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While classes don’t resume until Monday, the UW-L senior joined other students on campus last week writing, researching, discussing and preparing skits for the Awareness through Performance initiative.
She and others will debut the results of their work at 7 p.m. today in Graff Main Hall auditorium.
“It is a great time,” said Hill, who has been involved with the initiative since it started in 2005. “We laugh. We cry. It is a learning experience.”
Coordinated though UW-L’s campus climate office, the initiative prepares a series of productions to foster discussion and understanding about social issues.
Performances can be through skits, music, slide shows or other forms. Nearly all are developed by students, based on their experiences.
“This allows students to put their story on stage, and that is very empowering,” said Beth Hartung, who started the initiative as campus climate coordinator. “It allows them to learn from each other and hear each other’s story.”
In a skit years ago, Hill said she talked about stereotypes about blacks, answering questions such as, “Are you attending UW-L on a sports scholarship?” or “Can you teach me how to dance?”
“In a humorous way, it makes you think, take a step back and say, ‘Have I thought that?’” she said.
Awareness through Performance is not just about race and ethnicity, Hartung said, but other issues such as sexism, ageism, classism, heterosexism and gender expression and identity.
Six performances through Awareness through Perfor-mance are planned on campus throughout the school year. The group also has performed at public schools, teachers conferences and in-services, and had many other requests, said Hartung.
While performances in the fall semester generally focus on awareness, spring semester performances tend to dig
deeper into the issues, said Hartung.
The upcoming “Privilege Unplugged II edition” event will examine privilege and power in the community, culture and world, said Amanda Florence Goodenough, UW-L communications and assessment coordinator.
“We all have some kind of privilege, one way or another,” said UW-L senior Mao Cheng.
For example, Cheng said, she doesn’t have the privilege of being white or male, yet she does have the privilege of being an able-bodied person and a heterosexual.
“I can get married, hold my husband’s hand in public and not have people stare at me,” she said. “I don’t have to experience what gays and lesbians go through. Being here has helped me think about that.”
Hill said she sees signs her performances make a difference.
“Sometimes I look down and see the emotion in their face,” she said. “I know the emotion coming across is heartfelt.”
If You Go
What: The “Privilege Unplugged II edition” of the Awareness through Performance initiative
When: 7 p.m. today and Monday, and March 4
Where: UW-L’s Graff Main Hall auditorium
COST: Free
KJ Lang can be reached at (608) 791-8226 or klang@lacrossetribune.com.
