By Danielle Bettendorf, Living and Arts Editor
Susquehanna students performed a choreopoem entitled “Roadmap” on April 13 and 14 in Issacs Auditorium.
“Roadmap” was written by Assistant Professor of English & Creative Writing Monica Prince.
Sophomore Samuel Emmanuel said the performance follows a family through multiple generations.
“[The choreopoem] follows Dorian as he traces his life from his grandmother to his first child,” Samuel said. “It examines the past and questions whether we are destined to repeat the mistakes our ancestors made.”
“It captures the experience of a man of color… as he seeks to exist and discover his path on the journey of his life before his murder,” agreed sophomore Precious Emmanuel.
The cast focuses on the experience of black men and predominantly features students of color.
“It’s pretty much an all-black cast,” first-year Samson Wheeler said. “You can see the determination; you can see the injustices people feel about the black community.”
Sophomore Israel Collazo-Luciano agreed and said that the performance shows a new viewpoint to audiences who may be unfamiliar with these experiences.
“One of the biggest takeaways from this choreopoem was to see all the different problems that marginalized groups experienced and the way that these stories impacted the audience,” Collazo-Luciano said. “What sets apart this choreopoem was that these stories are often not told in theater or in predominantly white institutions, such as Susquehanna University.”
“When we are talking about these issues, often we focus too much on the statistics and often forget that these are real people who experience these things everyday,” Collazo-Luciano continued.
Sophomore Emily Lua-Lua agreed and noted what she gained from the performance.
“Coming to [Susquehanna] the first time, this is the most diverse place I’ve ever been,” Lua-Lua said. “I come from a predominantly white neighborhood, predominantly white high school, predominantly white everything. I never really had that diversity in my life and then I came here.”
“It was really eye-opening,” Lua-Lua continued. “You really get to feel their pain, their pride, their joy, their suffering.”
Lua-Lua also emphasized the importance of sharing these stories on campus.
“It has to be shown, it has to be portrayed, because how else are we supposed to learn and grow as a community,” Lua-Lua said.
Samuel added that the show tackles “the challenges and motivations of making your ancestors proud but also leaving and being a legacy for your descendants.”
“This was very different from all the other productions I have been a part of,” Samuel said. “What set it apart was working with the brilliant and talented Monica Prince. She did this production the ‘Monica Prince’ way.”
Precious agreed and related her experience to one of Monica Prince’s other productions, “How to Exterminate the Black Woman.”
“We got to tell our story,” Precious said. “It felt powerful to be in a room filled with people of color each day during the rehearsal process.”
“This was a positive outlet and a safe place for the cast to be, to talk and to exist,” Precious continued. “This was a powerful production. Monica Prince is an inspiration and an asset to the Susquehanna community. I do not know where I would be mentally on this campus without her and her creative works.”