On Thursday night, our group attended the premiere performance of Sheltered at Theater J. I not only attended an excellent performance, but I received an unexpected gift. I got to spontaneously converse with a DC local. Her comments about her life and her experiences with the arts has provided me with a “real life” perspective of the city.
Upon arrival at the theater, I was seated next to an elderly woman with good taste in shoes. After I was settled into my seat, I asked her if the eye-catching pair of silver oxfords she was sporting were Cole Haan… and we hit it off from there. We shared about our favorite shoes, and she began rattling off all the good stores in the surrounding area. My unfamiliarity with these places gave me away, and she began asking me about where I am from, and why I was in DC. I explained our hoped outcomes from spending the month in the Capital, and my new friend was nothing short of encouraging of our goals.
As our conversation continued, she told me about her love of playing flute, and about her passion of participating in theater growing up. Her eyes lit up as she reminisced about all her involvement in the arts throughout her childhood. She shared with me the great impact that participating in the arts had on her development as an individual, and how she strives to continue that for future generations. Even though she did not grow up to lead a career centered around the arts, she is heavily involved in theaters across the city through volunteer ushering. Theater J is one of these fortunate theaters to have my friend’s support. She commented on what an impact she’s witnessed Theater J having on the DC community. She admires how inclusive this theater is without compromising artistic prowess.
Then, the lights dimmed, and the show began.
As the lights turned up as intermission began, my friend leaned over to me and whispered how accurate the play was to her experience. Sheltered is about a couple who strive to bring 40 Jewish children to the US from Nazi-occupied Austria. The first half centers around a conversation between two couples who hold traditional 1930s views of men and women’s places in society. The women were expected to remain in the home to take care of the children and to prepare meals for their husband, among other domestic responsibilities.
My friend commented that today, hearing lines that discuss these traditional ideas sound very cliche, but they were not cliche in the slightest in 1939. She told me how her friends were trapped within households that enforced a male-dominated home. Her experience in leading a career and not being solely a housewife was the exception amongst all her friends.
Then, the lights dimmed yet again, and the second half started.
After the show received a standing ovation, my new friend told me that she goes to several theater performances a week, so she’d probably see me again.
To my new friend with the great shoes: thank you for sharing about your experiences. See you at the next show!