Yesterday’s Inauguration was indeed a historic time for our country. I was not amongst the freezing on the mall, but saw it on my computer at work (Don’t tell my boss J). I marveled at the crowd. I have lived in DC for ten years now and have never seen so many people here. It was a sight to behold and I felt proud.
Bringing it back to the play, change has also come to the land of Yahoo. We have been rehearsing the first court scene for the last couple of days and I couldn’t help but notice how similar Iberin is to the idea of “change.” In Yahoo, like America, there is a war going on at the same time there is a financial crisis and people want change. Not everyone knows what that change entails, but they know they want it. I think South Park shows a perfect example of the ridiculous nature of this (The first five minutes of the video):
I play one of the Hatsos in this first court scene and it scared me to realize that Iberin is not an evil or wicked person, as I had originally read her to be; she is actually very hopeful and kind. When she starts spouting racial separation in the guise of unity I already bought the product and it’s too late to return it. I use the word product, because I think it mirrors what is happening now. I am not sure how many people ride the metro (probably a lot of you, if you went to the Inauguration by train), but there are Ikea signs up that say “Embrace Change”. An obvious rip-off of Obama’s campaign slogan and what has become an almost national cry to arms.
When a slogan is ripped off and used to sell (impossible-to-put-together) furniture, then it loses its meaning and becomes ridiculous, if not dangerous. Those with money (Big Five in the plays case, and Ikea/Target/Walmart in ours) use Iberin/Obama to sell what they want. As soon as the people buy it, in its distorted form, it loses all meaning and is out of the hands of the people who created it.
Let me know what you guys think.
–Andres Talero
Catalyst Theater Company 