MY HEART IS IN THE EAST: EXPLORING THEATER AS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE, INSPIRED BY THE POETIC PERFORMANCES OF ANCIENT ANDALUCÍA JESSICA LITWAK A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May, 2015 This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled: MY HEART IS IN THE EAST: EXPLORING THEATER AS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE, INSPIRED BY THE POETIC PERFORMANCES OF ANCIENT ANDALUCÍA prepared by Jessica Litwak is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Change Approved by: Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D., Chair date Elizabeth Holloway, Ph.D., Committee Member date D. Soyini Madison, Ph.D., Committee Member date Dara Culhane, Ph.D., Committee Member date Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston, Ph.D., External Reader date Copyright 2015 Jessica Litwak All rights reserved Acknowledgments No theater project is ever created or produced out by one person. No scholarly work comes out of one mind. No community action is a solo endeavor. The following people have believed in my vision and have edged me toward the completion of this project through many challenges. Their support emotionally, intellectually, and artistically enabled this dissertation to reach fruition. Dr. Carolyn Kenny—A sword in the clouds, an iron orchid, a compassionate warrior and a mother lion, Carolyn was my North Star, my Sherpa, my champion, and my challenger. Without her guidance, this dissertation simply would not have been conceived, written, and finished. During hours of doubt or darkness she offered hope in the form of scholarly articles, poems, stories, parables, gentle scolding, and vigorous pep talks. I am eternally grateful for Carolyn’s faith, wisdom, and spirit. Dr. Elizabeth Holloway—Elizabeth is a consummate teacher. She is a brilliant theorist who puts her students first. She creates safe space in the classroom so all feel free to endeavor personal and scholarly discovery. Her kind heart and theoretical mind work in tandem to inspire honest and dedicated efforts from those around her. I am grateful for the model she offers of two things I aspire to be: a good scholar and a good person. Dr. D. Soyini Madison—Soyini is a passionate believer in the power of intelligent activist art to create change. She gives voice to ideas and beliefs that are simultaneously courageous and insightful, broad, and precise. Her expression of scholarship is so merged with her views on art and social justice that she is a personified example of my theories about the feminine principle, and the inclusive hybridity that is the engine inside The H.E.A.T. Collective. I am grateful for her inspiration. i Dr. Dara Culhane—Dara is a barometer of honest scholarship and intelligent justice. She is fearlessly honest and diligent in her investigation of ideas and language. She holds a magnifying glass up to her own words and to the words of others. Scrupulous in her reflections, she is willing to re-examine thoughts that have been examined before in order to discover the truth. I am grateful for her intellectual force, her attention to detail. Dr. Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston—Dr. Kazubowski-Houston is an inspiring model to me. Her research and documentation of her theatrical field work with Roma women in Poland is an example of excellence in arts scholarship. Deb Baldwin—Deb is the most patient, innovative, and hard-working librarian anyone could hope for. Her care for students and her ability to translate her expertise to those with limited understanding of cyber research is astounding. Thank you, Deb. Thanks to Antioch University, Laurien, and Al, my professors, and my wonderful Cohort C12. And to all who worked with me on My Heart is in the East, including: Catherine Filloux, Cobina Gillet, Daniel Jaquez,, Sidd Joag, the H.E.A.T. Collective staff: Tammy Kremer and Deb Driscoll, the folks at La Mama, including: Nicky Pariso, Julia Dobner-Perierra, David Diamond and Mia Yoo. And to my dear friends Kelli Cox and Stephen Grafenstine who never stopped believing that I am smart. Dedication This work is dedicated to all of the artists across the globe struggling to live their lives and make their art despite daily circumstances of oppression, poverty, and violence. And to my colleagues in theater, drama therapy, and human rights, who courageously work for peace and justice through creative interventions in zones of conflict. ii And to my daughters Emma and Sophie Weinstein who give me reason to keep working for a better world. iii Abstract This study addresses the research question “How Do I Inspire Personal and Social Change Through My Theater Practice?” I implement the theory and practice of H.E.A.T., a fusion theater system, combining use of theater arts as healing practice, educational asset, activist tool, and an art form. I research different ways that theater can affect change, focusing specifically on the use of history in performance. I dramatically interpret a period of history where performance and poetry contributed to change. I utilize qualitative methods including performance ethnography, auto ethnography, arts-based research, and historical research. I describe the fieldwork in conflict zones in the Middle East, which led to the scripting of a full-length play, and the presentation of the play, which included discussion groups and audience participation through post-show events. The dissertation is a bricolage, combining scholarly chapters, performative writing, and scripted theater. The work explores ways of employing theater as a change agent by using history as an inspiration. In the city of Cordoba, Spain, in the 10th and 11th century Muslims and Jews lived in a state of relative peace. Looking at medieval Cordoba I explore the Judeo-Arabic poetry of the time, asking: Can what happened in Cordoba be a model for performance and peacebuilding? Based on historical research, the Judeo-Arabic poetry of ancient Al-Andalusia, and the theory of performative peacebuilding, the dramatically scripted section of the dissertation will take place in two realms: Present-day conflict zones in the Middle East; and medieval Cordoba where two ancient characters convey a story of coexistence through poetic expression. In three decades of working as a theater artist, I have come to believe that my work must be dedicated to facilitating change. The sacred and ancient art of theater needs to be meaningful to 21st-century life so that we can use it to awaken, heal, educate and repair the world. This dissertation is accompanied by five supplemental MP4 video files. This Dissertation iv is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ v Table of Contents Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... i List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x List of Supplemental Files ............................................................................................................. xi Prologue Poem: Situating the Researcher ....................................................................................... 1 Act One: Pre-Show ......................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction (Act One) .................................................................................................................... 2 An Artist’s Manifesto ................................................................................................................. 2 Ritual ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Taking Off ................................................................................................................................... 4 Can Theater Change the World? ................................................................................................. 7 Three Paradigms ....................................................................................................................... 10 Healing ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Education .................................................................................................................................. 19 Activism .................................................................................................................................... 22 Theater ...................................................................................................................................... 26 Summary of Chapters ............................................................................................................... 32 Act One: Chapters One, Two, and Three .............................................................................. 32 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 34 Conversations With Remarkable Scholars .................................................................................... 40 The Big Fish .............................................................................................................................