CAMPUS

The cast of TeaA Meaningful Cup“They’re between twoworlds.”“How many Kansas rednecksare out there who canlook at a Japanese as somethingmore than a geisha or aTokyo Rose?”As those words fromVelina Hasu Houston’s Teawere spoken in the P.A.C. lastApril —words I found so trueto my own Asian-girl-living-in-America feelings—I feared Imight never again make somethingelse that is, to the core,who I am.Theater and activism arevital parts of my life, but theynever really got along witheach other before I directedTea. I would participate in seriousdiscussions about diversity,discrimination, and discordin society —then I would goto theatre class or rehearsal,reading experimental theoriesand memorizing lines. Theyseemed like oil and water, twocompletely different facets—different people, different conversations,different attitudes.Ever since I saw TheAmerica Play at CA my freshmanyear, I had been thinkingabout an Asian Student Association(ASA) play. This fall,while trying to answer someinternal questions about myartistic and personal self, fortuneled me to read Tea, andgenerous support from ASA,the theatre program, and thecommunity helped me bring itto the stage.The feedback I receivedwas not only about the play’sartistic merit, but also aboutthe social issues it tackles—racism, sexism, the warbride’s experience in post-WWII America, and generationaldifferences. I wasparticularly glad the communityhad paid attention to agroup of characters—allactresses —that is underrepresentedin theatre. I hope theyrealized that drama, a magnificentart, becomes even moremagnificent when it connectsto society in a tangible andaccessible way.— Daphne Kim ’10Photos by David R. GammonsIn May, CA’s Theatre 3 Company used language, movement, rhythm,and rhyme to capture the free-wheeling experience of the Beat Generationin Howl. Theatre 3 students wrote the play, which was conceivedand directed by CA Theatre Program Director David R. Gammons andinspired by the poem “Howl,” by beat poet Allen Ginsberg.A scene from Sure Thing, part ofAn Evening of Ives —five shortplays by David Ives directed by WillHerold ’09 for his Directors Seminar.Below, another Ives sketch, SoapOpera.45W W W . C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y. O R G F A L L 2 0 0 9