August 23

Today we finished the read-through with our own roles and had a lot of discussion about why the show is important right now and why it was added as part of our season. Finishing the read-through was enlightening because it made me start to think about where I change my mind and start to vote not guilty and how I am able to hold out for so long. This was really interesting for me to think about because I know that I, as a person, would have changed my vote much earlier in the show based on the evidence that is presented. This gives me an objective to overcome in working within the motivation of the character to find all the moments that my perspective shifts and justifying my point of view even though it so vastly differs from my own. This is not an obstacle I have had to grapple with as much in my previous roles because, for the most part, I have inherently understood the motivations of the characters I have played and related to them much more easily than I have with the character in this show. I loved the conversation that came in rehearsal today about the importance of this show and why it has such a powerful message right now. The incoming first years this year had their diversity session on civil discourse and the importance of having difficult conversations. I think this show plays into this show very well because we can see the harm in not engaging in civil discourse and what happens when respect is not present in a conversation. I think this is especially important because the landscape we are currently in is so divided and there is so little respect in conversations across the divide today. One thing I said in rehearsal that I will continue to stand by is that this show will continue to be important to do so long as there is still a group that is generalized and treated with a lack of respect. The importance of this show is that it teaches us to move past our initial thoughts and perceptions of others and to critically engage with and listen to others, especially when we disagree with them. This is part of what makes me so excited to be a part of this show, is that I truly believe it is one of the most important shows that could be done right now given the landscape of our country and the issues we have had for the last decade.