From Gut Knowing: Every Silver Cloud has a Black Lining

Abstract

Using the interpretive lens of Erving Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, this article makes sense of the performance of Steve Taylor’s play, “Ties That Bind”, from the perspective of the actors, 14 faculty members, and doctoral students from various universities in the United States. The article is based not only on actor reflections on their experiences as participants in the play but also on the author’s interpretation of these reflections and his observations of what transpired on the frontstage and backstage of the performance. Every actor experienced his or her participation in the play as energizing, liberating, and fun. Yet, paradoxically, although the play dissected and exposed the perils of academic roles and face, their subtle reproduction during rehearsals, between takes, and at lunch, that is, on the backstage of the performance, was initially a surprise to the author—and a cause for inquiry.