Drawing from Aeschylus’ Oresteia, where justice and super ego are entangled in an eternal battle, we revisit a past solo by Herman, “Many Ways to Raise a Fist,'' to expand into a full-length theatrical form. We begin with an unnamed protagonist that sits, marooned, on a literal and metaphorical island awaiting a trial on his “thought crimes.” Think John banished to Patmos. The protagonist must use persuasion, reason and evidence to deliver one great speech. The text centers litigation and Structuralism to devise a series of defenses that interrogate “protest” through a disability lens. What happens if a protest is compromised? What happens if protest doesn’t include you; do you still act? Why? What if you are not able to raise a fist? Chant the words? March the streets? Is protest the method?
Land Acknowledgement: Yakama, Chinook and Wenatchi
