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StartingBloc Fellowship ApplicationEssay

#3:

ALOHA

Arielle Lehuanani Simon

everyone calls me

LEHUA(lay – who – ahhh)

Lehua is the name of a native Hawaiian flower that looks like this

my

nameis

pronounced

Pukalani

I come from a small town on the island of Maui called

Pukalani means“the heavenly gate”

I am a

performance artist,media designer,and (of course)

social activist.

as a performance artist and media designer, I am interested in the effect of live or digital presentations on public consciousness

this is the performance of an original

song called “the

matriarch”which is about

a woman’s ability to

govern and build

community

this woman is using a trash can as a musical instrument

Throughout history we have used the technology of theatre and its derivatives (such as film, television, etc) as a method to sway the masses through the

tactical presentation of information.

1000 A. D

During the dark ages, theatre was only

allowed to be presented by the Catholic Church, who used it to spread

biblical propaganda and attract the populace to

the church with theatrical spectacle.

Theatre artist and Marxist, Bertolt Brecht

conceptualizes “Epic Theatre,” a form that forces

audiences to recognize social

injustice and exploitation.

1930

The first TV commercial is

broadcast in the United States. Bulova,

a watch company, paid $9 to broadcast

before a baseball game between the Dodgers and the

Phillies.

1941James Cameron

produces Avatar.

2009

"If you can get a theater full of people in Kentucky to

stand and applaud the defeat of their country in

war, then you’ve got some amazing special effects.”

Russell D. MooreThe Christian Post

But I think we fail to recognize the impact our “entertainment” has on

our society.

We can tell stories that have a positive social impact.This is an advertisement for a production of A Christmas Carol that I directed in 2010. Not only did we raise money for the Food Bank, a cancer foundation, and children who could not afford Christmas presents, but we also portrayed the story about of finding joy and generosity during an economic recession.

The performing and media arts are one of our greatest tools for social innovation.

Go Theatre Power!It is my mission in life to show the world the power of theatre and use it for the good of mankind.(And I believe that becoming a StartingBloc Fellow at the Institute for Social Innovation will help me fulfill my mission!)