Understanding Gender with the Yours Truly Playback Theatre Troupe

Last weekend we spent in Bangalore working with the Yours Truly theatre company. We also had the pleasure of meeting with Fausto And Elena, Playbackers from Italy. The weekend  was one of connection between people from 3 continents, exploring themes that connect us all: culture, faith, and Playback . Our differing backgrounds created a rich experience.

On Sunday, Michael and I led the troupe in looking at the issues facing them around gender. Many deep feelings arose as the group ask itself questions about their identity as men and women- looking for a way to be authentic, and for their voices to be heard. In the afternoon, we split up into two groups, men and women. In the women’s circle we share what it was like to desire our voices be heard, for us to be taken seriously, and for us to be able to have our needs met in this process. In coming back together, the men on one side and the women on the other shared their feelings and experiences. The men playing back for the women, and the women playing back for the men. In the end, the stories went very deep as group worked to truly hear each other through the veil of cultural and societal expectations and norms. This is a group prepared to lead the way to having their voices be heard. In the end,  the women and men of realized their wants, hopes and needs were very much aligned.

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Elephant Park

This post was written last Tuesday evening.

Today was our third day in Kochi- We arose early (My body is still somewhere over the Arabian Sea, and so waking at 330 is the norm right now. Michael fared better- I woke him at 5, as we had a 6am take off in a hired car to go to the village of Kotanad and the Elephant Kraal. I inherited a deep love of Elephant, their sense of family, and ritual and strength and this love passed down through the generations in my family.

Michael, with a desire to appease this desire of mine agreed to get up at this ridiculous hour to go and see these mighty beasts.

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Arrived in Kerala

We arrived in the wee hours this morning to Cochin, Kerala. I managed to sleep a bit on the plane- My body appears to understand this ritual now. We spent an enormous time at JFK- a long layover that in the end saved us oodles of cash-So worth it in the end.

It took me(us)  weeks to pack and figure out how to pack so that it was a)under the weight limit and b) easy to manage for me as I am the lead pack horse in our family.Finally, on the day we left, we figured that with 3 carry on bags and a backpack- I can get creative with stacking and rolling to make carrying easier. With my husband on crutches, it is challenging for him to move and carry. I depend on him to help me lift. We make a good team.

We are staying briefly at a hotel where there are lotus’s, and other beautiful flowers. We have discovered that the internet is VEEERRRY slow. So hopefully we can add photos at another time when the internet is Veeeerrry fast.

The first few days we are taking to ourselves. We are tourists. We are both looking forward to the slower pace as the last few days/weeks/ nay months have been over abundant in things/work to do. It is a welcome relief to be able to have this time in a place that is warm and sunny.

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