May 2, 2002

Operation UnLimited
Names have been changed to protect the guilty

by MARY KATE (edited by Sarah Rushakoff)

Alex Cooke's series of workshops helped Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe and Bill Baker's Theatre & Therapy Class successfully collaborate to create invisible theatre. Invisible theatre operates on the idea that previously arranged, thought-provoking situations can be conducted in such a way that the audience is not aware they are witnessing theatre. Invisible theatre breaks down barriers between spectator and performer, while working as a catalyst to promote discussion on topics that are often controversial. Such was the case when Our Own Voice infiltrated "The Store" (a women's clothing store) and "The Store Too" (the children's section of the store), in an effort to draw attention to the issues surrounding body image.

The series of workshops began on Sunday, March 17, and ran through Friday, March 22. These workshops afforded participants the chance to learn more about the techniques of image theatre and invisible theatre. Participants also explored the relationships they had with their own body images. Exercises included free writing, creating simple images (through Augusto Boal's technique), and experimental improvisation. These activities allowed members of the group to clarify and confirm the dichotomy between their own body types and marketable media representations of body types.

During Friday's workshop, those who would be taking part in the invisible theatre experiment chose their roles and mapped out the timing of each scenario. Daniel and Carrie decided they were going to be husband and wife, and that Carrie was going to try on an outfit at "The Store Too" Will and Beth were going to be a father and 15-year old daughter. Beth was going to try on the same outfit as Carrie, being careful to choose something inappropriate for her supposed age of 15. Beth's friend Mary would accompany her into the store. Beth planned to argue that Mary's parents allow her to wear the kinds of clothes that are sold in "The Store Too."

Troy and Ann were going in as boyfriend and girlfriend, with Troy having very specific ideas about how she should dress. Drew was going to try to find a dress for his plus-sized girlfriend in "The Store." Taylor and Angela, both with different body types, were going in separately to try on the same clothes in "The Store." Angela was going to enter the store with her friend Joel. Taylor, who would be accompanied by Josephine, planned on having a crying fit after realizing that none of the clothes in the store fit her like they did the models in the advertisements. Still others were going in to observe as "shoppers," trying to help progress the action when they could.

On Saturday, March 23, everyone met at TheatreWorks for warmups and last minute preparation. Everyone knew their times of entrance and had the map of the adjoined stores fresh in their heads. After caravanning to the mall, participants began to arrive around 4:00 PM. Alex and I entered the store early, and began to peruse the store, checking to see where items of clothing had been manufactured.

The scenario with Will and Beth was the first to take focus. In "The Store Too," Beth was looking for an outfit to wear to a friend's beach-themed party. She tried on a short skirt and a very small top. As her father, Will asked the salesperson's opinion, mainly to see whether the salesperson was more interested in making the sale or giving an honest answer. The salesperson suggested a different outfit, but Beth insisted on her own choice.

Meanwhile, Carrie came out of the dressing room in the same outfit, which set up a striking visual image. Carrie, a woman who was supposedly too old to be shopping in this store (since it is geared toward pre-teen and young teen girls) wearing the same outfit as Beth, who was playing a 15-year-old girl. When Beth asked the salesperson why the outfit was appropriate for Carrie and not for herself, the confusion of the situation was obvious. The clothing that was supposed to be appropriate for young girls turned out to be more suitable for women who are older than the targeted age. The manager called the security guard, probably because of Will's vehement disapproval of Beth's choice of clothing. The security guard showed up in the store and watched the scene play out, shaking his head at the outfit Beth was wearing.

Drew approached "The Store" employees, looking for a dress for his girlfriend. They asked him what size and style he wanted, and he replied that his girlfriend wore a larger size than a fourteen. The women politely told him to visit "The Women's Store," because the clothing was similar and in bigger sizes. More accurately, the salespeople probably sent him there because "The Women's Store" is owned by the same company as "The Store." Drew replied that the outfits there were dowdy and that he wanted something from "The Store." Genuinely trying to be accomodating, the employees eventually sent him to Goldsmith's.

While the other scenes were going on, Taylor was looking for clothes in "The Store." Angela and Taylor would "accidentally" try on the same clothes, so it was very interesting to see how the clothes fit on different body types. At one point, they had the same outfit on, looking in mirrors next to each other. This made for an awkward interaction when Joel told Taylor that she looked hot. There were a few slip-ups like that, when participants forgot that they weren't supposed to know each other. Everyone covered the mistakes rather well, however, and the scenes still went smoothly.

Taylor continued to try on clothes, attempting to find jeans that fit correctly. All of the jeans she tried on were way too long, and she inquired if they had any petites. The employees informed her that "The Store" only carries one size inseam. Taylor tried on other clothes that didn't quite fit, in an attempt to build up a crying fit. She said the salespeople were helpful at first, and came in to check on her when she was first getting upset. As she broke into the crying fit, however, they were nowhere to be found. Two teenage girls were close by, whispering about the strange situation. Josephine was attentive towards Taylor the whole time, and helped to make she scene believable.

The scene that may have elicited the greatest response was the one that occurred between Troy and Ann. They were arguing about what she should buy. She wanted something comfortable, and he wanted her to purchase something to make her look sexy. They finally escalated to the point where he said loudly, "I just want you to look feminine!" This caught the attention of two girls who were nearby, along with three or four others. The two girls then approached Ann, gave her a hug, and comforted her by saying, "If you feel comfortable in what you wear, that's all that matters." The female employees at "The Store" could be heard saying, "That's just men," from where they were folding clothes.

Altogether, I think Operation UnLimited succeeded in the mission it set out to do. The group dispersed in the store and kept the action continuous and apparent, but didn't make it so obvious that the watchers knew something had been planned. The group accomplished its goal of bringing attention to the fact that we all can't look like magazine models. Perhaps we aren't supposed to. The puzzled patrons left "The Store" that day with more than just shopping bags, and the actors left with the satisfaction that invisible theatre, even in its most simplistic form, just may have stimulated some thought.