Theater company TE’A (Theatre, Engagement & Action) will perform “There’s Something About America” Oct. 1 at Central College. The 11 a.m. show in Douwstra Auditorium is free and open to the public as part of the series funded by Thomas J. and Charlene P. Gaard Endowed Residency in the Liberal Arts.
“There’s Something About America” is an original theater project focused on bringing Americans together beyond polarization on current issues.
“In an increasingly polarized America, many Americans have come to believe that compromise is surrender, common ground is nonexistent, ‘my side is the right side’ and there is no other way. But there is another way,” the group’s web page states.
TE’A seeks to transform conflict through “insight theatre,” an original method of involving audience members in dramatic presentations. “Insight theatre is based on the insight that live theatrical performance is the most effective, accessible and entertaining way to pay attention to the way we use our minds when we lock ourselves into conflict with others, and to foster the possibility of its transformation,” says TE’A.
The company developed insight theatre by creating and producing three acclaimed, original, full-length works in its first five years: “Under the Veil” (2009), designed to foster the intersections of Muslims and non-Muslims in post-9/11 New York; “Cadence: Home” (2012), designed to foster the intersections of non-military civilians and American veterans facing the complex challenges of returning home from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan; and “Uniform Justice” (2014), designed to foster the intersections of community members and police officers in communities torn by retaliatory violence and crisis in the rule of law.
During TE’A’s Sept. 29-Oct. 2 residency, members will also teach classes and present workshops for Central College student leaders.
The next event in the Thomas J. and Charlene P. Gaard Endowed Residency in the Liberal Arts series is Nov. 12-13, when The Theatre of Public Policy (T2P2) comes to campus.
The signature residency is intended to benefit Central College students, faculty, staff and the greater Pella community. It allows Central to host notable visitors on campus for multi-day residencies that reflect Central’s liberal arts emphasis, enhance students’ education and enable meaningful and up-close exchanges with experts.
