The Shortest Distance Between Abuse & Art (Creating Unsafe Space)

Today we discuss safespace.

Is it achievable?
How?
Why would there be unsafe space?

If you believe along with a generation of young actors:

In order to "get to that place" you need to be willing to do anything!

This idea and those like it are unpacked in greater detail in my post How to Ruin Young Actors

But, we are discussing topical things and nothing is more topical than Profiles Theatre right now in Chicago

Their core tenant:

"Anything for the truth"

And that is where I get off the train.
Because I have lived a theatrical life and I know where that mentality leads.
But, there are others who have not.

If you read this article:
At Profiles Theatre the drama--and abuse--is real
You begin to get a sense for what unsafe space looks like

What unsafe space looks like:

• All power and control consolidated into a single person or group
• Fight choreography is ignored for the sake of reality
• Young actors are "found" and subsequently cast straight out of undergrad 
• These actors don't know what the rules are, what their rights are and so don't know what to ask for or what to enforce
• They are stripped naked, physically and emotionally
• Isolating the cast from the outside world
• Isolating the creative team from management and outside eyes
• Using audience/critical response to justify any and all decisions

To give you a rough idea. 

Any one of these would be censurable and dangerous on their own.

Working in conjunction creates one of the most dangerous spaces of which I have ever heard.

This is terrifying. 

Unfortunately, it is not all that uncommon.

Personally, I have never had the benefit of critical success. 

My Experiences with Abuse in the Theatre

Once upon a time I was a learning artist and I...

1. Had a teacher tell me it was better for me to close my mouth and listen than ask clarifying questions
2. Had an instructor tell me to always take the money, no matter the work, always money
3. Had an instructor solicit an apology for taking a professional audition day in my senior year
4. Had a director solicit hugs and kisses from an ENTIRE CAST after closing because she was lonely and thought it good because we are all family (I suffer feelings of anxiety and dread from unwanted physical touch and was forced to touch one of my abusers in a loving way)
5. Had a director tell me to walk upstage and do blocking that was patently ridiculous, and in the middle of trying, shouted down for five minutes about how "We shouldn't TRY TO SHOW HER it was wrong, she wanted to see it and SHE would TELL US if it was wrong"
6. Had a director whisper stage direction to other actors, which resulted in an actress attempting to kiss me without my knowledge or permission, which I avoided by inserting a book between our faces, to which the actress responded that was really embarrassing for her
7. Had a teacher put a gay student in a scene where he received a blowjob from a girl; he felt uncomfortable even simulating it, to which the teacher responded that it was necessary for the scene and that she supposed a handjob would be okay...he quit acting after that showcase
8. Had a teacher give us emotionally dangerous scene work, gave each of us physically contradicting objectives (get out of the closet vs. keep her in the closet) then washed her hands of all responsibility when actors got hurt because that was the scene and what they set up
9. Had a teacher whose idea of physical improv was to turn out the lights and play loud music and have whatever happen happen to which one of my friends was kicked in the face by an actor doing cartwheels (the improvisation continued for an additional hour after that)
10. Had a teacher accuse my friend who is on the autism spectrum of speaking like a Chinese person, then proceeded to make fun of his characterization

I knew what was happening and I never stood up to my abusers because almost universally they were directors and teachers. 

Some both.

One was director, teacher, and employer.

Solely responsible for my entire degree and education.

So many of these are taken directly from school.

I don't blame the institution.

I received wonderful training in spite of the abuse that I received at the hands of artists who were more interested in their own well being or their own careers than that of their students.

And the worst wasn't even when I was being abused, but the feeling of dread at seeing another being abused and not standing up for them.

Because it wasn't happening to me.

We all said it was fine.

We all said we could handle the criticism, the pressure.

Why?

For a fucking slip of paper!

It was wrong of all of us.

None of us....none of us...not even the teachers...deserved to go through that experience.

Because it made us, all of us, worse in some way.

One of my dearest friends broke my heart when he said:

"She made me question if I was a good actor. I don't like it, but she did that to me. There was a time in my senior year where I thought, maybe I'm no good at this, maybe she is right. And I can't ever get that back. She took something from me and even now I recognize it's all bullshit, but she made me question and I'll never forgive her for it."

That isn't a direct quote.
It is an impression of an impression.
But, it captures the idea of a thing.
We all lose something in those dangerous places.
The surety we once had, the safety we always felt when we first started acting in our garages or on our front lawns for our parents or neighbors.

The saddest part is I am a hetero, white, cis male and all of this happened to me.
I recognized that I was privileged in the art for that.
And I was still abused.
I can only imagine what anyone else who deviated from that must have gone through

So what can we do about it?

Create Safe Space

How?

"We take care care of each other"

That is my one rule.
You can make the space as dangerous as the artists would like, but through the lens of taking care of each other.
We do not actually hurt one another; we simulate violence

• Follow the fight choreography

Do not consolidate power into a single individual no matter how much you trust them or think you trust them

•  Recognize that everyone is equal in the creative process
• Encourage ensemble work, play games where everyone makes decisions/helps the group

Do not enter into an insular work space without understanding your rights

• Educate younger artists on why things work the way they do
• Explain rituals and why they are effective
• Educate younger artists on their rights and the structures of the organization, where should they go if they have concerns?

Appreciate that everyone has different artistic processes

• Find out what makes other artists tick
• Get curious about the fundamental artistic process and encourage others to do the same
• It enhances yours and allows you to communicate with others more effectively

Do not abuse the power of authority

• Ethos is a powerful argumentative case in rhetoric, but it is also severely limited to trusting someone's past work
• In theatre, there is no past work, just what you can do inside of the room
• Rely on your past experiences, but realize that none of us can see them
• Never, never, never, never, never use "Just trust me" It is lazy and dangerous

These are some of the ideas that I have run across in my time as an artist and a teacher.

But, they all stem from my one rule:

We take care of each other

That is the most important thing.
We can change the work space accordingly and make sure that it is still safe.
Some people require more physical safety, others more emotional.
That is all okay, it depends on the ensemble.
But, at heart, we are taking care of each other's artistic needs and hopefully in the process, helping artists realize they do not need to be abused in order to make great art.

You do not deserve to be abused

We take care of each other