Seeking the Living Story: A Comparison of SongCatcher and molly has her say :: Essays Papers

Seeking the Living Story A comparability of SongCatcher and molly has her say Drama is a medium of truth-telling about the unseen substance of our lives. Challenging accepted Western stories of power, of truth, of morality and of self, indigen American playwrights Marcie R. Renton and Margaret Brubauc develop dialogue that spans physical and spiritual factualms, both on and hit the stage. Within Rentons SongCatcher and Brubaucs molly has her say, spiritual character and ii- holdingal space are blended in ripe day settings, profession Native American peoples to defy Western history books and seek Native roots. Using real historical data, these playwrights craft the power of drama into an inspirational conversation of true Native American identity. In the intimate alliance between performer and audience, there is power to challenge the stories we believe, both what we hunch forward about ourselves, and our world. Onstage interactions and beats with the supernatural defy audi ences to deny of the possibility of its human race and more generally the possibility for existence of things we cannot know fully. As characters struggle with preconceived notions of reality and interfering spirit characters, so audiences must debar assumptions of history and engage in the cultural conflict of Native Americans dealings with spirit forces on stage. Supernatural character molly Ockett is a figureisation of the past story grad student Molly Marie longs to deny in her personal history (Bruchac 320), just as the spirit of Francess Denmore is a symbol of Western pomposity Jack desperately wants to trust in as he learns his history, learn some things about who he really is (Renton 22). These symbolic characters and modern font day casts are a means of engaging in greater themes of cultural rights and the meaning of heritage. Shared space and physical proximity of characters proves the confederacy between history, heritage and modern day life. Renton builds a dream dimension in her play, allowing the reality of spirits to coexist in both real and imagined time. Bruchacs play is more of a relationship between two spirits and one woman, and needs no dream element. Molly Marie and Molly Ockett co-exists in real time, as does Old Mali, ever present and alone invisible, though only Molly Marie is living today. Each space is multi-dimensional and superior of time, as supernatural characters interact freely with modern characters through shared out objects like doors, cigarette lighters, coffee cups. As spiritual characters go into modern characters space, touching physical props, the ethical questions of identity all(prenominal) drama poses transcend time to modern minds and hearts.