March 4, 2010
Dear Deezers,
Ohio. The land of farms and greetings. I am, of course, referring to the "hi" right in the middle of the oooohhh's. There's something so promising about the word Ohio for just those reasons. And Denison certainly delivered. Not just delicious pre-show wraps, chocolate and seltzer, but crackerjack smart students. I was in love with the participants in our poster-making workshop who made intelligent, provocative posters and images around issues they were psyched to tackle: gender identity, capitalism, the (il)legality of marijuana, and sexual violence. Before we worked on posters, we conducted some theatre exercises and made them become human sculptures and tableaux. They obliged willingly and enthusiastically, thus contributing to the collaboratively driven sharpee/newsprint masterpieces. Bravo participants!
Per GGOT style we braved the Bee (Applebees) and the Roo (Ruby Tuesdays) of Heath, Ohio, waking up from the daze of NYC as food paradise. I can't say I miss Ruby Tuesdays when I’m not around one but I can say that I miss the incredibly generous and articulate audience that came to see “If You Can Stand the Heat: The History of Women and Food”. Our student volunteer, (Tara) played Tammy the Tummy and got pied in the face at the end of the show. I was the culprit that had the pleasure of pie-ing her. For her, it was a total surprise. For me, it was completely gratifying. Nothing like a little dessert after some masked activism, I always say.
Another highlight of the tour was our cab driver back to the airport when all was said and done. She delivered brilliant every-five-minute saucy one-liners while we shop-talked about theatre. She was a farm girl by birth, and a cab driver by trade: it was the perfect hybrid of Ohio and NYC and a great way to cap off the trip.
Bon appetit,
Julia Child
