Week 2_Gray Gull_The roof is on fire

After watching “The Roof is on Fire,” I felt the real sense of ownership from these students that’s sometimes hard to find within artists, especially outside of the CalArts arena. I was really impressed with all the strategies they used to make sure this event was attended by so many people. Involving the media was brilliant, and making sure the media knew that this project was fully involved teenagers. I think the smartest thing these activists chose to do was not allowing the audience to participate. The power that these teenagers were able to have on top of this parking deck really allowed them to move away from censorship and move towards something much more genuine and real. I think all the strategies were effective because people were required to listen in conversations where they usually don’t. Conversations about sex, drugs, abuse and etc are so difficult to have with adults who don’t care about your personal thoughts. For some reason these conversations are avoided until your later years if ever. Even if it made the audience uncomfortable, or the actors uncomfortable, the message was still a real opinion brought to you by someone who doesn’t get to speak up often. When the students got really heated in an argument or passionately disagreed on something, I would get chills because these students obviously believe in their voice. I remember when I was a teenager, I could barely speak to the teacher because I was so shy, let alone a bunch of strangers in a parking deck. I’m moved by their ability to recognize an issue at such a young age, and their ability to do something about it.