I remember sitting at home watching American movies about college and the wonderful adventures it promises the lucky few who got in and thinking “that’s going to be me one day!”. I vowed to delve right into “Varsity Culture”, and appreciate it for all it was worth.
I haven’t quite managed to do it on as large a scale as I had hoped, but I have started to look out for all the arts events happening around campus.
The one I just attended was actually quite disturbing.
I understand that performance artists- specifically poets and actors- are sensitive souls. They take their work very seriously, and anyone who dares insult them…well. I haven’t heard from anyone like that lately, so I guess the rumour about there being a “Gits Who Don’t Appreciate Good Art” hell are true…
What I’m trying to say is, when I think ‘art’, I think of portraits, selected pieces of music and certain plays. I don’t think of bare-breasted women and nude men prancing around on stage.
And yet that is exactly what I got when I attended the Drama For Life performances at the theatre.
I suppose the organisers neglected to put the “R18” ratings on these shows because they assumed university students are old enough to handle such things.
Well, I for one am definitely not old enough to see strangers in the nude. And quite frankly I don’t think I ever will be! I was so shocked to see that the rest of the audience didn’t find anything offensive about the middle-aged man who was completely starkers on stage, dancing to show tunes with way too much enthusiasm than I feel was necessary.
They saw “art”. I saw lifelong trauma.
People call it ‘expressing their creativity’. I’m really not a closed-minded person.
Not at all. I just wish the next time someone decides to get creative with their body parts like that, they would warn me!
Nkhensani Manabe 