Prototyping Live Performance Scenarios
The power of live performance can make a viewer experience real feelings that parallel those being performed by the actor. It can alter one’s relationship with the subject matter or history at hand, and it can even change one’s own thoughts by inducing self-reflection. If done right, it may even be able to produce behavioral change in its audience as they leave the theatre and return to the “real world.”
Which is why I want to use live performance as Stage II of my thesis exhibition. But the difference will be that the viewer will not be a passive audience member, but will be inserted into the scenario to heighten the sense of realness that can be evoked during live performance.
My goal is to create scenarios that challenge men’s assumptions of the lives and conversations that women have on a daily basis, to bring to light the challenges and adversity they face simply for being women. By having men perform some of the dialogue with trained actors, I hope to induce empathetic feelings towards these issues that women must face without much support from men in general. If its impact is strong enough, then it might be possible to create behavioral change and strengthen the relationships between men and women. This will be part of the third stage of the exhibition, where I will present guidelines and steps to take to become better allies for women in our personal lives and in society at large.
Below is an example of one scenario that addresses the wage gap between men and women and how it has been institutionalized to disproportionately affect woman more than men. It is based off of a real woman’s experience: http://www.aauw.org/2013/04/30/lawsuit-only-option-fair-pay/
Background: Woman learns she is being payed less than a new hire who she has more experience and education. She talks to HR and her supervisor about getting fair pay, but is stymied at every attempt.
Co-Worker: Hey, I was just talking to the new hire over lunch the other day to get to know him a little better, and the topic of pay came up because he said he was really happy with his starting salary. He seemed friendly so I pushed a little and asked him about how much, and he said in the high 80’s. Um, Isn’t that more than you’re making now?
Woman: Yes! By a couple thousand at least! I know its been 3 years since I started and starting salaries should be higher, but I had a master’s degree and definitely more experience than him when I started — this must be a mistake.
Co-Worker: What are you going to do?
Woman: I’ll bring it up with HR. This should be resolved fairly quick if it was a mistake like I think it is.
Co-Worker: I hope it works out.
(Woman goes to HR)
Woman: Hi. I need to talk to you about my salary. I recently found out that a new hire with less experience and education than me when I started is actually making more money than I currently am now.
HR: Hey, I wish there was something I could do, but salaries our decided by a formula of which I can’t control.
Woman: Okayyy, but have you heard of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 which requires employers to give women and men equal pay for equal work? Well, I’m more experienced and have been working more and I am getting payed less.
HR: (somewhat flustered, but sounding more serious) Okay, We’ll look into it and I’ll get back to you in a week or so.
(one month goes by after not hearing back from HR and the woman contacts HR to tell them she is going to go through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she then receives a letter from HR explaining that they can and will not be doing anything on her behalf.)
(Feeling belittled and undervalued, she talks to her supervisor instead)
Woman: I recently learned that a new male employee with less education and experience than me was making more money than me. I brought it up with HR and they took a month to tell me that they couldn’t do anything about it.
Supervisor: What? That’s terrible and not right — You’ll never catch up to him in the pay scale. I don’t know how we’ll fix this, but we’re going to tackle this together.
Woman: Thank you. That means a lot, especially coming from another woman.
(one week later)
Woman: Hey! Have you spoke with management about my situation yet?
Supervisor: (a bit sheepishly) Ahh, I can’t talk to you about that, okay?
Woman: What? Why? What did they tell you?
Supervisor: Look, I don’t think it’s right what has happened to you, but I was reprimanded for bringing up differences in employee salaries because there’s a clause in our contracts that says co-workers can’t disclose how much they make to one another — and they threatened legal action if you or I continue to bring it up. I’m sorry, but I’m in a bind, don’t you see?
Woman: I get it. I don’t want you to lose your job over me, but what else can I do? I know that they base salary on prior pay which is generally a 5 percent increase, and since I moved from a different state with a lower cost of living, that my starting pay was considered a 19 percent pay increase, but If you only use prior pay to set salaries, then you are perpetuating the pay gap. It doesn’t make any sense. I have more seniority, more experience, and more education, and I’ll never catch up to this colleague’s pay.
