Villanova’s Communication Department, alongside the Falvey Library, is putting on a performance the evenings of Monday, Oct. 30 and Wednesday, Nov. 1. The performance comes from the class COM 3241: Performance of Literature course, led by Dr. Heidi Rose.
Rose’s specific area of communication is performance studies. Rose believes all written-word is meant to be spoken, and that words become more powerful and more understood once they are said and performed. The performance is centered around banned books and their placement, or lack thereof, in society.
“[The course] draws a connection between English, theater, communication and performance,” Rose said. “I thought it would be interesting and important for my class to examine banned books and[…]to do a performance about them.”
The performance aims to question why society feels threatened by these books. Libraries often resist book banning and can be found pushing banned books to the front of book stacks. This is why the performance will be held in the Falvey Library, in the speaker’s corner.
Students were able to choose their own books. Rose noticed that students were confused and surprised after seeing books they had read in high school on the banned list, especially books they had been required to read.
Senior communication major Brendan King will be performing a passage from The Catcher in the Rye. King enjoyed taking a performance studies course during his sophomore year and wanted to continue these studies.
“I have always loved performing, and I thought that taking this course would deepen my understanding of what it means to perform and how I can adapt and interpret literature in unique and creative ways,” King said. “I like learning about different components of performance and taking and applying my own voice and personality to an already-existing work of literature.”
Some students are performing different passages from the same book, which will be interesting to see how the interpretations of the books compare. King is one of four students performing from The Catcher in the Rye. Students also had the option to perform solo or in a pair.
Half of the class will be performing on Monday and the other half on Wednesday. The only requirement is that the students must use the words as written. How the words are performed is up to them. Background on the books and passages will be provided.
“If this is something [the audience] has not given much thought to, it’s around us,” Rose said. “We’re not in a time where the federal government is stepping in and trying to make these kinds of bans[…]but we are in a place where an entire state is determining what can and cannot be taught, what should or shouldn’t be read, and that’s pretty scary.”
Just last week, a new bill was introduced in Pennsylvania which gives parents more control over what students read in school. This performance comes at a time where book bans are in high debate. Rose and her students hope the audience understands how important the performance is.
“All of the books that will be performed have either been banned or are currently banned in some way,” King said. “We are trying to emphasize the value of all of these works of literature. It is important that everyone has access to these books and can find their own meaning in them, no matter how controversial they may seem to some.”
The performance is open to anyone and is ACS-approved. There will also be time for questions and discussions about the performance, banned and challenged books and how they play a role in our society.
