Cultural Event 2: Vinegar Tom

Vinegar Tom

Meiley-Swallow Theatre, North Central College, Sunday, May 27 2018 

           Today, I attended the final show of North Central's run of Vinegar Tom, written by Caryl Churchill and directed by Carrie Lee Patterson.  The show took place in Meiley-Swallow Hall at 2pm.  The cast was composed of North Central students, most female.  

           The premise of the musical focused on the juxtaposition of mid-17th century English witch hunts and modern day women's rights.  My favorite part about the musical was the physical occurrence of this theme.  For the entire show, actors sat around the perimeter of the stage, interjecting between scenes set in 17th century England performed in the center of the stage, after a sudden lighting effect, by rising with an organized chant or song pertaining to modern-day female social and political issues.  Actors held up a variety of protest signs highlighting many modern day issues facing women in today's society in an act of collective strength and resilience.  I caught several-an-impassioned stare from actors on the edge of the stage shouting with conviction due to my position in the front row but I could do nothing but try to stare back!  I will admit that I was a bit intimidated at times at the fact that I was not encouraged to say anything back. 

           This production provides a compelling commentary on the subject of antiquity vs. modernity concerning women's status in society.  It argues that many of the same issues facing women in 17th century England exist unresolved in 2018.  In the playbill, the playwright Caryl Churchill says it best:

"[W]omen accused of witchcraft were often those on the edges of society, old, poor, single, sexually unconventional...I didn't base the play on any precise historical events, but set in rather loosely in the mid-seventeenth century...I wanted to write a play about witches with no witches in it; a play not about evil, hysteria and possession by the devil but about poverty, humiliation and prejudice, and how women accused of witchcraft saw themselves..."

Being aware that past struggles bear lasting relevance on present-day issues will make me a more formidable traveler, capable of understanding modern civil discourse.  I'm sure I will encounter a semblance of the tension created by the clashing of past and present during my time abroad and will be encouraged to understand the character of current events.