From Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, The American Library Association celebrates the freedom to read through their annual Banned Books Week. NC State students help to raise awareness during the week by performing their annual performance of Banned Books Onstage.
In “readers theater” style, student actors perform excerpts from banned or challenged books and poems in the intimate Studio Theatre of Thompson Hall.
“It was really moving and intriguing, I want to go read some of the books now,” said Darian Boyd, a sophomore studying textile technology.
“I think this gives a lot insight into the lives of other people, of the authors,” Boyd said.
He is now interested in reading “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.
“I haven’t heard about a lot of these stories, actually,” Boyd said. “It was really enlightening,”
This year, the American Library Association focused on banned books written by authors of color.
Bhavika Mittal, graduate student studying financial markets and investments, was drawn to performing because of this year’s focus.
“I really like the theme, authors of color,” Mittal said. “I am an international student and the world is becoming global.”
Mittal performed an excerpt from “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, a Native American author. Her performance focused on poverty from a young boy’s point of view.
Along with performances from Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” there were lesser known pieces like “Poem for Matthew Shepard” by Margot Kelley Rodriguez.
The eight student actors read their excerpts with no backdrops or special lightning, creating an atmosphere where just the words were connection to the audience.
“These books are banned because of a lot of issues,” Mittal said. “Homosexulaity, sexuality, graphic language, these issues are part of our world, these things exist and we have to accept it, because of these issues we are missing so much, that is deep and meaningful.”
Bethany Kendall, a senior studying history with a minor in Africana studies, performed “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol.
Kendall said that one of the reasons she wants to raise awareness during this year’s Banned Book Week is to understand why these books are banned and to understand what content is being censored.
Kendall was also interested in the theme of people of color authors.
“Instead of banning it, it should be to a point where we should be accepting and understanding of these cultures, of these backgrounds, of these experiences, whether or not we may experience them ourselves or agree with it,” Kendall said.
