Even though the event was billed as a “silent sit-in,” Communication sophomore Josh Schecter wasn’t afraid to shout at passers-by.
“If you love America, or if you hate America, we want you to see this show,” he said, clutching a protest sign.
Schecter and a group of other students took their places in front of The Rock Thursday afternoon to promote “Things I Love About America,” a play that focuses on how the many cultures in the United States interact with one another.
The show opens tonight and is sponsored by WAVE Productions and Alianza, a student group that works to increase awareness of Hispanic and Latino culture.
The play’s assistant producer, Nicole Keating, a Communication sophomore, said promoting the show through a protest rather than covering the campus with flyers reflects the unique nature of this production.
“It’s a special project,” Keating said, holding two protest signs highlighting lines from the play. “I think special projects often have important things to say.”
The protest was meant to catch people’s attention, said Producer Stephanie Fine, a Communication sophomore.
“We are just trying to advertise,” she said. “We really want to get the word out about this production.”
Fine said “Things I Love About America” is just what Northwestern needs.
“It’s not cliche, it’s provocative,” she said. “It brings up a lot of issues our campus could deal with.”
Schecter said the promotion and the play are meant to bring NU closer as a community.
“‘Things I Love About America’ is partly about uniting the campus,” he said. “This is one step toward that goal.”
Schecter said the production also illustrates the effectiveness of theater in promoting discussion.
“It’s an interesting look at race relations and lots of other issues affecting America,” Schecter said. “It shows how theater can bring up these issues and present them in a creative way.”
WAVE Special Events Coordinator Maggie Killacky, a Communication sophomore, said this is the first time WAVE and Alianza have worked together. The combination was necessary because of the production’s goals, she said.
“Since this project deals with provocative issues of race, gender and sex, we knew that this event had to reach outside of the theater community,” she said. “At the play, everyone will see an issue explored on stage that we are sometimes hesitant to explore.”
Alianza Co-President Lijia Evariz, a Weinberg junior, said the production aims to bring attention to the different cultures in America.
“Bringing awareness to the community at large has become crucial nowadays,” she said.
Evariz hopes NU students who see the production leave with more insight.
“I think students could definitely learn a lot from this production about diversity and how there is much we can learn from our differences,” she said.
“I think this could help everyone who sees this play embrace other cultures and be more accepting of things that we may not understand.”
“Things I Love About America” runs today and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Annie May Swift Hall.
Reach Patrick St. Michel at [email protected]
