An innovative Georgetown lab looks to theater to quell political res
By Peter Marks
February 12, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. EST
Oneeveninglastmonth,tworecentcollegegrads—onefromaconservativeChristiancollege,theotherfromamore ecumenicalliberalartsuniversity—gottogetheronlinewithagroupoftheirpeers.Youngpeoplefrompolarendsof thepoliticalspectrumwerebeinggivenanunusualassignment:performmonologuesaseachother,usingyour opposite’srecordedwords.
“WhydoyougoandstormtheU.S.Capitol,ordamagepropertyordoanyofthoseviolentacts?Youdoitbecause youbelieveyourvoiceisnotheard,”recitedNicoleAlbanese,aself-describedliberalwhograduatedfrom GeorgetownUniversityinMay.ThewordswerethoseofDanielCochrane,apoliticallyconservativealumnusof PatrickHenryCollege inPurcellville,Va.,who,inturn,deliveredtwominutesofremarksbyAlbanese.
“It’ssuchabigcountry,itsidentityhasdefinitelyshiftedandchanged,”Cochranesaid,asAlbanesewatched.“So,I thinksomepeopledon’treallyhaveasclear,like,anideaofhowithaschanged.”
Allevening,pairsfromthetwoschoolssteppedintotherolesoftheirpartners—anexercisetogetpeoplewith opposingviewstolistentooneanother,usingthetoolsofperformance.ThebrainchildofDerekGoldman,chairman oftheGeorgetownDepartmentofPerformingArts,theprogramiscalled “InYourShoes.” Itisonefacetofaunique Georgetowneffort,the LaboratoryforGlobalPerformanceandPolitics —ablendedunitofdramaanddiplomacy thatseemsespeciallywell-suitedforanationdividedagainstitself.
“AllofthisworkiswhatI’vebeencalling‘witnessacrossdifference,’”saidGoldman,whocreatedtheLabin2012 withCynthiaP.Schneider,aformerU.S.ambassadortotheNetherlandswhoisnowaprofessoratGeorgetown’s SchoolofForeignService.“Whichisawayofsayingthatthereisaparticularpowerthatperformancehas,toallow ustolistendeeply,bearwitnessandultimatelyempathizewitheachother.”
Empathy,orratherthelackofit,hasbeenasubjectatthetopoftheAmericanrhetoricalmenuoverthepastfour years:ItmayevenbearguedthatPresidentBiden’selectionreflectsvoters’desireforacompassionateleaderwitha talentforlistening.Empathy,too,seemsinsomemannertobeattheheartofmanyoftheLab’sinterdisciplinary initiatives:toengagefriendsorstrangersindialoguethroughartandartisticpractice—whetheratthelevelof everydaydiscourseorbetweennationsinformsofculturaldiplomacy.
“Eachofusfromourownperspectivehasgonefull-steamaheadwithourrealbeliefinthepoweroftheartsbroadly, andinparticularliveperformance,tobeatransformativeexperience,”Schneidersaidofhercollaborationwith Goldman.“Andthatliveperformance hasthecapacitytoengagepeoplearoundpoliticalissuesinaveryprofound way.Andreallyinawaynothingelsecan.”
TheLabisproject-oriented,ratherthanaclassroom-basedventure,co-sponsoredbythetheaterprogramandthe SchoolofForeignService.“We’vebeenaroundfor100years,andweweredesignedtobeaboutculturalcompetency andempathy,”observedJoelHellman,deanoftheSchoolofForeignService.Headdedthatitmakessenseforhis programtobepartoftheLab,because“we’reconstantlytryingtoopenminds.”
GoldmanandSchneider’saspirationsfortheLabhavepropelleditontodiversepaths.OneoftheLab’slong-term projectshasbeenaplayaboutthelateJanKarski,heroofthePolishresistanceduringWorldWarIIandlatera Georgetownprofessor.Anearlyversionof“RememberThis:TheLessonofJanKarski,”starringDavidStrathairn andwrittenbyGoldmanandformerstudentClarkYoung,wasperformedattheopeningoftheMuseumofthe HistoryofPolishJewsinWarsawin2015.TheplayhasbeenmadeintoamoviewithStrathairnandwillbeshownat filmfestivalslaterthisyear.
Overthepastseveralyears,too,theLabhasbeengrapplingwithanuglyGeorgetownlegacy:theuniversity’shistory ofowningandsellingenslavedpeople. “HereIAm,” adigitalperformancepiecethatwillpremiereinApril,isthe storyofMélisandeShort-Colomb,aNewOrleanswomanandadescendantoftwoofthe314enslavedpeoplewhoin 1838weresoldbytheMarylandJesuitstoraisemoneyfortheuniversity.Short-Colomb,67—whofouryearsago becameaGeorgetownstudentafterlearningaboutherancestors—performsthepieceshecreatedwithactressplaywright NikkoleSalter.
ItwaswhiletakingoneofGoldman’stheaterclassesthat“HereIAm”wasconceived. “Theclasswasnota performance-basedclass,butamemory-basedclasswherewewroteaboutmemories,”Short-Colombrecalledina Zoominterview.Aftershewroteaboutherownexperiences,“attheendofthesemester,Dereksaid,‘Ithinkyou havesomething.’”Afterabroaderplayaboutthegroupofenslavedpeople,whobecameknownastheGU272,fell through,Short-Colombsaid,sheandLabofficialswenttotheuniversityadministrationandgotapprovalforher project.
Oneofthethroughlineswithprojectsasdifferentas“RememberThis”and“HereIAm”isthenotionofwitnessing, andthemoralauthoritythatarisesfrompersonaltestimony.“WhatIhavefoundovertheyearsdoingthisisthat peoplerespondtoitwithavisceral,gutreaction,”StrathairnsaidoftheKarskishow.“It’smoreofanempathic feelingthatcannurtureadifferentwayofthinking—especiallyinatheater,whenyouhave300peopleofall differentideologies,sharinganempathicmoment.”
“InYourShoes”goesdeepintosharing,too.It’sacollaborationbetweentheLabandGeorgetown’sDemocracyand Governanceprogram,sparkedin2018byprogramdirectorDanielBrumberg’sinterestinstudentsexploring politicalpolarization.Astheconceptforthe“InYourShoes”meetupstookshape,BrumbergcontactedCoryGrewell, aprofessorofliteratureanddramaclubadviseratPatrickHenry,a40-minutedrivefromGeorgetown.Itshomepage notesthatthecollege“existstoglorifyGodbychallengingtheunacceptablestatusquoinhighereducation.”
GrewellsaidheimmediatelyrecognizedthevalueinGoldman’smethodology:whatBrumbergdescribes academicallyas“facilitateddialogue.”Thestudentsmaynotbewalkingamileinoneanother’sshoes,buttheytake severalmajorstridesinthem.
“It’snotsimplybringingpeoplefromdifferentideologicalcampstotalk,”Grewellsaid.“Youreallyhavetoimagine whatmakesthisotherpersontick,theirfears,theirdesires.”
AndasBrumbergsuggested,alittleshowbizinacademiacan’thurt:“IguessDerekwouldsaythere’sanactorinall ofus.”
FortheLab’s“InYourShoes”Zoomsessionlastmonth,participantsfromearliergatheringsreunited,andwere givenageneral“prompt”fortheirdiscussions.“Wesaid,‘FocustheconversationonyourexperiencearoundJanuary 6andsincethen,andwhattheysurfacedforyou,’ ”Goldmanrecalled.Beforethe coronavirus pandemicimposed restrictionsonphysicalcontact,thePatrickHenryandGeorgetownstudentsgatheredinperson,andoverthecourse oftheprogram,theyinteractedwithdifferentpartners.
“It’sseparatefromfindingcommonground,or‘Let’sseewhatwecanagreeon’typeofrhetoric,”saidIjeomaNjaka, aBrownUniversitygraduatewhoworksparttimeastheLab’sinclusivepedagogyspecialist.“Therearestudentson bothcampuseswhowereinterestedinthisprojectbecausetheythoughttheywerelivinginabubble.”
Oneofthegoalsof“InYourShoes”istoencourageparticipantstocapturenotonlythewordsoftheotherperson, butalsosomeoftheirmannerisms—agentleacknowledgmentofhowcompletelytheyarebeingobservedand heard.“Tomydelight,theapproachwasnotaboutdiminishingdifferences,it’saboutencouragingdifferences,”said Cochrane,whograduatedfromPatrickHenryin2019withadegreeinpoliticaltheoryandnowworksonlegaland policyissuesintheD.C.area.
Cochranesaidhewasconcernedthattheexchangesmightdevolveintoargumentsaboutthen-PresidentDonald Trump.Thecomradelyspiritengenderedbytheexerciseshort-circuitedanyanimus.“Wewerediscussingmatters thatwereverycontroversial—there’sanobviousrecognitionthatwedisagree—butneverwithanyanimosity,”he said.
Albanese,whoseGeorgetowndegreeisinAmericanstudiesandtheater,had“somewallsup”atthestartof“InYour Shoes”inherjunioryear.“Ittookmeawhiletogetvulnerablewithpeoplefromtheotherschool,”shesaid,adding thataskingoneanotherquestionsaboutfamilyandlonelinessbrokedownthosewalls.“Justmeetingactualpeople whoidentifyasconservativeandwhoaremyageaddssomuchnuancetounderstandingwhattheyactuallythink.”
Thepossibilitiesfor“InYourShoes”seemauspicious.Goldmansaidhehassupervisedversionsoftheprogramat internationaltheaterconferences—andhasbeenqueriedaboutusingthetechniqueinmarriagetherapy.
AsforCochraneandAlbanese,theLabopenedtheireyes.“TheremarkablethingaboutperformingasDanielwas howmybodyclickedrightintoit—thisphysicalrelease,”Albanesesaid.
Herperformance,infact,earnedravesfromthemostinterestedmemberoftheaudience.“Shedidafantasticjob,” Cochranesaid.“Whatitshowsisthatshetrulydidlisten.”