TRAVEL DISPATCH #5 - JUNE 25, FRIDAY EVENING - SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - ATHE CONFERENCE - [ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE IN HIGHER EDUCATION] Could it be that I am done? The intensity of this experience has been so overwhelming, made comfortable by the unbelievable lodging (I wanted to stay in that shower forever) and the generosity of ATHE all the way around. Damned be the 115-degree Scottsdale weather and that weird dust storm that roared through town, Arizona is full of contradiction and survival, these people are desert people for sure. It brought back a lot of my memories of my year in Tucson with the good folks at Borderlands Theatre. At some point in the middle of the day I would run to the university library and wait until evening cooled down. I felt like Popeye’s ‘Wimpy’ character, meeting folks in little gold buffet rooms at key meal times (Ah, I get how this works…) Although, I am guilty as charged on the late-night vulture pizza/chicken satay fest that was held in newly elected president, Patricia Ybarra’s room. She is quite something that Patricia; smart, funny, full of irony, exemplary calm public speaking, and subversive leadership skill and able to find the room service menu items worth ordering. Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez, my co-conspirator in all matter of art and the academy, along with scholar Patricia Herrera, literally held my hand as they delivered me from event to event on time and would graciously intervene as I was most enjoying the memory parade of seeing so many former colleagues and dear long time friends. They know how to conference shuffle. But it was in meeting new people that this event really galvanizes its power. The beautiful testimonies people shared around their own loss and grief after my keynote. Enjoying the lovely in the hall and by the restroom introductions with professors in rural areas who are the sole members of their departments and the many forms of theatre that get taught in schools throughout this country. I had an exchange with a big macho cowboy hat wearing stud that explained to me that Oklahoma was the musical theatre capital producer of talent in America, proudly slipping Kristin Chenoweth into the conversation. Or the ‘deviser’ who was explaining how he creates theatre, and political action, in migrant communities. He said, “Come play with us.” My regret truly, the schedule was full. Dr. Tiffany, as I like to call her, is ‘my everything’, a great thinker and dreamer of practical solutions on stage and in a classroom. I am so very grateful for her impassioned support and collaborative spirit all through this experience, which helped with my last event. I was so happy I didn’t stop to ponder the enormity of teaching a paid workshop at ATHE for fellow theatre professors. YIKES. What could be more intimidating than a group of veteran artists, scholars and practitioners, twenty-five strong, waiting for you to show the goods? I have to admit it was intimidating to walk in, but immediately exhilaration took over and I felt like I was in a writer’s group I had once belonged to or a faculty meeting where you are trying to unpack some mystery of the world. Tlaloc Rivas was a smiling reassuring face. The ‘students’ were hardly that, they were like family (including a crazy relative or two) and they tried to write as quickly as I was talking. I was determined to give them every trick of the trade and provide an answer for every challenge they posed. Three hours have never roared by so fast and I am grateful for the humbling experience of having done it, no better way to learn, right? But I was exhausted afterward. And just to end this experience in the proper cultural way, all the Latinos gathered last night to get an update on the Latino Commons and all activity for scholars and artists. It was an amazing room of veterans, young scholars and a lot of great thinkers in our community. Led by Kinan Valdez, this deep and enriching encounter was simple and effective. Lets talk history, the future and then schmooze. Met a wonderful young playwright who graduated from Brown, Victor Casares, who was formal for about two minutes and then we talked Portland restaurants, his current hometown. I cant even begin to name all the importance in that room, but rest assured, the brain trust is powerful and growing. Well, my time here is done. I already wish I was free to just sit and experience the 350 available panels, but I have an event in Oregon promptly at 10am Sunday morning. Life Lesson Take Away: The fun never stops.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 18:51:48 +0000
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