Archive: Arts & Entertainment

A Ladies' Home Journal poll found that 75 percent of women are more afraid of spending a day at the beach in a thong than of having a root canal at the dentist.

Why are so many women preoccupied with their body image? Beginning on January 28, The Body Project, a play inspired by the book of the same name by Cornell professor Joan Jacobs Brumberg, will explore the vast disconnect between the myriad of choices and opportunities modern women have gained and the ever-growing dissatisfaction they feel with their bodies. Research shows disturbing trends in the way American girls and women view their bodies. According to Brumberg's book, 53 percent of 13-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies; by age 17, 78 percent are dissatisfied.

Leslie Jacobson and Vanessa Thomas led a team of award-winning writers in the creation of this important play. Intensive workshops involving improvisation, writing exercises, and interviews with women of all ages played integral roles in their script-writing process.


"As we continue to achieve greater economic and political equality," said Jacobson, "we are trapping ourselves in lives that seem to be fed by the unhealthy projections of beauty endorsed by our society. Our goal for this play is not only to engage our audience with these stories, but also to inspire greater dialogue about these issues and what they mean for current and future generations of women." Post-show discussions with health care and mental well-being professionals as well as cast members, the director, Brumberg, and the playwrights will be held throughout the run of the show.

The cast features Cornell students Holly Duquette, Mary Gilliam, Amanda Idoko, Ariel Reid, Sharisse Taylor, Alex Viola and Resident Professional Teaching Associate Sonja Lanzener. "Americans view obsessions with our bodies as adolescent preoccupations. Yet 'body projects' -- whether they be obsessions with size, shape, race, age, etc. -- dominate the experiences of women of all ages. We simply talk about it less post-adolescence. The Body Project is here to get us talking," said Guest Director Emily Ranii '07, the Artistic Director of ArtsCenter Stage in North Carolina. Designers working on Cornell's production are: Christa Seekatz (scenic), Richard MacPike (costumes), E.D. Intemann (lights), and Dan Hall (sound) as well as music director Gary Mousdale.

Evening performances of The Body Project are January 28-February 1 at 7:30 pm and February 4-8 at 7:30 pm. Three matinees will be offered at 2 pm on February 1, 7-8. A post-show discussion will be offered after each show.

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