Collegiate Times

?Bleeding. Few things in our culture make people blush.?

So begins the Director?s Notes of ?28: A Traveling Menstrual Show,? performed last night in conjunction with the theatre arts department.

The play, conceived and directed by Ashley Sparks, a graduate student in theatre arts, was developed in partnership with an extremely interactive cast and an open and willing group of community members.

Sparks said she began collecting groups of women, some who knew each other and some who didn?t, to take part in ?story circles? consisting of open dialogues which allowed women to share their experiences of their relationship to the menstruation process, childbirth and menopause.

?This play has been a work in process for eleven months. I have spent much time collecting personal stories from both women and men of all ages,? Sparks said.

?28? is a series of images that are a reflection of mythology, historical practices, cultural and religious rituals, feminist theory and personal stories, she said.

?The piece began with nuggets and images which I would bring to my actors and say, ?This is what we need,?? Sparks said. ?I placed much of the creation of the play into the actor?s hands. I wanted them to be able to make strong choices and decisions about the piece.?

Jenna Zimmer, junior theatre arts major, said the rehearsal process for the piece was an innovative experience for her.

?Not having a script for the play forces you to make something work that seems so abstract. It makes it truly awesome when it all comes together,? Zimmer said.

During the play, the audience was asked to leave the main production room and travel around campus to increase public interaction.

Jessi Pierce, sophomore history major, said, considering the topic of the play, some people weren?t as receptive as others when encouraged to become involved.

?There?s an intimacy to the piece that becomes an ironic intimacy because we take the play out in public. There?s a connection from the play itself to the outside world,? said Kerry Kaleba, freshman theatre arts major.
Lisa Johnson, the set designer for ?28,? spent much time walking around campus looking for the theatricality of different spaces.

?The set was a work in progress, a really involved design process. I have found that if you give actors just a couple of things, they can make magic with it,? she said.

Juanisha Brooks, sophomore communication major, said there are no actors in this play, but instead, there are real people and real experiences.

?Knowing men and women out there were feeling the things we performed as they all came from real stories,? said Alana Cooper, junior theatre arts major.

Sparks said the wonder of having so many people, actors and community members alike, intricately involved in the development of the play is that it leaves the excitement of where it could go next.

?My culture and who I am got intertwined in this. A piece of me is in this play,? said Shella Mesa, freshman theatre arts major.

?28? can be seem tonight and Thursday evening, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. in 204 Performing Arts Building. Admission is free but donations are accepted for the Womanspace Clothesline Project and Planned Parenthood.