An interactive theater show at Ferris will ask students “What’s your problem?”
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, in University Center room 202, the Ferris Social Work Association will be hosting an interactive group called Theater Delta, who will perform “What’s Your Problem?” an interactive theater performance on the “isms:” racism, heterosexism (discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals) and sexism.
The group’s name is derived from the meaning of the Greek letter delta which symbolizes change. Founded in 2009, their performances focus primarily on topics regarding social policy and issues. Past shows put on by the troupe encapsulate problems such as sexual assault, eating disorders, stress and race relations. According to their mission statement, the goal of the group is to promote dialogue and social change in communities around the globe.
The process of Theater Delta’s interactive performance involves audience witnessing a realistic scene and then interacting with the characters in that scene from their seats and on stage. Members of the audience are given the opportunity to share their reactions, ideas, perspectives and solutions to the conflict.
“Each performance consists of three parts,” said Theater Delta founder Ben Saypol in an interview on North Carolina Public Radio in 2013. “First is a scripted scene, second the audience gets to interact with that scene, the actors remain in character and the audience gets to question and challenge the characters about what they did in that scene and why, and then finally we have a facilitated dialogue about the issues where we go ‘Alright, you’ve seen a scene and interacted with it. What’s come up for you? What are you thinking and feeling about these issues?’”
To close the performances, audience members are educated about local resources pertaining to the issues that were discussed.