PENNI PIER AND MARY-KATE ARNOLD
GUEST COLUMNISTS
By its very nature, a liberal arts education offers learners an opportunity to widen their sphere of understanding via exposure to a variety of attitudes, beliefs and values. Seeing the world through multiple lenses or perspectives allows us to better understand our own nature and solidify who we are and how we come to understand and interpret the world around us.
“Keely & Du,” by Jane Martin, is a controversial play that focuses on the topic of abortion through the interactions between the characters of Du, a right to life activist, and Keely, a pregnant rape victim. Admittedly, a controversial topic such as the abortion debate may appear an unlikely choice for a May term production. However, the theatre has historically been a venue for analysis and discussion of issues of social and moral import.
Theatre, an essential element in the liberal arts tradition, allows the audience to examine aspects of the human existence with which they may have no prior experience. Thus theatre can serve as a catalyst to promote thinking, active dialogue, and political change. It is not enough to simply create a performance if it does not serve a purpose in the lives of the audience, whether that is enjoyment, to step away from reality, to learn a lesson or to generate new thinking. Simply put, the purpose of this performance is to engender conversation among our community.
It is our intent that “Keely & Du” will provide a catalyst for discussion. Beliefs about abortion are highly personal and the debate surrounding this social issue is at times incommensurate. The purpose of this production is not to convince an individual to change his or her stance on the topic of abortion but rather offer an opportunity to consider multiple perspectives surrounding the debate.