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Flash Interviews

Posted by DCA Theater on September 13, 2011 in July-December 2011 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Halcyon Theatre

Submitted by Coya Paz, Writer/Developer for The Americans, a work being developed with Halcyon Theatre

On Saturday, we took advantage of the DCA Incubator’s prime downtown location to go out onto the street and do some flash interviews. Working in pairs, we set out to ask random people on the street two questions:

1.) Are you an American?
2.) If you could tell 100 people one thing about being an American, what would it be?

The ensemble tried to reach a broad spectrum of people - approaching people of different genders, ages, races, and clothing styles, but with a few exceptions, the answers were pretty consistent. Most people said that being an American meant “Freedom.”

Since then, we’ve been in a frenzy trying to list all of the different things Americans imagine ourselves free to do, and our list just keeps growing and growing. At the same time, we find ourselves debating “the fiction of our national identity.” Because for every freedom we believe we have, we can list example after example where that liberty has been denied or perverted. But perhaps what makes even this contradiction feel particularly American is that the denial of freedom (including due process) feels like a betrayal of what could be: the fundamental promises of the United States. I don’t know. The cynic (and historian) in me thinks that these promises have never really been fulfilled, certainly not for everyone. But the optimist in me still has hope for their potential.

Meanwhile, we’ve also started making a list of real and tangible things we love about the United States, beyond democratic ideals. Some of the things on our list? The World’s Largest Ball of Yarn. Milkshakes. Thai food and Mexican food and sushi on one block. Go Carts. Pop Tarts. Miniature Golf. Dolly Parton.

This isn’t an easy list for us - most of the ensemble have complicated relationships to being “American.” But it is a fun one. Got anything to add? What feels, to you, quintessentially “American?”

And remember, if you want to check out our process as we develop this piece, we have open rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9. Swing by!