#STANDING_INVITATION

A public performance piece inviting any and all to explore the power of silent protests during this time of unforeseen disruption to our democracy.

Silent protests have history in our nation and across the world, providing a palpable strength through presence without agitation or proclamation. In the summer of 1917 on or about 10,000 Black Americans marched in silence down 5th Avenue, Manhattan in protest of racial discrimination and violence against them. In 1968 tens of thousands of students staged a silent protest in Mexico calling for a true democracy. In 2011 the people in Belarus held a silent protest opposing the corrupt elections.

Jeffrey Wasserstorm, a historian teaching at University of California Irvine says, “Owning silence under such circumstances creates power.” “When a protester joins a crowd and says nothing, they deny the state of tools to suuppress. A silent citizen’s words cannot be taken away or used against them.” I would add that it creates a powerful theatrical energy.

Study: Transformative Silence and Protest, Deborah J. Cantrell, University of Colorado 2021

https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2543&context=faculty-articles

This performance is dedicated to the memory of Perry Bard, artist, teacher, mentor.