BWW Blog: Monica Furman - Creating, Serving, and Connecting to Humanity

Hey. It's been a while. And yet, three weeks seemed to have flown by. I guess that's senior year. Between homework, rehearsals, and work, I haven't been able to set aside enough time to write down my thoughts. But here we are, so let's do this.

I'm going to go out of chronological order, so bear with me. I have just gotten back from attending a memorial for a recent Department of Theatre Alum, Anton Gress, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver at the end of week four. Even though I didn't know him that well, it is always a loss for the theatre community when one of our own is taken away. He was such a bright light in people's lives and tonight was a time of celebration and remembrance. I was able to connect with many recent grads who I haven't seen in a few months (and years!). It was a great reminder to me that there are people who have been in my position and that they have progressed and grown into amazing artists. I hope we can all meet again under better circumstances and continue to update each other on our successes.

Thinking of Anton's positivity and ability to touch others with his infectious happiness made me remember something Leslie Odom Jr. said when he visited the Chapman University campus on September 25tH. Leslie was speaking to the difference between theatre artists and careers that could be replaced by automation. He said that whatever an artist is doing onstage must be better than something that he could pull up on his phone; artists are there to serve humanity. I took humanity to mean both the human condition and the human race. That is what Anton did throughout his undergraduate education and his life. He wasn't giving what other people wanted or expected out of him, he was giving them what they needed, whether that was a smile and a hug or a new song. It's really tough to write about both men at the same time; I am not sure of what verbs to use, present or past, and each has had such a spiritual connection with the universe. Both Anton Gress and Leslie Odom, Jr. inspire me to live my life and live my art as authentically as possible. It is with authentic specificity that one finds not only personal success but connection with humanity.

Somehow, in my extreme heavy workload, I managed to see another show this past week with my friend Lena. "For the Record: Scorsese" is currently playing at the beautiful Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. I love going to the Wallis for their shows and their space; the property is a remodeled former post office in Beverly Hills. "For the Record" creates unique theatrical experiences based on movie soundtracks and "Scorsese" was no exception. I felt transported to the worlds of Wolf of Wall Street, Casino, and more. The cast was phenomenal, a blend of East and West Coast performers. The standout singer was definitely B. Slade, he blew me away with his vocals and theatrics. Feel free to give him some love here.

As far as personal artistic endeavors, I'm currently in rehearsals for a feminist theatre festival being put on by three incredible artists in the department--Rose Mackenzie, Shannon Corenthin, and Lena Romano, who received grants from the university to conduct theatrical research this past summer. I am in Rose's play, "Femmes: A Tragedy" by Gina Young (October 27, 28, 29--more information to come). In an attempt to sum up the play, I believe it addresses the complexities of queerness in the setting of a burlesque troupe's dressing room. Additionally, I am directing a devised piece on climate change with the ensemble of Cross the Line (who I've mentioned in previous blogs) which is performing November 7, 8, and 9 (time TBA). I will be using this piece in conjunction with a paper on the importance of theatre as an educational and peacemaking tool for my Peace Studies thesis. I have been hesitant on mentioning my double major on this theatre-centric blog, but it informs my art heavily and I would not be the artist I am right now without all of the knowledge in non-violent social change tactics and international communication that I've absorbed through a theatrical lens. Being able to address social issues through performance is one of the most powerful things I have ever done and the most powerful thing any artist can do with their community.

Connecting with others through art has definitely been a theme these past few weeks and it has kept me inspired and passionate while the schoolwork has been piling up. However, I also think it is important to take care of yourself and create some personal time. Personally, I love watching Netflix--I just finished the first season of "Luke Cage" and it is incredible to say the least. Napping, going to the gym, and spending time with my friends have also been ways that I've managed to hold off thinking about my responsibilities and just relax.

Lastly, I will leave you with this: My friends and I from the Artist as Citizen Conference at ASTEP started #MakeGoodMonday during our 2015 conference. Monday's are really tough for me this semester, and I try to always think of the positive things that can come from the first day of the week. Whether that means making someone else's Monday good or your own, I challenge you to #MakeGoodMonday.

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