{"id":197,"date":"2021-07-15T13:34:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T13:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/?page_id=197"},"modified":"2021-07-16T20:15:40","modified_gmt":"2021-07-16T20:15:40","slug":"plays-in-prisons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/plays-in-prisons\/","title":{"rendered":"Plays in prisons: How a Portland actor connects adults in custody with classic Greek theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Next Gen: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_color=”#545480″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(56,6,6,0.56)” background_color_gradient_end=”#6d173b” background_color_gradient_start_position=”58%” background_image=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/IMG_7906_bluffs.jpg” background_position=”top_center” background_blend=”hard-light” custom_padding=”2%|0px|2%|0px||” locked=”off” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”To be an American row: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”15px|0px|22px|0px||” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||” custom_padding_phone=”|0px||” custom_width_px=”1280px”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/newnextgenlogo2018_transp.png” title_text=”newnextgenlogo2018_transp” admin_label=”Next Gen Image” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Project Description” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font_size=”16px” header_font=”|700|on|on|||||” header_font_size=”25px” header_2_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”left” header_2_text_color=”#98bedb” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”50px|||” global_module=”84″]<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be an American?<\/span><\/h2>\n

We are finding, coaching and training public media\u2019s next generation. This #nprnextgenradio<\/a> project is created in Oregon, where four talented reporters are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this project we are speaking to people from various walks of life\u2014whether they are Indigenous, native born, a naturalized citizen, a refugee or an immigrant without legal status\u2014to ask what it means to be an American.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j4BwvSB88Kc” admin_label=”YouTube Video” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text: Video Teaser” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”16px”]<\/p>\n

Paul Susi is a performer, an educator and a public servant. He is also the son of Filipino immigrants. Jamie Diep reports on what it means for Susi to be an American.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”HERO IMAGE OPTION 1: Background image: DELETE IF NOT NEEDED” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_enable_color=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/jamie_ard_gif_1-2.gif” background_blend=”multiply” custom_margin=”-2px|||||” custom_padding=”12%||39.4%|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”6px||3px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px||6px|||”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Illustrator credit” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Illustration by Ard Su<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”7px||35px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_post_title date=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”Post Title” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h3″ title_font=”Oswald||||||||” title_font_size=”42px” title_letter_spacing=”2px” title_line_height=”1.2em” meta_text_color=”#04a3e3″ meta_font_size=”18px”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||12px|||”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n

In his time as a theater actor, educator, homeless shelter manager and activist, Paul Susi plays multiple roles in his community. Born in Portland, Ore., Susi feels the burden of being American.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo be an American right now, it feels like a curse,\u201d Susi said. \u201cIt feels like a thing that you have to bear. There’s this heritage, this lineage of trauma that we’ve all inherited.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fleeing the Philippines during the Marcos Regime, Susi said his parents believed the American Dream was worth the immense sacrifice. But for him, that dream rings hollow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie_MASTER.mp3″ title=”‘I’m not proud to be an American'” artist_name=”JAMIE DIEP” album_name=”Next Generation Radio | Oregon Public Broadcasting Newsroom | July 2021″ admin_label=”Story Audio” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”rgba(0,174,239,0.84)”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie01.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”Jamie01″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Paul Susi poses onstage at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Ore., during a performance of \u201cAn Iliad\u201d in 2018. Susi toured \u201cAn Iliad\u201d with the Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative both inside and outside prisons. (Photo courtesy of Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my father accepts that I’m not the summation of his dream; I’m not the consummation of their sacrifices. My mother never accepted it,\u201d Susi said. \u201cSo I don’t feel proud to be an American, but I do feel committed to do as much as I can doing good in the world, and creating a better lineage for my spiritual successors to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Susi uses theater to explore his identity. Introduced to the arts in a challenging time of his adolescence, it gave him the structure to succeed in school. But throughout adulthood, he continues to face difficult truths as a performer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time I’m called to do a show…I’m called because they can’t get the right ethnicity for the part. But I’m the guy with the classical theater training — I can pass for Japanese or Spanish or Tibetan or Native American. And I’ve passed for everything, including white,\u201d Susi said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m never going to play Hamlet. No one would ever cast me as Hamlet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Most recently, Susi starred in the Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative\u2019s production of \u201cAn Iliad,\u201d a modern adaptation of Homer\u2019s classic Greek epic. The production toured through 30 prisons, community centers, houses of worship and theaters throughout Oregon in 2018 and 2019. To Susi, these performances allow for incarcerated people to reflect on their own experiences and to engage with cultural resources they don\u2019t otherwise have access to.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4a” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The Iliad\u2019 is really explicit about the violence that happens in war. The guys were able to really resonate with the emotional truth of being victimized by so much violence over so many years,\u201d\u00a0 Susi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what I found in connecting with adults in custody is that their sense of community with the outside world has long been broken by their incarceration…it just underscored how little power they have over their reality and their experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his performances, Susi strives to break through physical and emotional walls as he brings real connection to adults in custody.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheater allows you to see yourself and know yourself in a different way, by sharing a story with folks you don’t know in real time,\u201d Susi said. \u201cSo that little alchemy of humanizing yourself…that feels like what I am trying to do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie02.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”Jamie02″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Paul Susi on the poster for \u201cAn Iliad.\u201d (Photo courtesy of Paul Susi\/Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Things have been moving quickly working with #NPRNextGenRadio<\/a>! @PaulSusi<\/a> shares more about the site of our interview and what makes it so special to him. Many thanks to @notdonald<\/a> for helping me through the process! pic.twitter.com\/tIQVRuG2Ly<\/a><\/pee>\u2014 J Diep \u8449\u7fe0\u97fb (@JDiep2) July 15, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie03.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”Jamie03″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Paul Susi, left, stands in front of the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Ore., with composer\/cellist Anna Fritz, middle, and director Patrick Walsh, right. Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is a women\u2019s prison where Susi performed \u201cAn Iliad.\u201d (Photo courtesy of Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie04.jpg” title_text=”Jamie04″ admin_label=”Image 4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

NCTC Director Patrick Walsh, left, and Paul Susi, right, sit onstage at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Ore., as adults in custody sit in the audience. (Photo courtesy of Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/qSAGIsebjUQ” src_webm=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/qSAGIsebjUQ” image_src=”https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/Jamie05YoutubeCover.jpg” thumbnail_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.6)” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

Paul Susi performed in the production of “Antigone,” which was\u00a0turned into a recorded performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. (Video courtesy of Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative)<\/span><\/p>\n

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What does it mean to be an American? We are finding, coaching and training public media\u2019s next generation. This #nprnextgenradio project is created in Oregon, where four talented reporters are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program. In this project we are speaking to people from various walks of life\u2014whether they are Indigenous, native born, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":329,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[22],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/440"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opb2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}