I first thought of using Martin Luther King as a subject when Richard and Simon where asked to find something to perform in a church that might still be a bit taboo. They chose a reenactment of Michael and Macaulay’s sleepovers. I thought that blacking up and reading a MLK speach in a ’southern’ accent might also be quite distasteful.
On MLK day though, I heard Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence (text/audio) and realised I could maybe do something with some wider relevance and not just focus on some kind of privileged/universal tension.
I’m never sure to what extent I like doing performance. At first I thought about delivering the speech myself, perhaps somewhere like parliament square but after meeting an American I decided it might be more interesting to get her, and other Americans to read the speech and answer some questions about MLK as a cultural figure and his place in their education.
There are times when the interviews could get a bit ‘look at these stupid white americans’ and times when their reading of the speeches could get a bit didactic – me making them say things that criticise ‘their government’ that might be closer to my opinions than theirs. But hopefully in the editing I can pick out the interesting bit.
Interviewed 3 people (all girls) and will need a few more, hopefully get it finished in the next couple of weeks.
