This summer, I was given the opportunity to join a residency with Dah Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. The residency was focused on the creation of a piece formed on the basis of democracy, a topic that is growing increasingly important to explore in today’s world. I was joined by three other students and Professor Amy Sarno (the organizer of this study abroad program) in this adventure of devising, script writing and acting.
Each day we worked from 10–4 p.m. crafting this show. The process began as self-reflective research among the group, interviewing one another to understand a deeper sense of what democracy meant to us, and where we thought the country was heading. We had discussions on patriotism and its blurred lines with nationalism; how some believe democracy was never fully achieved in this country; and what the symbols of our nation mean through the lens of modern America. Lady Liberty, standing to greet all who come to the U.S., shamed to the exclusion and the turning away of the people who made this country what it is, and concerned with the birth of the new country — whether it’s nationalist or yields revolution. Uncle Sam, with the face of patriotism, embarrassed by the blatant disregard for constitutional rights and laws. How “We The People” grows and wilts based on the strength of these figurative symbols, and how we rise above them.
This exploration also included our discussion with Dah Theatre and locals of their experience with democracy, or lack thereof. In a meeting with an actor after a show in Nis, he told us that he was traveling to the U.S. as soon as his wife got a job offer there. We joked, saying “good luck” to lighten the underlying fear we had for someone moving to America with the current face of our nation. He just laughed back, saying, “We invented the Trump. We’ve had three Trumps.” The shared laughter left something unresolved. The community there was not afraid to discuss their disdain for their leader, their fears for us as they observe America from afar, and most importantly, their hopes for the future that they continue to speak out for.
This month-long experience is one I would not trade for the world. Getting to explore a new country, have open conversations with strangers from each city we traveled to, and be introspective about my views of democracy as an American was something that opened my eyes to much more than I anticipated. In the end, one of the most important takeaways is to truly explore what something means to you, such as democracy. There are so many sources for us in the digital age to be forced into an opinion without knowing its true meaning to ourselves. It’s not until we allow ourselves to discover our own thoughts, create something out of the meaning we find, and take that new lens into our life that we can truly know our own thoughts.
Image credit: Chyler Smith’28
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