Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Love Letter to Who We Are and Who We Have Been

In the theatrical world, the human experience can be defined by complexities and details. How people act, how they live, is often dependant upon their given circumstances pertaining to physical and emotional factors that impact people at any given point in time. These small details are what have fueled the production research in this semester’s production of Fun Home. We, as the dramaturgy team, understand that the human perspective is dependant upon experiences, relationships, and significant things that impact people’s lives. With a story that chronicles life from childhood to adulthood, these factors are crucial to our understanding of Alison Bechdel’s life.

Fun Home’s dramaturgy team began pre-production work back in December 2018, with all assigned dramaturgy team members having read both the play and the graphic novel. From January to April 2019, the group of 6 students met once weekly to discuss topics of research, outreach, and concepts that needed expanding upon on the resource website called the Dramaturgy Hub. Online resource page building as a part of the Dramaturgy process began with the appointment of Dr. Toby Malone as the Theatre History/Criticism professor in Summer 2017. By using online pages for information dissemination, it creates an interactive and accessible platform for actors and production personnel to find the information they need to aid their creative process as opposed to the traditional method of making a physical binder. Dramaturgy works together to generate source pages about different topics or references that are found directly in the text, or topics that can be assessed through subtext. These ideas that we pull are oftentimes to aid the understanding of the show as a whole.

Among the concepts that we kept running into was memory. As human beings, all perceptions and opinions we have about things are based upon previous experiences and the lessons that we took away from them. These core memories that we draw on become the basis of how we as people react to situations. However, the human brain can only retain so much information, so naturally memories become less detailed with age. People often fill in those gaps what they assume to be the truth based on what they perceive. As this is a narrative piece, every character found in Alison Bechdel’s memories is in some way shaped by how she thought of them during the time she knew them. Underlying factors that may have also impacted how she recalled the memory. A factor the dramaturgy team considered was mental illness, and how that could’ve played a roll how the different characters were acting. The trauma Alison went through as a result of her father’s death is going to impact how she views every memory she had with him following his suicide.

Memory creates the framework for many aspects of how a person lives and how they perceive the world. How they perceive themself is seen in identity, another concept that the research team tackled. A key part of identity highlighted in the play was sexual identity, and how Alison grew to understand her sexuality throughout her life. Personal identities are not only defined by self perceptions, but how people portray themselves to the rest of the world. It becomes very apparent that while a person maintains who they are throughout their life, their identity can change many times throughout life. Alison had authenticity as a child that she carried through the rest of her life, seen when a young Bechdel refused dresses and had fixation on a prominent masculine woman. Who Alison always was and was meant to be remained inside her throughout her life. However, her outward identity evolved with how she saw the world and how the world saw her. Studies of the society that existed at that time, including chronicles of historical events taking place and details about the world at a glance, are a necessity to understand not only what a person would have access to but also how they would present themselves.

Alison Bechdel’s focus as a writer is always on self reflection and understanding more about her life. As the Fun Home audience experiences her story, creators can only hope that they will see a woman growing to understand not only who she is, but who she was and how she got there. When you think about your childhood, what memories impact you the most? How do you recall feeling when those things were happening? How do you feel about those events now? These small moments are the backbone of how we as human beings are now. What we believe, how we behave, these are the things that define the essence of who we are. As we grow older, memories can not only be changed with time, but through added understanding and context that we gain as adults. At a glance, a dramaturg’s job is to fill in that context that people use to find meaning. Fun Home acts as a reminder to all that each person’s experiences and past are all a part of who we are now, and should be embraced as fragments of existence.

Summer with (a) View

Performing arts in the Adirondacks. Sounds pretty idyllic, right? I, along with two other SUNY Oswego students and 3 students from other schools, got to work at View Arts Center in a variety of functions such as graphic design, events, and performances. My specialty was performances, but arts organizations are often small which means that there was a good deal of crossover.

Hanging with my buddy, Url.

A little background on View: it began in the yard of a woman named Mirnie Kashiwa. Dedicated to her community and its enrichment, she began to display art on chicken wire in her yard and then raised money to eventually buy a building and expand the art gallery. To do this she created the Arts Guild of Old Forge. She established the Kinderwood Preschool program for young children and the organization really expanded throughout the community and area. Eventually, the guild was able to expand even more and buy land and create a LEED certified gallery with workshops and performance space.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

As the performances intern, I got to write press releases promoting the shows, work with performers, and handle a good deal of logistics that go along with putting on a show. We would put on concerts and theatre performances that cover genres from opera to folk to broadway. Some of my favorites acts included Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, folk performers who frequently collaborate with Ken Burns (they have Grammy nominations for their work on the Civil War documentary) and the Dan Brubeck Quartet, a jazz act from Vancouver who had their music featured in Baby Driver. I found that performers were kind and generous and very easy to talk to, which made the job more rewarding.

A photo I took to promote our ice cream social

Aside from coordinating volunteers and assuring the venue was prepared for a performance, I also participated in the other events we would host. For the annual gala View hosted, the interns along with the COO and secretaries were responsible for running the fundraising efforts during the gala such as the silent auctions and taking bids for the main auction. We also were man power for the craft show, antique show, and other events.  

Francesca Antonello (@chessmanceramics) aka my lovely roomie and throwing teacher

This internship was more than just working though. I was fortunate enough to meet some amazing people, particularly my housemate Francesca Antonello. She was the workshop intern and a very talented ceramicist. I was also able to learn new skills like glass fusing, pottery making (thanks Francesca!), and yoga classes. During the summer I was able to expand and learn more about myself, both in a personal and professional context. Plus, it helped to do it in such a pretty place.

Choosing a major

Before coming to Oswego I knew I had to major in Science, Technolgy, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). I received a scholarship stating that my tuition would be paid during my undergraduate career. Only if I majored in one of those categories and lived in New York State for five years after graduating.

At first, I was happy to do so because I thought engineering was something I wanted to do. When I started my fall semester as a freshman I declared my major in Electrical and Computer Engineering. My schedule seemed manageable but I had to take both chemistry and physics while taking four other courses. I soon realized that I did not like science and lacked the knowledge because I did not take any advanced courses during high school. Which made me consider changing majors because this was something I did not want to struggle with to then regret it. Sadly, I lost my scholarship but I was happy to say that I was going to come out of college with a degree that I wanted.

Soon after I learned that Oswego had an office that helped with discovering a career path. This office is called “The Compass” which soon became my second or third home. They have many resources such as resume building, career fairs, and interview preparation. I suggest any student whatever level in college to take advantage even after graduating they are there to help. I took a personality test and career test which said that I was most likely going to enjoy art and business. Which helped me decide from all the different majors on campus what path to go to. I first started as a Graphic Design and Cinema and Screen Studies double major but felt that it was too many hours seating and staring at a screen. I  felt that my creative skills were not as good as the others and did not want to struggle to find a job after graduating. Which is why I decide to major in Marketing with a double minor in Art and Arts Management. It was the best of both worlds because it is art and business like the test results showed. My only regret is that I did not keep two majors but I have a diverse knowledge because of my path.

If I were to do it again I would have double majored in Art and Marketing but things happen for a reason. At the end of my college career, I honestly did not want to double major because I did not want to stay longer in college because of more loans. I only wish I would have known what career path I wanted before coming to college because that can really save students thousands of dollars. Another important money saving tip would be taking AP courses and CLEP exams which advances your graduation date.

Vulnerability and strength come together for ‘Not Someone Like Me’

Shana clicks off her phone and greets me as I pull up a chair. We’ve intended to have a lunch date, but as fate would have it we aren’t huge fans of the menu that day. Shana Weiss is a sophomore education student here at Oswego, and we’ve met today to discuss her upcoming role in a staged reading of “Not Someone Like Me” directed by Mya Brown, a professor at the college.

The show is structured as a series of monologues about survivors of trauma and assault within a group therapy session. The play, written by Susan Rice, features survivors of varying ages and backgrounds. Weiss plays Pam, a woman from a lower-middle class background whose mother’s dream for her is to pursue her education, but this dream gets harder after she is assaulted. Shana is no stranger to staged readings; she participated in one for a senior’s capstone last year called the Laramie Project, a show about the bullying and subsequent murder of a young gay man. “It’s different because I’ve never had this intimate of a look into someone else’s life. Laramie was intense, but this takes it to another level.”

The cast of five went through auditions in mid-March, got casted, and went straight to work. Weiss notes that this is a quick turnaround even in theatre, but also mentions that the cast got to spend two hours of alone time with the director, Brown, to develop their characters. “It’s been a very insightful experience. I’ve worked with a lot of different directors and directing styles, and it’s very important to her that you have a very good background on the character. It’s very important that you have a feeling with the character. She very much knows what she wants out of you and has this way of drawing it out of you without feeling like she’s controlling what you do as an actor. It’s very nice.”

In the wake of #MeToo, a national online movement where people who have experienced being sexually assaulted and harassed have shared their stories, this show that was originally selected in the spring of 2017 seems more timely than ever, and that isn’t something that has escaped Shana’s mind. “I feel like it lines up very well with the timing of the #MeToo movement. I feel that it’s very important that we’re having this show, especially around a time where when there’s all these allegations coming out, where there are all these issues… It was talked about before, but now its started to really pick up.”

Event co-sponsors include Artswego and It’s On Oz, an organization dedicated to the education and prevention of sexual and interpersonal violence. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. These statistics are alarming and bring up the issue that inspired an Academy Award nominated film The Hunting Ground. However, this show encompasses an array of experiences, and the production provides resources within their programs for anyone who may need to seek help. It is noted that the “detailed, vivid imagery” within the script that helped prepare Weiss for her portrayal may affect audience members sensitive to this type of content.

The event will take place in the Sheldon Ballroom on April 30th at 7:00 P.M. When prodded as to why people should come, Shana answers earnestly. “It is so important as to what is going on even though some of these stories have taken place 50-60 years ago. The fact that it’s still relevant and it’s still happening is why you should come see this show.”

Paul Leary and the Business of Music

Given the ways that the digital age has impacted a multitude of industries, it can be seen that the process of event and product promotion has shifted. Social media management has become a path of specialization within the workforce as it offers a direct and simple link between customer and company. Company and product promotion has become so much more about an image and reputation than about output.

SUNY Oswego is instilling these concepts within their students through classes like Paul Leary’s MUS397 class “The Business of Music.” The course is offered through the music department and is a staple of the university’s Arts Management minor. The Arts Management minor, offered as a generalist or business-heavy Pre-MBA track, prepares students with experience working within the arts industry. The class in itself focuses heavily on arts management promotion and affords students a hands-on opportunity to work with promoting live events. In order to give students a range of expertise, they are exposed to a variety of art forms in addition to music. Guest speakers that have come into the class include a composer of movie scores and the artistic director from the recent campus event “Feathers of Fire.” Students have been given insight on adjusting art to different mediums as well as starting an arts company.

The class’s main focus for the past few weeks has been promoting for the music department’s upcoming Collage Concert, taking place this Friday, March 2nd. The students are working with real deadlines, creating content, and making connections to get real-world experience with music advertising. The students have been broken into teams working on local promotion, print design team, social media/digital promotion, and media promotion. All materials seen around campus advertising for the event are student produced and conceptualized. So far they’ve produced posters to be distributed around campus, released free tickets to be given out to local schools, and have created video advertisements.

Overall, the class has much more of an open atmosphere than many lecture-based classes I’ve been a part of. The entire group of students was involved as the graphic design artists showed their different drafts for the final poster, giving constructive criticism and making helpful comments about things that were effective about each draft.The goal is to make content that was clean and organized while pleasing to the eye. The final design currently available around campus was completely student created. Other components of the curriculum include understanding music industry concepts, writing funding grants, designing websites, product marketing, business plan and label designs.

Professor Leary’s class teaches how to not only to succeed in the art industry but how to succeed as a professional. The main takeaway from his recent class: “Don’t use your album to make money. Develop audience first. There’s no money in albums, there’s money in the experience of you.”  This applies to both music promotion and professional development. The path to success is defined by never being afraid to be your most authentic self.

All Things Lakers Have To Be Thankful For This Time of Year

The Lake

Obviously….hello Lakers! But really, watching the incredible ice sheets form and crack throughout the winter is pretty fascinating.

 

Hockey…GO LAKERS!

Hockey season is BACK! Grab a few of your friends and roomies and go to a couple games! They are what our school is known for and what this time of year is all about! A great way to get riled up with all of the Oswego student body is to come cheer on our Lakers in our beautiful hockey arena!

The SUNY Oswego App

The SUNY Oswego App is ammmmaaazzzinngggg. And it is so conveniently located on your phone! The app holds your class schedule, gives you weather updates, lets you know what each dining hall is serving, and more!

FANS Smoothies

If you haven’t been to FANS this semester I highly suggest getting there ASAP! Although it is cold out, their smoothies are so refreshing! If you’re sick of coffee head on down to FANS, located in Marano Campus Center. Also, try their amazing cupcakes!

 

The Ontario Bagel Shop

Get to class late and skip breakfast? No big deal, go grab a bagel at the Ontario Bagel Shop located in Lanigan Hall!

 

Oswego State Hoodies – Campus Store

It’s hoodie season! My favorite season. Bundle up in some of our college apparel! There is quite the selection at the College Store located in the middle of campus in Marano Campus Center. The store has sales and deals all the time and everyone looks great in green and gold!

 

 

The Geese Migrating

Aren’t we all happy about this? Yeah, they’re cute and all…but…they’re everywhere and so is their poop! Not to mention the squawking at 6 AM each morning. Ya, bye geese, see ya in the Spring!

 

The Gym

Our school has two gyms available on campus, Cooper, and Glimmerglass. Heading to the gym is a perfect way to work off your stress.

 

Chicken Patty Day

Of course. The excitement in the air on Campus is real every Chicken Patty Day.

 

The Cooper Creamery

Cooper’s own little ice cream shop with every topping you can think of! Also, some great flavors, try them all!

 

Lakeside Dining Hall Chinese Food

Pretty much as good as any Chinese food I have ever tasted. Available every weekday in the Lakeside Dining Hall.

 

Really Any of Our Dining Halls

We have some really good food here and you will miss it so much when you no longer live on campus. Finding friends with guest swipes is necessary.

 

Kitchenettes – Located in Each of Our Dorm Buildings

No matter where you live, East or West Campus, Riggs, Johnson, Waterbury, Scales, or Onondaga, each of our dorm building are equipt with kitchenettes. Great for the Holiday baking season!

 

Facebook SUNY Oswego Accepted Students Page

Where we met and future students will meet new friends and roommates!

 

Heat in the Dorms

And boy do they crank it up! It is amazing coming in from a blizzard in the Oswego Tundra.

 

Long Jackets With Big Hoods

As I said before, the Oswego Tundra. The wind is crazy here people. Do not forget to bring back your winter jackets!

Boots

Oswego Tundra…need I say more.

 

Headphones

Whether you are walking to class or studying in the library, headphones in – world out.

 

Crossroads Eatery

Looking for a quick bite to eat at any time of day? Crossroads is the place for you! Great breakfast sandwiches and lunches. Great prices – plus – they accept dining dollars! They also carry chicken patties every day! Try one of their cookies, delicious.

 

GET Food

GET Food is a new way to order food for delivery from Domino’s Pizza, Oswego Sub Shop or Wonzone Calzones. Take the time to create a GET Food account and download the app so you will be ready to start placing orders! This service allows students to use dining dollars to order!

 

The Blue Route

Getting us from Onondaga to Shineman every day, all day. Amazing in the winter, you do NOT want to miss the bus!

 

 

Oswego’s Snow Removal Team

Whoever these people are we thank you so much. Every snowy day, every snowstorm, every time we think our cars won’t survive out in the Daga Parking lot, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

 

The Compass

Helps a lot with job searching, resumes, and cover letters.

The Center for Experiential Learning

Internships, internships, INTERNSHIPS!

 

The Writing Center

So helpful when submitting final papers to have an extra eye correct it for you.

 

The Tutoring Center

Sometimes you just need a little bit of one on one extra help and we are so grateful we have this service available to us.

The Library

Finals….Midterms…Papers…the library offers you a sanctuary to do all types of work. The library is a great place and a lot of students find it to be their second home.

The 24-Hour Room

Believe it or not, a lot of us are procrastinators and wait until the very last minute to do anything. Also finals week, it is PACKED!

Starbucks in the Library

Because we need it.


 

Hot French Vanilla Cappuccino in Shinemans Fusion Cafe

Very specific, I know, go try it. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

An Intern Abroad

Imagine a 5’2 American girl lugging 15 lbs worth of equipment on and off the Tube, through places like Trafalgar Square and world famous museums like the Victoria & Albert. That’s my reality every time I go to work.

I’m one of the 3% of American students who intern abroad. I work for a news and entertainment channel called London Live. I get sent all over the city to cover all different kinds of events. My repertoire now includes filming a theatre show designed around accessibility for both deaf and hearing audiences, to covering one of the most famous portraits in the world at the National Gallery.

The Arnolfini portrait is one of the art world’s greatest mysteries. This is a screenshot from one of my pieces I filmed for my job.

Work has also enabled me to attend an exclusive opening at the world famous Saatchi Gallery. After spending a day filming different exhibitions within the gallery, the curator handed me an invitation to attend the members-only opening that night. It was definitely one of the more surreal moments of my life.

A piece by the delightful and talented Daniel Crews Chubb, who I had helped interview earlier that day.

However, that isn’t the only type of things I have covered. My first real day in the office was the bombing at Parsons Green. My train had been cancelled before work so I had to walk/jog to make it. Nobody understood the magnitude of the situation. Even as we covered the scene live, details would trickle out slowly as we learned exactly what happened. I even managed to track down an interview with someone who was on the train. Sure enough, as what happens in big news situations, even reporters from the BBC and other international news companies started trying to record the interview I was getting with the London Live journalist I was sent out with. Talk about an intense and exciting first day!

One of the images I captured at the scene of Parsons Green.

 

Media frenzy at Parsons Green.

My work experience in London has been challenging and immensely rewarding. Finding your footing abroad is no easy feat. I’ve had to adjust to different styles of storytelling, different spellings, navigating a foreign workplace (not to mention an entire city!). However, I truly enjoy all of the change that’s happening in my life. I’ve grown so much in many different ways, both personally and professionally. The tests and challenges keep on coming, but the best way to grow is to keep moving forward and to keep learning.

This is an overlook of–in a broad sense–my office.

The New Face of Dramaturgy at Oswego State Theatre

‘Clybourne Park’, written by Bruce Norris, notably takes place in the time periods 1959 and 2009. With racism being evident the world of the play, the audience witnesses prejudice in America during both the Civil Rights Movement as well as the modern setting of 2009. Racism isn’t always obviously spoken about in the show, as it’s often shown in the context of microaggression. These contrasting worlds, one historically familiar and one that we live in, are portrayed in order to prompt the questions, “What am I like?” and “Do I do that?” Its prevalence takes different forms depending on the time period.With historical significance playing such a key part in the production, an important piece of the process is ensuring historical accuracy as well as performing script analysis. That is where the role of dramaturgy comes in.

This semester has brought many changes within Oswego State’s Theatre department, one of which has come from the hire of the new theatre history and criticism professor Dr. Toby Malone. Malone, whose experiences originated in acting, got his Ph.D. in Theatre at the University of Toronto and there shifted into focus on Dramaturgy. He was attracted to dramaturgy as it bridged the gap between performance and the scholarly aspects of theatre. His early work focused on the structure of Shakespearean plays. Through his work in dramaturgy with theatres, he ensured that the necessary cuts made to the heightened language of Shakespearean plays wouldn’t detract from the overall comprehension of the shows. His thesis research included analyzing cuts made to 16 different productions of ‘Richard III’ and analyzing the cultural beliefs and values of the different time periods based upon the cuts that were made to the individual productions. Malone within his teaching very much stresses the importance of the study of the textual structures of the plays as well as the typical research-based approach to dramaturgy.

The department in the past has become accustomed to assigning one student to act as the dramaturgy for each individual production. This semester, Malone’s THT334 Dramaturgy class are doing dramaturgy for both “Clybourne Park” and “Boeing, Boeing”. Students within the class are immersed in research and interpretation of texts within the realm of the current theatre season. Malone is integrating a digital aspect into the program, having students build a website known as a “Dramaturgy Hub” for both ‘Clybourne Park’ and ‘Boeing, Boeing’. Over his professional career, he had noted that having a book created by the dramaturg containing reference material for the actors often went underused, as actors often don’t have the time to sift through it. He then decided to adopt those resources into a website format. SUNY Oswego’s dramaturgy hub contains facts about different elements of the plays, an “Ask The Dramaturgs” section where members of the production team can submit questions, a glossary for complex language within the text, and other focused research developed by the dramaturg team. Students of the Dramaturgy class have been currently shadowing rehearsals and performances of the ongoing production ‘Clybourne Park’, which premieres Thursday, October 19th, 2017. The students are focusing on reviewing the progress of the show, checking for inconsistencies that need further research, and ensuring that the story being communicated onstage will be understood by the audience.

To see what SUNY Oswego’s THT334 Dramaturgy class has been up to, check out the updated Dramaturgy Hub for ‘Clybourne Park’ at https://sites.google.com/oswego.edu/clybournehub/home

Also, don’t forget to see ‘Clybourne Park’ at Waterman Theatre Thursday, Oct. 19th, and Friday, Oct. 20th at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Oct. 21st at 2pm. Next week the dates are Thursday, Oct. 26th and Friday, Oct. 27th at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Oct. 28th at 2pm with an ASL interpreter.

Introduction: Anna Chichester

Hello! My name is Anna Chichester, and I am one of the new student bloggers for SUNY Oswego. I am a sophomore Public Relations and Theatre major with a minor in Arts Management. I can be seen around campus as a performing member of the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club Improv troupe, the Event Promotions Director for this year’s Media Summit, an active member of Blackfriar’s Theatre Organization, as well as a social media intern with the Department of Marketing and Communication. I will be posting blogs relating to my current projects and about other things seen around campus.

As an involved member of Oswego State’s Theatre department, I will also be managing publicity for this semester’s mainstage production of Clybourne Park directed by Henry Shikongo as well as the student honors production of Boeing, Boeing directed by Megan Hickey. Be sure to follow SUNY Oswego Theatre on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on the production process.

Rokerthon Caps Off Tour at Oswego

Did you happen to catch the familiar green and gold while sipping on your morning coffee? No, your 8 a.m. eyes didn’t deceive you, SUNY Oswego was on the Today Show. In fact, we were pretty busy breaking a world record. Rome may not have been built in a day, but we broke a world record in 5 minutes. Okay, that’s only technically true, but it isn’t the whole story…

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We managed to get 593 skaters to show up at the Marano Campus Center Arena at 4:45 a.m. in preparation for the national broadcast. Who knew you could get 593 to conga across ice to Gloria Estefan so early in the morning? The celebration was splendid, but more than what meets the eye went into putting on an event that sometimes felt like the circus- “The Greatest Show on Earth!”

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Aside from mandatory rehearsals for skaters, it was all hands on deck from virtually all departments on campus. If if wasn’t ice skating recruitment calls which took place in the dining and residence halls, it was working on the broadcast itself. The theatre department set up the lights and came up with the idea of snow machines for Al Roker’s zamboni entrance!

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(He rode in on a bigger zamboni. Team Mini still looked great!)

It would be misleading to say the event was easy. The amount of coordination and organization was Hurculean. It was exhausting, but man, if it wasn’t pretty darn cool. Some were there for Al, some were there for the fun of it, some (like me) got to geek out over the process of national TV (live-to-broadcast drones anyone?!?!). Our student media organizations were able to get interviews with Mr. Roker and develop great material. Del Sarte, the student dance club, brought signs that were cleverly themed to incorporate their recital and NBC. Everyone got to have a unique stamp on the day. Al even visited all of his old haunts around Oswego and campus on Friday!

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(If you go back and watch the recording, you can catch me darting through crowds to run the social media beat!)

The effort on behalf of the student body, administration, and community was incredible. Oswego absolutely has its moments and is a unique place. Why would we get selected out of so many large universities across the nation and Al Roker come back if it wasn’t?