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Shirley Huston-Findley is an assistant professor of theatre at The College of Wooster, where she joined the faculty in 1999. She received her bachelor's degree from Indiana University at South Bend, her master's degree from Miami University of Ohio, and her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Huston-Findley's research focuses on both feminist issues and pedagogical developments in theatre, although her current scholarship deals with the publication of an anthology of works by Native American women playwrights. Currently, she holds the position of Writing Fellow at Wooster. Directing credits include such works as Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Machinal; On the Verge; Anouilh's Antigone; and The Rimers of Eldritch. She has published in Text and Performance Quarterly, and she co-authored a forward to the works of Belgian playwright Paul Willems in a book, titled La Vita Breve. She has also received a variety of honors, including being named Director of the Year at the University of Missouri in 1992-93. A member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the Mid-American Theatre Conference, Huston-Findley has delivered numerous papers at their annual meeting. Her courses include Feminism and Theatre, Origins of Western Drama, Realism and Beyond, Introduction to Women's Studies, Writing for the Theatre, and Junior Independent Study. |
Theatre has long been a testing ground for sensitive subjects and controversial issues. College Theatre has been especially open to such ventures. February 21-23, The College of Wooster presented How I Learned to Drive, which deals with some of society's most sensitive issues. Shirley Huston-Findley, assistant professor of theatre at The College of Wooster and director of the production, talks about the role of theatre in bringing these topics to light. What difficult issues does How I Learned to Drive bring to the forefront? Most obviously the issues of pedophilia and incest, primarily from the perspective of the individual being victimized. Vladimir Nabakov's Lolita, which tells a very similar story from the offender's perspective, was a huge influence on playwright Paula Vogel as she wrote How I Learned to Drive. Beyond that, issues regarding dysfunctional families, alcoholism, and adolescent sexuality emerge as key to telling the story. Why is theatre a good medium for addressing sensitive subjects? I'm not sure that it always is. However, the immediacy and intimacy of the theatre, in comparison to television or film, encourages (or forces) audiences to interact in ways that a private, at-home viewing does not allow. It should be noted that Paula Vogel is one of the first to bring the issues of pedophilia to the center of a dramatic text - a taboo subject we just don't find in the theatre as we do in other performance mediums. Is it important for plays to comment on controversial issues? Not always. Sometimes it's great to go to the theatre just for the laughter and the release. But the theatre world has always had an obligation to its community to comment on the world in which we live. Life on the stage is a reflection of and influence on the way we go about our every day lives. It can motivate us to take action, instill specific ideologies, challenge the existing status quo, or educate the masses. I'm not certain that this play in particular, however, deals with controversial issues. I don't find anyone arguing that pedophilia should be legal, that dysfunctional families are the key to success, etc. What it does do is get us talking about one aspect of our culture that has remained hidden and somewhat secret for a very long time: child abuse. And, most interesting, Paula Vogel doesn't come at the subject in a clear-cut, one-sided kind of way. The offender is very much a sympathetic character, despite our cultural attitude toward adults who victimize children. And the young woman, although clearly not in control of their relationship, is not simply a victim of pedophilia. What can be accomplished by presenting these issues on stage? From an educator's perspective, a great deal of learning and critical thinking can emerge when we present complex issues on the stage. Both the students involved in the production and the audience who attends have an opportunity to explore underrepresented topics. The performers in this production, for example, have had to examine the subjects of pedophilia and dysfunctional family relationships before taking on those characteristics exemplified by the various characters they portray. To help them with their research, as well as provide a safe place for discussion, we brought in Tammy J. Brooks (M.A., L.S.W.), a counselor with The Summit Therapy Center, who watched rehearsal and spoke with the cast. Students learned, for instance, that one of four women reports being sexually victimized as a child, while 38 percent of sexual abuse to women takes place in the family. They also discovered that one of three sexual offenders were themselves sexually victimized when they were children. Why is it important for students in an environment such as The College of Wooster to be exposed to plays like How I Learned to Drive? It is important for all of us to have exposure to texts that take us out of any comfort zone we may be experiencing, whether here at Wooster or in the midst of theinner city. Exposure makes us aware. Exposure doesn't allow us to remain complacent. Exposure forces us to be conscious of our role in the greater scheme of things. Are their risks to such exposure? Of course there are risks. There are risks regarding the discovery of our own hidden pasts and our individual need to come to terms with the dysfuntionality of our own families. There is also a risk for young performers who must expose themselves and feel the painful memories of these characters. And there are risks for the audience. If we do our job well, observers should leave feeling a little less comfortable than when they came in. This is why we have Tammy Brooks to share a talk-back session with the cast and audience following our opening night performance on Thursday, Feb. 21. Are plays like How I Learned to Drive more important than mainstream theatre, or are they limited by the scope of their subject? The answer depends on what is meant by "mainstream." How I Learned to Drive, after winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, could be considered "mainstream." And Paula Vogel is no stranger to the broad theatre community. If you are comparing this drama to traditional Broadway musicals (e.g. Evita, The Music Man, or Gypsy) there are both similarities and differences. Neither one is more important than the other. Each provides audiences with a different kind of catharsis, depending on the subject matter. |
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| Last updated: January 10, 2006 · For more information, contact John Finn | ||
