Analysis Of And They Dance Real Slow In Jackson

In assessing a performance, I approached it much as an adjudicator for a University Interscholastic League One Act Play contest is charged. I begin by reading the play, which I was vaguely familiar with and possibly considering as an option for my students. I find when I choose a play (especially for contest) I spend more time with it, in pre-production researching and preparing, and it is usually a longer season with the contest play. (Most shows go up in four to six weeks and run for one to two weeks, while contest pieces rehearse for six to eight weeks and can run for up to six weeks.) What am I looking for in a script and a performance? I want to hear a story that is relevant, has some universal appeal, and I can relate to it. I want …show more content…
is a story that I could relate to and find beauty in. It is a story of prejudice and ignorance, fear and isolation. Elizabeth Ann Willow was struck with polio as an infant and is growing up in a rural Indiana town (Jackson) with her parents (Ben and Beth Willow), but isolated from the normal kids. A sort of a chorus with four actors who play multiple roles act as the other townspeople and children/teenagers in the community. She attends a special school and is a freak to children in her community. She wants to be independent, loved, accepted, to go to prom, and just to dance. Her parents struggle with guilt and worry and maintaining their own fragile relationship while being the provider and caregiver for their “crippled” daughter. The story is really about relationships and community. How do we act when no one is watching? How can fear and rumors lead to a mob mentality? Some of the dominant themes are the cruelty of children, coming of age (with a disability), and seeking …show more content…
It certainly does not follow the unities. The play includes flashbacks and covers the life of Elizabeth Willow. The unity of time and place is disrupted with this episodic format and separate locations (all within the city of Jackson, but at different locales). There are also subplots involving the parents of Elizabeth, broken dreams and strained marriage, which all violate Aristotle’s unity of action. The plot of “Jackson” is obviously more contemporary, so it is no surprise that it does not follow Aristotle’s parameters for tragedy, but it does have moments of extreme joy and misery. Elizabeth’s journey includes a kiss from a boy she likes, but he only does this out of pity. Elizabeth is overjoyed thinking he likes her and assuming they are going to prom together. She is heartbroken when he is dismissive and rejects her completely. While Elizabeth is not on the same level of nobility as Oedipus, she is certainly a noble being who seems to be punished (cursed) by no fault of her