​​In March 2017, Rebecca Solnit published an article in The Guardian entitled “Protest and Persist: why giving up hope is not an option.” In it, she offers a vast and nuanced history of activism. She illustrates goals, obstacles, and victories of numerous social justice efforts of the last century. Since the

article’s publication, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented ballooning of demonstrations worldwide. Notably, this fall’s global Climate Strike engaged millions of people across all seven continents. In this moment of heightened visibility for activism, one wonders what the future will bring.

 

According to Solnit, the goals of many movements come to fruition decades after those movements ostensibly end. It would be a mistake, she suggests, to read the short-term returns of one’s efforts as the final tally of their impact. In order to persist, she writes, “People have to believe that the myriad small, incremental actions matter. That they matter even when the consequences aren’t immediate or obvious.”

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As we embarked on rehearsals, I often returned to this message of persistence: pursue a clear goal, celebrate small victories, and trust the process. Just as it takes time for the Walkers to journey cross-country, it took us time to mine this strange piece of theatre for meaning and to steep ourselves in the discomfort it demands. Thanks to the playful diligence of the students, we’ve landed on a production that fills me with tears, laughs, horror, and hope. And yet, I trust this show’s effects will continue to reveal themselves long after our closing performance just as the consequences of social justice movements roll in over time. After all, as Solnit writes, “building, remembering, retelling, celebrating” stories is tantamount to revolution.

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I invite you to meet this story wherever you are, whether tentatively suspicious or whole-hog enthralled. Taylor Mac’s work isn’t known for subtlety, so you’ll likely have a visceral reaction in one direction or another—or many directions at once. Whatever your initial response, I encourage you to bear Solnit’s words in mind as you leave the theatre and return to your world. While perhaps not “immediate or obvious,” it is my sincere wish that the consequences of this experience—so small in comparison to the enormity of a life—will become manifest for you in the days and weeks ahead.

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--Frankie DiCiaccio, DeKalb, IL, 2019