Students spotlight discrimination

Eight empty chairs are in position staggered across the stage at Pruis Hall.

The screen behind them reads: “These stories you are about to hear are from real people. These are their experiences with discrimination.” Eight actors of different genders, races, sizes and life views enter the stage forming a line at the front.

“Let’s talk about...discrimination,” they say as the show starts and they take their seats.

Creators Chelsey Everhart and Dominic Schiferl’s vision became reality Saturday night with the show “Let’s Talk About...Discrimination.” Everhart, senior musical theater major, and Schiferl, senior public communications major, wanted the performance to describe different students’ encounters with discrimination.

What began as a project for Associate Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media Lori Byers’ human communications class ended as a challenge to the audience to go out and talk about discrimination.

With moments that made the audience laugh or grow completely silent, the show focused on Ball State University students’ real stories portraying all types of discrimination from the subtle to the outright hateful.

“They embraced it. They really got the message into the show: Let’s talk about it,” Andrew Kramer, a senior acting major who created last years show “Let’s Talk About ... Sex,” said.
The performance left audience members thinking about the role discrimination plays in their own lives.

“It’s funny that you don’t think about some of these things you do,” sophomore Alex Van Paris said. “You don’t mean to discriminate.”

While many of the stories told about students who have been discriminated against, the last monologue featured a different angle. Sophomore musical theater major Carolyn Barry told the story of a girl who is disgusted with her own discriminating thoughts.

Barry confessed to being able to connect with her character because she has found herself influenced by discriminating thoughts.

“It’s so hard because you know all of these things are wrong and what we’re doing is wrong but you still do it,” Barry said.

The only way to change things is to get yourself not to think that way and get other people to do the same, she said.

“Honestly, I don’t know if discrimination will ever go away. We’re always going to be different and there’s always going to be close-minded people who don’t want to change,” Barry said. “I hope it goes away.”

As the show ended, all eight actors stood side-by-side promoting the message of unity to create change and understanding in fighting discrimination.

Although still undecided on the topic, Barry hopes the “Let’s Talk About ...” tradition will continue next year.

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