Sometimes I wonder if, with all that is happening in the world, I’m doing the right thing with my life. Should I be out there in the streets or trying to smash into the corridors of power and make a difference socially and politically? If I believe in theatre and the arts, should I be devoting my energies to bringing it to the people who have the least opportunity to access it instead of to those privileged enough to go to college?
What, really, am I doing, and why? There are days when I can answer that question and feel positive about myself. Today is not one of them. In part, it’s probably because I’m at the end of the semester and up against writing deadlines that make my life stressful and I never, ever feel positive about the papers I write at the end of the semester. Still, sometimes I do wonder.
Peter: your last three posts express a frustration that is understandable. Figuring out how to get on top of the workload is difficult . . . it is a normal part of graduate work. The larger concern about making a difference can be answered, in part, by the completion of your Ph.D. . . . it will give you a platform and opportunities to make a difference. The rhetorical power of the theatre is not to be minimized and being in a position to share that with various publics is not to be minimized. You can make a difference in the political and social fabric of our world, doing so will be empowered and energized with a Ph.D.