By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — School shootings have tragically become so common that we have to ask: “which school shooting?” The Nickel Mines shooting took place on Oct 2nd, 2006 in a one-room schoolhouse. Several Amish girls were shot and killed. Inside the school, “there was not one desk, not one chair, in the whole schoolroom that was not splattered with either blood or glass. There were bullet holes everywhere, everywhere.”[1]
Growing up in Ohio, the Amish were part of the landscape. One has to be careful driving around their horse-drawn buggies. They are best known for their incredible hand-made furniture and delicious baked goods. They tend to stand out in their signature black hats, bushy beards and modest dress.
Among themselves, they speak a dialect of German. When I tried to engage them in my high school German, they clammed up. They don’t really trust the English (their word for outsiders). With their emphasis on piety and penchant for large families, they bear a strong resemblance to another religious minority closer to home.
Like the Jews, they came to America fleeing persecution in Europe. It seems that “their” Christian faith didn’t jive with “the” Christian faith of the Roman Catholic Church. For this, many died as martyrs.
The Amish don’t normally accept charity from outsiders. But with survivors in ICU and no health insurance, they graciously accepted what was given. And they made it clear that the family of the gunman was to be included in the charity. They attended the gunman’s funeral and comforted his grieving family. Such generosity of spirit, they felt, was their duty.
It was this spirit that inspired playwright, Jessica Dickey to write The Amish Project, brought to San Diego by Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company at the 10th Ave. Theatre through Oct. 20.
Enter Ilana Carter, the one-woman tour de force chosen by Director Delicia Turner Sonenburg to tell one very powerful story through multiple perspectives. One woman took on the persona of:
•a little Amish girl who draws stick people
•her older teenage sister
•a reporter
•a professor who explains Amish culture
•a housewife transfixed by the news
•a sassy Puerto Rican teenager
•the gunman
•and the gunman’s widow
Carter had no costume changes, only the simple dress, apron and bonnet of an Amish girl. Yet she made each character distinct with her vocal range and body language. The story is non-linear, shifting from voice to voice, character to character, sometimes in mid-sentence. It can be mind-boggling. Yet the constantly moving and shifting story fragments together create a kaleidoscope that keeps us riveted to our seats.
We are charmed by Carter’s little girl, who begins the narration. She’s bright and precocious as she explains Amish history with childish innocence. By contrast, the Puerto Ricana swaggers with sassy toughness to hide her insecurity. The gunman’s widow is perhaps the most compelling voice as she steadily collapses into a nervous breakdown. The compassion shown her by the Amish give her back her sense of her own humanity.
In describing the Amish, the Professor says, “The Amish make us ask ourselves: Could I be … more?”
The Amish Project will leave you wondering the same.
[1]Jones, Tamara; Partlow, Joshua (2006-10-04). “Pa. Killer Had Prepared for ‘Long Siege'”. The Washington Post
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted at eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com