A Place at the Table!

Wednesday (Day 108): Really Sitting at the Table

Tonight I finally got the chance to visit CPT, not as an intern but as an audience member to see A Place at the Table. It traces the shockwaves from the 1993 assassination of Burundi’s President Ndadaye backwards through the Colonial period to ancient myths about the country and then forward to the Rwandan genocide and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite going into the theatre to actually sit at the huge conference table that would become the stage, I felt right at home. Since I had practically been a part of the entire rehearsal process for the production and knew many of the actors, I had an advantage over “paying patrons.”

The show was everything I hoped it would be and more. The play presented the African tribal struggle in new interpretive ways that inspired thoughts about justice, good, and evil. Although there was no direct audience participation, the seating arrangement around the table alongside the actors made me feel as though I had my own part to play.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the show was the table itself. When the surface boards were removed, the audience was able to see that the table itself was filled with soil. Some of the compartments in the table even went all the way down to the floor! The actors planted seeds and dug down into the table, bringing up symbolic objects of oppression and silence.

The performance ended in a discussion with the actors, giving the audience an opportunity to ask questions about the African situation. The play was an excellent way to raise awareness of the genocides happening in our world.

I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with the cast and see their show during my internship at CPT. They were outstanding!