knee length black and white skirt and boustiere donning one high heeled pump and a leather boot. It was very participatory and about a third in spanish. I felt what it was like to be -- as Victor said -- "a cultural other."
On Friday after Rinde's class, there was an 8-hour workshop lead by Gomez-Pena. We did this amazing exercise where we had to stand at the end of the room, close our eyes and run to him at the other end. What an amazing test of trust. It also showed us our true way of running. I ran like a gazelle at the start and when I got close to the end and the trust wained I slowed down and contorted my face. The workshop got very intense with us creating human sculptures -- images of religion, sex, fetishes and fallen immigrants.
I was concerned about my ability and willingness to "go there." His ideas and images are so provocative. I mean in his show he talked about very political and sometimes sexual things. Would I be able to forget my inhibitions with a bunch of primarily strangers?
In a word, no. But I did come awfully close and expanded my Jewish American mind.
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