Okay, let’s be honest, I didn’t do any research on the play.
I just assumed that the story we read in class about the “Menno-Pause”
publication was going to be the content of the play and the “draft-dodging” was
just some unexplained aspect that I didn’t understand.
Even though I came in with odd, incorrect expectations, I
still greatly enjoyed the play. I found Sam’s story to be moving, inspiring,
and also somewhat relatable. Now, I can’t say that as a Mennonite, I have ever
had the desire to go and enlist in the army. But, I think that at some point in
many of our lives, we have all wanted to rebel a little. My rebellious phase
was when I decide to attend a non-Mennonite state school in the heart of
Nebraska. Considering the fact that I’m
now studying here at Goshen College, the outcome of that phase is pretty
predictable.
Anyway, I found Sam’s passion for peace and equality to be
greatly inspiring. I also think the fact that he stood by his beliefs and chose
not to apply for CO status because he refused to apply on religious terms is
somewhat admirable.
The aspect of the play that I really enjoyed came in the question
and answer time with some of the cast, Sam, and one of the musicians. I loved
hearing the audience members stand up and ask questions. Some remembered the
whole incident; some knew Sam or Sue—Sam’s wife—and one woman was even in the
car when her family took Sam to Canada. I loved hearing the different aspects
of the story that people remembered.
Even though the play portrayed a rather unfortunate time in
Goshen College’s history, I still think that the story of Sam Steiner is one
that Goshen should be proud of.
I agree with you Dominique that the end was extremely powerful when the people in the audience continued to identify themselves as members of the Goshen community when Sam went to school here. I also just enjoyed the simplicity in the idea of rebellion juxtaposed with the great gravity of consequence it then held in the long run. It took something that you and I do and have done in growing up, and gave it a push just far enough into the extreme that it changed the course of numerous lives forever, which was a powerful thing to see on stage.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was cool to see Sam on stage. It's strange how this man, who was expelled years ago is now shown as a hero. I wonder if any of the other students, who cheered at his explosion years ago were in the audience. I'd hope their minds would have been changed on the situation.
ReplyDeleteI was also impressed by Sam's decision in the play to try and apply for CO status on philosophical rather than religious grounds, and I thought it was interesting that his request was denied; he had to apply on religious grounds, or not at all. What I liked most about the play was that Sam's rebellion raised thought-provoking questions, and that he wasn't rebelling for the sake of causing trouble.
ReplyDeleteI went to the play on Friday night and one of the people who asked a question during the Q&A session was the professor who brought them up to Canada, and he was sitting with his partner and wearing a "Where's my GBLTQ prof?" t-shirt. That was definitely my favorite aspect of the play, similar to yours Dominique.
ReplyDeleteDominique, I agree--hearing Sam and his wife, Sue, speak after the play was one of the highlights for me. I also agree that the actors did a great job of bringing the tumultuous late 1960s to life for a contemporary audience. I smiled at your personal example of rebellion--the sense of belonging one is given by being part of a group such as the Mennonites is not easily dismissed. It was also really interesting to have the point of view of a Canadian playwright on events that happened at Goshen College. In some ways she could be more bold than a GC author would have; on the other hand, there were certain subtleties in the story, such as the story of Jim Wenger, that were not addressed.
ReplyDelete