Tina Cody is a senior with passion— passion for the arts, for Bucknell, and for social change. Her most recent endeavor, “Rage Behind Curtains”, has successfully sparked conversation around campus regarding our social scene, but there is so much more to her story. I know every single one of us can learn something from Tina’s brave undertaking.
You recently created an incredibly innovative production about the Bucknell social scene, “Rage Behind Curtains”. What drove you to put stories about our social scene in a theatrical setting?
I believe art can change the world. I know from deep within me that art can change communities for the better. (I just have never tried it before!) This project has given me the chance to experiment with theatre and social change in a way that is simply all about talking and listening to one another. As of right now, I want to use art to engage with each other in an honest way about what we do not want to talk about or have trouble talking about.
How did you go about making this production?
I spoke to people. I spoke to as many students as I could. I began interviewing friends of mine and then expanded to as many students as I could possibly connect with. I tried to reach a wide variety of Bucknell students: women, men, freshmen through seniors, international students, transfer students, LGBT students, students of different races and economic backgrounds…I listened to Bucknell students as much as possible. I asked very general questions about their Bucknell experience and the social scene and transcribed all of the interviews. I went through a heart wrenching process of choosing 22 stories for the performance on December 4th and tried my best to perform the stories in the way that students expressed them to me.
What was the most affecting or interesting thing you learned while putting together this show?
This is such a hard question! I have learned so much. I guess the most effective way to describe a major realization I had is through a journal entry I wrote on October 31st. Here it is:
“I just had this realization. This is it. Do you know you can’t schedule an event on the quad? You cannot do anything on the quad except matriculate during orientation and graduate. Did you know that? This is it. I’ve stumbled on it. Think about it…have you ever seen anything on the quad except people studying, tanning, and playing frisbee? Ah i get this. It’s all clicking. It’s all about the quad. If you think about space metaphorically–what is the quad? THE HEART. If the quad is the beating heart of Bucknell, the center, if we as students or anyone can’t say anything at the center, the heart, what is it saying about us? The heart is frozen, “hollow” space as some people refer to it as. The center of our campus is hollow? If we can’t speak at the center of the University no wonder we are having trouble speaking to each other. That space shows the core of our University–by nothing happening there, our perfectly trim grass and plants–it’s all about image! This image of perfection on the surface. At this place we enter and exit the University and while we’re not doing that we’re silent and quiet looking perfect.
I think this project, these interviews give students a voice. We can speak to each other honestly and at the moment that’s all we need.”
I learned that Bucknellians want and need to speak with each other and art and help us do that!
What did you hope to achieve through this process?
This process is not over! Change does not end because the semester is coming to a close! I hope to continue this project next semester and I would love to see it continue in the future! I do not have any expectations except I want to make as many students voices heard as possible. I am not planning on stopping this project any time soon. I am open to ideas, criticism, questions, and any discussions! Please contact me if you have a story to share or want to interview or just want to talk…Bucknellians have a lot of positive and negative things to say about their experience and listening to people’s stories has been an awakening for me, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
Email me at cmc037@bucknell.edu
Favorites:
Spot on campus-The grove. For me this space is full of peace and fresh air.
Meal at Bucknell-bacon egg and cheese sandwiches
Class taken at Bucknell-Seminar in Avant-Garde Performance
Freeze flavor-Strawberry and banana freeze
Book-The Secret Life of Bees
Movie-Anything Pixar (but especially Up)
5 random facts:
I drive a yellow bug with flowers inside.
I have two dogs at home named Ben and Jerry.