Nostalgia: A Return Home
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Authors
Martin, Megan D.
Issue Date
2000
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
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Abstract
When the summer ended, I had interviewed eight people: three ladies living in the
same retirement home, two retired nuns, an ex-gang member-turned college student, a
custodian, a park district art instructor and an elementary school teacher. We talked
about heritage, humility, foreignness, the neighborhood, aging, racism, childhood, the
system, education, violence, the Man, community, shared space, jobs, and the home. It is
amazing how readily people will disclose what is in their hearts and pasts. It is equally
tragic how many people long to be listened to but have no outlet. I was lucky to be that
listener.
I spent a sizable amount of time attempting to remind myself of these people and
translate what they told into a medium that was conducive to the essence of memory. I
determined to reiterate their voices through the theatre. Anna Deveare Smith points out
that "After all, identity is in some ways a process toward character"(xxv). And I meant to struggle with the identity of this particular community. I resolved to compile a series of
monologues based on the stories and personalities of the people I interviewed. I did not
attempt to regurgitate exactly what was said. I merely set out to create the character of a
community based on what I heard and saw.
Description
xlii, 104 p.
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License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.