Situating myself as a researcher

This site serves a place for the public to reflect and critique. Here is my offering of myself as a performer, artist, and researcher. Please, feel free to comment and leave your thoughts:

Who I am

I am white. I am male. Many people ask me, “Why are you putting up a feminist Mayan play?” I wish the answer were simple. I wish that I could tell people in one concise sentence that would make them understand why it is important to me. All I can offer to people are reasons why I feel it is important to me and to the world.
When people look at me, they see: white, male. In a quest to define and place myself, I struggle to let people know that I am socially conscience and worry about the world. I want to provide others with opportunities to see the world as I see it: as a global place. By producing and directing a play that is visibly not me, I am able to show others the issues and world that I stand for.
I can be a social person. At times, I thoroughly enjoy getting to know other people. When the opportunity presents itself, I like for them to get to know me. Few people know about who I am, unless I go out of my way to tell them. Like many others in the country, my past is clouded: my history, my heritage. In many ways, I am an alien in the country that I call home. For the vast majority of my life, I have lived in the United States of America. More specifically, in the Midwest. Most specifically, in Illinois. Before I lived here, for a few brief months, my parents were living in Germany. My father was serving in the United States Armed Forces. My mother, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to be with him. Meanwhile, she gave birth to me. Although a completely legal citizen in the United States, I am often times faced with challenges that people who were birthed on geographically American soil are. It is significantly harder for me to get a replacement or official birth certificate. Or, when I travel across international borders, I am stopped and questioned a little bit harder than others. True, my frustrations are only a fraction of what many person’s are. Relatively speaking, I still feel the burden. It makes me conscious to those who have even harder times than I do. I can also thank my father for my heritage as well as my birthplace. A distant relative, a great great grandmother of mine is from a Sioux tribe. Throughout my life, I have placed much pride and significance in my heritage. I proudly boast my bloodlines. I am aware of social and legal issues that revolve around being considered an indigenous person. Again, I have not had to experience the hardships that others have, and legally I am not bound to the Great Sioux Nation. I pass. I pass legally, I pass socially, I pass visually. I do not pass emotionally. Much of this work that I do can be attributed to my family and heritage.
I have always been enthralled with anthropological studies. As an undergraduate student I double majored in Anthropology and Economics. Cultural knowledge consumes me. I have worked in Museums, I have worked as an Archaeologist. This was never enough for me. I needed to have the messages that I feel be provocative, moving, engaging. Not to downplay the work that others do, or that I have done, it just was not as energized or as romantic as I envisioned. Sadly, there are few true Indiana Jones characters remaining in this world. On another note, I have always been in love with the theatre. Performing, watching, directing. I love to write, create, inspire. It only seemed natural that these two passions of my life should link up. Coexist and find the same plane.
I have been exposed to Northern Native American contemporary theatre. I have seen it. I have witnessed it. It is powerful. It is moving. It is electric to me. It tells stories that many people do not have the opportunity to hear, see or even know about. The Mayan peoples are alive. They are not a dead culture. It is shocking to talk to people and know how many people react that way. This is my tribute. This is MAYAmerican.

Staged Reading Number 1

Thanks to all who came out and gave me their time tonight. The staged reading was a real success. I was able to flush out some of my thoughts and ideas with concerned theatre peoples. It was nice to see and understand what outsiders would really like to see and hear to make this piece more relatable to them and their lives. With all my effort, I will make it so!

I also learned that it is really hard to keep it feeling 'authentic' and flowing in English as well. That is the job of a good director I suppose. I'm up for the challenge. Stay positive.

I have also contacted a variety of groups around campus for potential funding and publicity support. It's nice to know that there are so many groups around that are out for the good of community. It's a nice reflection of the play and the importance of community that is portrayed within it.

Staged Readings

Well, in an effort to wrap my head around the play more and to get an idea for a staging, I will be holding three staged readings. One will be tonight with some theatrical friends. Thanks all for coming out to that! As well as two staged readings with a high school class of English students. This should be fun!

On to auditions and casting!

Space and Dates

Okay, so pending any craziness, I have located a space.

Unfortunately, its kind of expensive considering, it is also kind of echoey, and the stage is kind of small. This could be limiting to the process, but it is also challenging. I'm alright with a challenge. Great art is always challenged.

There is no call for sound equipment, which is refreshing.

The goal is to extend the show as far as possible, so having a preshow set list would be very valuable to play. In this space, it may be more distracting than not. On Sunday, I'm taking a special trip over to the space to check it out.


Also, luckily with the help of caring friends, I have already started my donor list.

$50 to defray the costs.

I've started up a budget sheet in excel, thank goodness I was an econ major as an undergraduate.

More to do:

And the list goes on for the staging process.

Unfortunately, I'm terribly ill today, so that always slows a good process down.

However, I am currently searching for a space to perform. I have a few venues in mind and have gone ahead and started to contact them. However, I may have to reconfigure my initial ideas to just be able to find a space.

Ideally the show would be put up for one weekend, with a Friday and Saturday show.

I'm going ahead and contacting parties that might be interested in both participating or helping to fun the production.

I know some people within the theatre community so that is always a benefit.

However, I also have gone ahead and started to contact cultural centers around campus that might be interested in helping out.

Another important thing to consider is finding appropriate funding to put up a show. Even though it will be a very low budget production, there will be a high amount of funds that are needed to put it all on. Relatively speaking of course.

We will need a space to rehearse as well as lights to light the stage. The space may be or may not be expensive, depending on what is available around town. I'm trying to stick to the university community simply because that is where most of the actors will be pulled from. Convenience is always a factor in putting up a theatre production.

Also, something to take care of is contacting the publisher and potentially the playwright to get rights to put the show up. That is next on the list of things to do.

All the while, I have been going through the text with a fine toothed comb. Luckily, I am working directly with a Latino/a studies professor here on campus who has been a huge resource for my background research.

In the back of my mind I have also been thinking about publicity and what type of imagery I should use for any flyers/posters to be put out with the show.

I have a great amount of knowledge of who to contact to try and get more awareness about my show. Many of the cultural centers around campus as well as other theatre groups. Emailings, postering, and the ever incredible facebook to spread the word.

I know a few artists who might be able to create an interesting poster as well, who I will be able to contact and see if they are interested in doing some work.

On and on I go!

The first of many

This site is dedicated to the up and coming production of an indigenous writer's theatrical work on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign's campus.

I am Kevin Reader, your tour guide. I am a graduate student preparing his Master's thesis in Theatre History.

The to do list is long, and scary. But with proper time and preparation, it will all come to fruition.

The following must be done

1. Pick a piece to stage (done)
2. Staged Reading (in the works)
3. Find and reserve a space (in the works)
4. Lights and props
5. Casting
6. Publicity
7. Program

Then, on the other end, an analysis

1. situated introduction
2. analysis of the play
3. analysis of the author
4. analysis of the translation
5. annotated script

This blog serves will serve as an outreach and outlet for interested parties. Criticism is welcomed. The goal of this project is to create an engaging and informed piece of cultural theatre. I invite everyone and anyone to engage in this process with me.