Week 2 The Roof is On Fire Response

In The Roof is on Fire, the teenagers are in their cars, and used a parking garage to create a familiar, non-stereotypical setting in order to start conversations. I thought this was really interesting as it ventures outside the box concerning setting and script, not allowing audience members to speak, keeping the barrier between performer and viewer. Although it was portrayed as a very collaborative experience and process, continuously seeing a white female writer running a show about minority teens was jarring. It felt to me like another white woman trying to 'fix' the problems of minorities, and while the documentary itself was interesting and I understand the point of the show, it seemed just like another provocative show put on that may not actually get anything done, although it allows important conversations for young people to have. I think it's important to expand diversity in both cast, crew, and audience, and it felt a little flat in that regard. As an actor who believes in theater for social change, I am constantly struggling with the idea of no change post-performance. I can stand up and speak out but what will it actually accomplish? With the amount of vulnerability and violence in media today (also talked about in The Roof Is On Fire) I worry that audiences will tune out or go numb and the information will go over their heads. Overall, I enjoyed the documentary and thought the conversations brought up were important, would like to see where the conversations went from there and the overall effectiveness of the project.