War No More

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the "War No More" event at Terrain with some peers. This event was composed of select art pieces from community members which had to do with war as well as short scenes and monologues following the reception. These theatrical scenes were written and performed by Gonzaga students.

The art pieces were decent but it was the expression in the form of performance which was so impactful for me. Each bit lasted for up to 15 minutes and was supposed to present ideas of why war is wrong in new ways. Some explored the general ideas of PTSD and the separation of families while others delved more into the psychology of it all and pursued deeper emotions.

At this event I saw undoubtedly the best acting I have seen live before--and I seriously mean this.

The last monologue of the night lasted about 20 minutes of which I was entirely engaged. The actress was dressed frumpily and the scene was set on the streets. She was a homeless drunk who had obviously experienced a great deal in life. While taking heavy swigs off her nearly empty bottle she never missed a beat while discussing the mythology of Achilles and Patroclus and subtly allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions in regards to our own actions as humans.

The story goes that Patroclus took Achilles' place in battle and after dominating and slaughtering the Trojans, is defeated with the tap of the loose helmet on his head.

The actress brutally acted out the slaughtering in the scene as Patroclus and afterwards began to cry (in character) at the gruesomeness of the scene she had acted for the acknowledged audience. She then take another drink of her bottle and huffs off stage leaving the audience in shock at the impact of the last 20 minutes infused with pure rage, humor, and most importantly--regret.

This event was enjoyable and well hosted by the Terrain team.