What Do You Do When Your Friend Sudden Seems To Hate You?

As we strive to be more inclusive in theatre and specifically on Broadway, we also need to have the discussion on how much it is appropriate to but actors through. 

Stories about bigotry and the history of it are very important, and in a space like Broadway where you are performing the show over and over, for eight shows a week for a year or more, that can be incredibly taxing. And yes, they are professionals, and part of being professional is being able to hold up a healthy divide between performance and real life, but let me ask you this: If you were doing a show where you were playing a character who got called ugly all throughout the show, would you as the actor be able to go home every night feeling perfectly fine and not having taken those comments to heart? Probably not. And just being called ugly is of course no where near the same level as experiencing racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, etc.

One example of this is the taunting scene in West Side Story, (trigger warning for mentions of sexual assault) a show that is already about gang fighting between one with white members, the Jets, and one who’s members are from Puerto Rico, the Sharks. In the scene if you haven’t seen it, Anita, who is Latina, is pinned down and sexually harassed by members of the Jets. As you can imagine, it’s incredibly hard to watch. And if you are in the very large group of people who have survived sexual assault, especially a woman, ESPECIALLY a woman of color, it can be extremely triggering to see, let alone perform. In fact, Rita Moreno, who played Anita, found the scene incredibly hard to do, as it brought back her own memories of sexual assault. And that was in the movie. I can only imagine how horrible it would be to do eight nights a week in front of over a thousand people.

Clearly, good and accurate representation in theatre and all forms of art does not mean stories that are always about the oppression of whichever group you are trying to represent. It’s about finding that balance between those stories, which are important, and stories that show members of disenfranchised communities not having to face bigotry constantly. And while we work to find that balance, we must remember that just because the bigot is someone playing a character does not mean that the bigotry isn’t real to the person on the receiving end. 

“You’re too young to be so tired”

Madame my brain is melting out my eyes from exhaustion, will you shut up

“You’re too young to be in pain”

I will end you.

and go to hell

It’s come to my attest that I should probably post some of the art for Demons &Drag since I can’t focus long enough to finish the last eat chapter currently so

Here

In order we have Jem, Surri and Anitri

So I’ve been struggling recently with whether or not things I’ve done actually happened. Like my dreams are so plain and “normal” they seem like everyday occurrences so I can’t recall if they actually happened or if I dreamed them.

Howdy from your local demi boy, enby, he/they. I am your parent and you are safe here.

since the old version of this post was flagged for 'adult content'...

reblog this post if your account is a trans safe space or owned by a trans person!

along with that, reblog if your account is a trans non-binary spectrum safe space or owned by someone on the trans enby spectrum!

Casually remembering when a classmate mentioned something about burning easily in the sun and I said “pale skin gang” and they paused and said “no I’m definitely paler than you” and pulled up their sleeve.

Now I didn’t mean it as a competition, I feel that’s obvious from the statement, but I plopped down my milky, semi translucent arm and stared them down.

“Holy shit, you could be a vampire”

“Pale skin gang, we all burn together”

Mind you, I can see my veins from my shoulder all the way into my hands

But the nurses can never find a vein that works

Damn you rollie veins

“why bother writing bisexual characters if they just end up in a m/f relationship”

my dude

my guy

my pal

stop talking forever

Yo I also have over pronated ankles and wear insoles and hypermobile eds, but I have been wearing these insoles for a decade and I was only diagnosed with eds earlier this year. And they’re custom insoles from like a military doctor because of how messed up my ankles are cause they normally only do those for veterans and not dependents.

How did it take this long for me to be diagnosed?!?!?

I’ve been unable to get the insoles I have been using for years and went with a “recommended brand”.

Of course I spent a whole month trying to keep my knee in place before it occured to me that the new insoles were not doing their job.

Anyway, I now recommend PCSsole Heavy Duty Arch supports for over pronation, because I can walk again.

Just remembering the times I’ve actively been falling asleep in front of a doctor due to my chronic fatigue but then they still don’t do anything but tell me I need more sleep

Which isn’t unreasonable but I am a student. An AP GT student who falls asleep during class as well so I don’t get the notes or miss the lesson so I have to come in after school to get notes (or dig around the online classroom for the teachers that actually post their notes) and then have to teach myself the lesson.

Then I have to do the homework which is difficult for me to focus on (we think it’s undiagnosed adhd given other symptoms) and trying to complete the assignment takes a minimum of an hour. Give or take given exhaustion and falling asleep reading the questions, pain in my wrist, fingers, hands, etc, or having to do other things.

Then multiple by the four educational classes I’m in (thank god French doesn’t have homework)

I get as much sleep as I can

All this to say, I’m glad it’s summer and I’m glad I was finally diagnosed (maybe collegeboard will finally consider accommodating me)