Don’t Touch My Tassel

imagesEach year in Theatre History the course begins with a discussion of ritual – where it comes from and what purpose it serves. I find it to be the very root of theatrical practice – and further, that no exploration of theatre is possible without understanding this primitive element.

In the midst of the discussion, I bring up the example of the graduation ritual. We talk about all of the “silly” props, costumes, and practices of the events. We discuss the cheap polyester gowns, the silly, eye boinking tassel, the uncomfortable dress shoes, the expense, the rules, the set behavior, the being quiet, the standing in line, and the impossibility of even finding parking for the event.

I give the students the choice to just CANCEL GRADUATION altogether. Instead of graduation and all of the trappings, everyone will just be mailed their diploma in the mail and that will be it. No need to hang around at the end of the year. You earn your credits – you stop coming – you get the diploma in the mail.

At first I have a good collection of seniors who buy into this plan. They rather defiantly deny any need for graduation and if they can get out of this place (school) one minute earlier then that’s the plan that they are voting for.

But then, we talk about the special communal feelings that comes from graduation – the gathering of family and friends all focused on you – on gifts for you. We see that graduation was something that everyone’s parents and parent’s parents, and their parents had – – and do you really want to be the generation that breaks the chain. We now talk about all of our plans for our sad little tassel and graduation cords. Step by step – – fewer and fewer students are voting to get rid of graduation. They see the value and the comfort that comes from ritual. They see the need for a bridge to go from something familiar (school) to something rather daunting and known (college or the adult world). They get it.

Now all are back on track with graduation. Better then any lecture that I may have on ritual, they have claimed it themself. They realize that without our rituals and our traditions our life is as precarious as a fiddler on a roof.

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