Tag Archives: touching

Theatre Pre-Performance Ritual for RENT

Main Piece

“[This ritual] is very common: the whole team tapping a sign before a game. In RENT, we have a plaque hand-carved by Jonathan Larson’s uncle that he carved when he died that his sister gave us. She came in and talked to our cast, and her and his college roommates gave us this plaque for the duration of our show. And it’s this big hand-carved plaque that says “Thank you, Jonathan Larson” on it. It’s hung up backstage, and after our group circle, we all have to go up to it one by one [before every performance] and like, place our hands on it and thank him before we go onstage to perform…Really simple, but we all do it and constantly remind each other of it and it’s really important to our cast.

Some of us like, if we’re feeling especially emotional, will literally sit in front of it and cry. I’m so serious, I’ve done that, ’cause Jonathan Larson is really important to me.”

Interpretation

Informant Interpretation: Informant related ritual to common sports team rituals of tapping a specific sign for luck or protection before a game. They also mentioned that the pre-RENT performance tapping of the sign was a means of “community building” and enabled cast members to “ground themselves” and “remind themselves about why they’re doing this piece of art.”

Personal Interpretation: This is clearly an important tradition to the informant and their cast, furthered by the subject matter of RENT (queer people living in NYC during the HIV/AIDS crisis) and fact that its creator, Jonathan Larson, died one day before the musical’s original opening in 1996. The sign is a physicalized reminder of the humanity and weight the show carries, and gives the cast members a material way to remember the real people it’s grounded in before going onstage. To me, it sounds like tapping this sign is a ritualized remembrance of the responsibility to tell and represent an important, nuanced story to the audience, and for the cast to honor the people around them–cast, crew, relatives, friends, and more–as well as the source of the art they’re bringing into the light.

Background

Informant is a 21 year old college student studying theatre at USC. The performance of RENT mentioned happened this semester, with rehearsals running January-April and performances in April. It was put on by the USC School of Dramatic Arts–informant performed in the ensemble for all performances. Informant is mixed race (white and Pacific Islander), and identifies as queer and fem-presenting.

Riddle: “The less of them you have, the more one is worth. A Friend.”

Text: “The less of them you have, the more one is worth. A Friend.”

Context: This riddle came from a movie I enjoy dearly, The Batman. This riddle is very important to me because it is a significant saying that reflects many aspects of life, from people to inanimate objects. This riddle can be interpreted in different contexts but it says the overall message that more does not equal better. Some people may not have a lot but being grateful and having one thing can account for everything. For example, having one good reliable friend can make up for having lots of friends who are unreliable.

Analysis: This riddle signifies a strong feeling of valuing what you have rather than how many of a specific thing you have, in this case, friends. The meaning to the informant is important because it reflects an aspect of their life where they learn to appreciate what they have rather than what they don’t. This riddle may relate to a group of people who feel the need to have a lot of one thing instead of valuing what they already have. Having the mentality of wanting more than appreciating what one has could cause one to lose touch with reality and become inconsiderate of what they have in front of them. This riddle goes as far as to set a reminder to people that all things don’t last forever so it is important to value what you have when you have it, and also to appreciate those who stay with you through thick and thin. Despite the riddle being able to be linked to a specific culture, it aims to challenge people to think differently about what they have and how they appreciate it, whether that be enough or not enough, the riddle makes one think and evaluate if they value what they have.