Two Stops Under #4: "Speaking Without Tongues"

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"Kate"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to Embiggen)

Two Stops Under Thursdays on Why? What Have You Heard?

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Ruby Tuesday #63: "Speaking Without Tongues"

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"Because It's Important"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted at Work of the Poet

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As Real As It Gets: "Speaking Without Tongues"

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"The women and girls who live this story do not want to be seen. They tell their stories in dim light, in rooms with tightly closed doors; they glance at windows to be sure there is no opening. They do not want to remember. They do not want to speak. No matter. What is not spoken is still heard." -- Speaking Without Tongues"

Follow this link to see the slideshow at full size.

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Our Town.

That was my first thought as I eased into the front row of Reynolds Theater at Duke University on a rainy Tuesday evening and got my first look at the stage that would house Hidden Voices' production of Speaking Without Tongues. And the sparse staging does recall Thornton Wilder's landmark study in Americana, but that's about as far as the similarity goes. George and Emily do not live happily ever after here. Because in this town, George is a hideous memory that still haunts and terrifies Emily even after she has escaped him.

Weaving together the metaphorical Russian fairy tale of The Armless Maiden with the gritty, real-life stories of the players on stage Speaking Without Tongues isn't merely a play. It is a testimony. Told in snippets taken from each player's personal life, the pieces fall together so easily that it could all have been one tale. And in fact, it is one tale. One that is repeated every nine seconds in the US alone.

What was presented on the Reynolds stage was not a work of fiction. The stories told by the players were their own, told in their own words, their own voices, their own expressions and their own tears. Horror is heaped up on horror until even I was sure that they must be making it up. Then I realized that I only wished they were making it up. Because the stories played out in the dark of the stage are the same ones I read every week on Violence UnSilenced. But with the added component of being able to see the face and hear the voice that is telling the story. This? This is as real as it gets.

What has always confounded me personally is that however different the stories may be in the details, at their core they are all one story. The formula is as tested and true as any script, only the actors and the locations change. And I can't help but wonder if the pattern is so very predictable, why is this still a problem?

Maybe this is Our Town after all.

If you have the opportunity to see Speaking Without Tongues in the future, see it. If you've seen it already, see it again. It carries a message that cannot be told -- or heard -- often enough, even by those who know it already.

If you'd like more information on this and other Hidden Voices Projects, visit http://hiddenvoices.org/.

For details on Speaking Without Tongues in particular, visit http://hiddenvoices.org/pod/project/1.

And if you'd like to see additional photos by other people (who are actually associated with the project) from last year's production and behind the scenes, visit http://hiddenvoices.org/working/speaking-without-tongues-photos. (Note: At last check the link to the participants' portraits was broken, but because I'm so very clever I was able to figure out that it should be: http://hiddenvoices.org/projects/speaking-without-tongues/speaking-without-tongues-photos/participants/.)

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My World Tuesday #54: "Hidden Voices"

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"Before The After"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

"She Sings Because She's Free"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Hidden Voices doesn't just deal with the issue of domestic violence. The group advocates for all marginalized communities, and offers a forum for them to find their voices. Hence the name. But in October at least, they promote domestic violence awareness to the top of their hit parade, and this is where our paths cross. I've featured the group before both in words and pictures, and I'll be doing it again before October is through. Because even though I missed the majority of their last event due to circumstances not entirely under my control, they have another one scheduled for October 27th and this time I'll know how to avoid the obstacles that made me so late for the last one. But on to the photos.

The "Speaking Without Tongues" exhibit is currently housed in the historic Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University. Much of the artwork is actually in the sanctuary itself, more of it in the vestibule. As it was explained to me, the purpose was to draw a bright shining line between the "then" and the "now". So the "before" work, depicting life as it was for these survivors, is in the sanctuary proper. The "after" shots are in the vestibule.

As you can probably tell, the chapel is an impressive -- even imposing -- venue and in my own opinion, that in itself may have actually worked against the show. When surrounded by this much grandeur, it would be easy for it to get "lost" in the background. When visitors are so awestruck by their surroundings, the work doesn't become the focal point that it should be. And it should be, because in addition to conveying a vitally important message, the work is extraordinary on its own merit. At the same time, Duke Chapel is visited by a lot of people, and many of those are very influential people. And despite the fact that Duke Chapel is (as I understand it) non-denominational, there has always been a connection between the church (with a big or a little "c") and the arts.

If you're going to be in the area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) between now and November 14th, you could find much worse ways to spend an hour or two than a visit to the chapel and the exhibit. There is no admission charge for any of the Hidden Voices events, and the chapel is open to the general public from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the academic year and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the summer break. For more detailed information, visit http://www.chapel.duke.edu/visit.html. (If you need direcitons to tuesday night's event, I have a Google map and directions on this post.)

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Domestic Violence Awareness Month: "Speaking Without Tongues", Durham, NC 10.20.2009

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Related Posts

Shortly after I read artist Michelle Major's post on Violence UnSilenced for Monday, I saw an article in the local weekly free paper about a group I'd never heard of called Hidden Voices. One thing, as it so often does, leading to another I found myself heading west to Durham on Tuesday evening to the artists reception for an exhibit called "Speaking Without Tongues". While Hidden Voices supports all marginalized communities and not only survivors of domestic violence, this event was dedicated to DV survivors who chose to tell their stories through their art. Some are painters, some photographers, some are musicians, some poets. All of them have a story to tell. And while I don't know their individual circumstances, I know their stories only too well.

"Hidden Voices"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

These are the same stories I read twice a week on Violence UnSilenced, and for all their differences, they are disturbingly formulaic. The names change. The zip codes and income levels change. The ethnicity and religious backgrounds vary widely. The stories, however, do not.

Domestic violence is the great equalizer. If you take away references to neighborhoods and schools you can't tell if the person telling the tale is an affluent white woman with a Masters Degree who has been married 43 years or a 23-year-old single mother with a GED pouring coffee for the truckers on the Interstate. It is a problem that recognizes no class divisions, that respects no boundaries. And perhaps you think you're not affected by it because you're not in the 25% of women or 7% of men who have been, are now or will be in an abusive relationship. I say you're mistaken. You may not be taking a punch in the face, but I guarantee you that someone you know is.

"Hidden Voices"
Durham, NC - October 2009 (Click to embiggen)

As luck would have it, I will have another opportunity to see these courageous artists in a different kind of performance. And if you live near or will be in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro, so will you. There will be another, different kind of performance on Tuesday October 27 at The Reynolds Theater in the Bryan University Center at Duke. And so that you (and I) don't have to endure the same confusion over directions and parking, I've included a handy quick reference map below with a link to Google Maps. It should take you right to the door. Parking for the Bryan Center is in the large deck adjacent to it on Science Drive and cost $5 for the reception and I'd expect the same for the next event.

Directions and maps

View Larger Map

If you're looking for other ways to help, read this article: Wednesday Q&A: How Can I Honor DV Awareness Month? Carrie's answer to that question has a list of great suggestions, but I'd like to add a couple of things for anyone who has a blog, a website, an account on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter or some other social network. And it won't cost you a nickel to do any of them.

• Publish a link to VU on your page/blog: http://violenceunsilenced.com/
• Link to, or better yet, embed the promotional YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wnxaSs4wZY
• Visit and comment on as many of the survivor stories on VU as possible (new stories are published weekly on Monday and Thursday). Give those courageous enough to speak out the validation and support they deserve. Because for every story that's published, there are hundreds that are still ongoing. And someone somewhere is reading her (or his) life story in the words of another.

And if you need any assistance figuring out how to do any of these, feel free to contact me. (My function with VU is mainly tech support, so if you contact Maggie with a tech question she's gonna send you to me anyway.)

Refuse to Not See.

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