Despite the number of multi-level marketing consultants pushing "Get Rich Quick" schemes, motivational coaches trying to instill confidence in their clients, and "prosperity" preachers preying on gullible rubes, it's amazing to realize how steadily our minds have been trained to approach our goals with the help of corporate slogans, beloved songs, and popular jingles.
- In 1933, Charles Atlas copyrighted and began pushing the myth of the "97-pound weakling" in advertisements aimed at men who craved more muscular bodies.
- The most famous song from Walt Disney's 1940 animated feature entitled Pinocchio ("When You Wish Upon A Star") reassures viewers that hope is an equal opportunity phenomenon.
- Disney's 1950 full-length animated version of Cinderella teaches viewers that "A dream is a wish your heart makes."
- In the 1970s, McDonalds drilled the idea that "You Deserve A Break Today" into the minds of consumers.
- From 1987 to 1996, American Express grew its business on the motto "Membership Has Its Privileges."
- The trademark for Nike encourages potential buyers to "Just Do It."
Eventually, the truly iron-willed come to grips with the reality that passivity doesn't get results. A powerful combination of ambition, ego, gall, and determination is what usually delivers the goods.
Though some people need to convince their friends and family to buy into making a deeply personal dream come true, others develop workable solutions that can get them where they want to go. Sometimes they become so in love with what they are doing that they have no idea how controversial their achievement may actually be. As one of our Founding Fathers (Ben Franklin) wrote: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
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When women search for role models, they're often surprised by the people whose lives come into focus. Perhaps because she is Canadian, Dr. Anne Innis Dagg may not be a household name to the general public. But for those who study animal behavior, she is a living legend (the world’s first "giraffologist") -- the woman whose field research laid the foundation for many of the biologists and zoologists who followed in her footsteps. Now 86, Dagg's story is the focus of an impressive new documentary entitled The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. |
| Poster art for The Woman Who Loves Giraffes |
While most children are fascinated by lions, tigers, elephants, and monkeys, during her first trip to the zoo as a three-year-old girl, Dagg fell in love with giraffes (the tall, angular, graceful creatures who now find themselves on the list of endangered species). Written and directed by Alison Reid, this documentary follows the career path of a remarkable female scientist who disappeared from her profession for nearly three decades and is finally receiving the credit due for her pioneering work in a field that many now take for granted. As Reid explains:
“Anne is a highly accomplished Canadian woman with an indomitable spirit who has been flying under the radar for far too long. An underdog. A ground-breaking scientist who managed to overcome every hurdle she faced, regardless of the deep wounds she suffered."
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| Anne Innis observing giraffes in the wild in 1956 |
After optioning Dr. Dagg's book (Pursuing Giraffe: A 1950's Adventure), Reid learned that Anne had been invited to attend a Giraffe Indaba in Nairobi, which meant she would be returning to Africa to see giraffes in the wild for the first time in 57 years. Reid quickly embarked upon making her documentary.
“To me, this was a historic event that cried out to be recorded. There was no time to raise financing, so I took a leap of faith, found a small camera crew willing to go to Africa, and self-financed the trip. If you spend time with Anne, there is no avoiding falling in love with her. We laughed and cried. I shared hotel rooms with Anne and got to tread on the ground she trod on all those years ago. Anne is good to the core, easygoing, sharp as a tack, laughs easily, and is ridiculously modest. She cares deeply about animals, about the planet, and about women’s rights. While we were in Africa with wild giraffes I didn’t know which way to look -- at the giraffes or at the glee in Anne’s face seeing the giraffes.”
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| Now in her eighties, Anne Innis Dagg is still in love with giraffes |
Consider the strange timeline to Dr. Dagg's life story:
- In 1956, with a Bachelor's degree in biology and a Master’s degree in genetics from the University of Toronto, she became the first person in the world to study any African animal in the wild. Years before Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey embarked on their work with chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, the 23-year-old Canadian biologist made a solo trip to South Africa in order to conduct research on the behavior of giraffes.
- In 1972, having published 20 research papers as an assistant professor of zoology at University of Guelph and completed a Ph.D. in animal behavior, Anne's application for tenure was denied by the Dean of the University of Waterloo simply because she was a married woman (during the 1970s Dr. Dagg was denied tenure at three universities).
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| Cover art for one of Anne Innis Dagg's groundbreaking books |
- From 1972 to 1979, Anne went to the Ontario Ombudsman and Ontario Human Rights Commission to fight against the blatant discrimination against women in science but, without further academic support, was left without any funding to subsidize a return to Africa.
- A prolific writer, Anne's rejection by the "old boys' network" in academia did not prevent her from authoring and publishing 23 books (including such titles as Smitten by Giraffe: My Life as a Citizen Scientist, 5 Giraffes, Running, Walking and Jumping: The Science of Locomotion, The Social Behavior of Older Animals, Animal Friendships, Camel Quest: Summer Research on the Saharan Camel, Canadian Wildlife and Man, Love Of Shopping Is Not A Gene, Miseducation: Women & Canadian Universities (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), The Feminine Gaze: A Canadian Compendium of Non-Fiction Women Authors and Their Books, 1836-1945, and numerous "citizen science papers." Otherwise, she lived in relative obscurity.
- In 2010, Amy Phelps (the curator and giraffe keeper at the San Francisco Zoo), was helping to put together the first Giraffe Care Conference and thought it would be amazing if she could find Dr. Dagg and bring her back into the fold. Although no one even knew if Anne was still alive, she was living in Waterloo, Ontario. She was subsequently invited to attend the first conference of the International Association for Giraffe Care Professionals in Phoenix, Arizona, where she received an Excellence in Giraffe Sciences Award.
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| Now in her eighties, Anne is still in love with giraffes |
Reid's documentary includes many scenes that retrace Anne's steps and stops as she documented her observations about giraffes in 1956. In addition to having strong appeal to feminists, environmentalists, and animal lovers, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes is a magnificent treat for anyone who spends countless hours watching animal documentaries and is awed and inspired by the beauty of nature. Here's the trailer:
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Berkeley Repertory Theatre is currently presenting the West Coast premiere of White Noise, a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks which may rattle and disturb some theatregoers but will definitely make them think. Working on a unit set designed by Adam Rigg (with costumes by Tilly Grimes, sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, and lighting and video designed by Alexander V. Nichols), director Jaki Bradley has done of stunning job of framing the old adage "Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true" in new perspectives that can be hilarious as well as deeply disturbing. As Bradley explains:“This play is about four intelligent, self-aware characters. It’s inextricably linked to the way they interact with each other and the privileges they have. Almost everything filters through their acknowledgment of what is and is not problematic about what they think and say (which is really rare). Every time Dawn talks about herself as a do-gooder, and every time Misha talks about her show, they’re very aware of the things they say that are good or well-intentioned versus the things that are problematic or condescending.”
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| Chris Herbie Holland (Leo) and Therese Barbato (Dawn) in a scene from White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
“I’ve thought a lot about the relationships in the play in terms of how the pairings of the four people get together. I think the friendships, romantic relationships, and sexual relationships are all asking: Who are we in each other's presences and in each other's absences? Some of the most complicated questions the play asks are: What are the dynamics between all of these people who think of themselves as really woke, imagine that they behave exactly the same around all of their friends, and imagine that, between the four of them, their race is not an issue (when, of course, it is).”
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| Nick Dillenburg (Ralph) and Aimé Donna Kelly (Misha) in a scene from White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
The play's four characters have known each other for more than a decade. During their college days, they formed a band which offered an intense bonding experience, but generated little if any income. Shifting gears, they turned to bowling as a shared activity which could keep their "chosen family" together. Now in their mid thirties, they could easily be labeled as urban, educated, sophisticated, progressive, and cosmopolitan.
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| Chris Herbie Holland appears as Leo in White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
Leo (Chris Herbie Holland) is an African American man who has suffered for many years from insomnia. When sleep eludes him, Leo frequently goes out to walk the streets until he is tired enough to try going back to bed. As the play begins, he explains to the audience how his insomnia has affected his daily life (as well as the psychological impact of a white noise machine given to him by his best friend). Having recently gotten into trouble with a policeman who jumped to the wrong conclusion about why Leo was walking late at night in an upscale neighborhood, he has become traumatized and is struggling to find a way to feel safe again.
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| Therese Barbato appears as Dawn in White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
Dawn (Therese Barbato) is Leo's fiancée. A white and seemingly woke attorney, she is nevertheless capable of being deceived by a young client whose case she won in court even though the young man turned out to be quite guilty.
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| Nick Dillenburg appears as Ralph in White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
Ralph (Nick Dillenburg) is Leo's best friend. White, from a wealthy family, and very careful about acknowledging his privilege, he is shocked at having been turned down for a teaching job that was instead given to a black man from Sri Lanka. One result of his depression is writer's block. Another is increased tension in his relationship with Misha.
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| Aimé Donna Kelly appears as Misha in White Noise (Photo by: Alessandra Mello) |
Misha (Aimé Donna Kelly), who has spent the past several years in a relationship with Ralph, has built a new persona for herself through her podcasts (which invite listeners to ask a black person questions). While on air, Misha projects a sassy personality but, when left alone with Ralph, proves to be extremely intelligent and eager to give him emotional support as long as he doesn't overstep certain boundaries.
This could sound like a stereotypical four-character drama. But the fact that Leo and Misha used to be a black/black couple (and Dawn and Ralph a white/white couple) has put new cultural strains on each person now that they are in interracial relationships. When Leo comes up with a shocking concept for what might restore his confidence, his request meets with stunned disbelief from his friends. Why? Leo wants Ralph to purchase him and treat him as a slave for a period of 40 days. Having already drawn up a suitable contract, he convinces Ralph that they could both benefit from the experience. While, initially, Ralph would not have to pay for Leo's servitude, if Leo made it through the full 40 days of the contractual agreement period, Ralph would pay off Leo's $89,000 worth of student debt.
As Leo's experiment nears its end, the power dynamics between the four friends become increasingly bizarre. Berkeley Rep's new artistic director, Johanna Pfaelzer, explains that:
“Suzan-Lori talks about this play coming from a place of love, but love is not always gentle. In fact, the revised draft of the play that she sent for our rehearsal process newly included on the cover page the James Baldwin quote ‘If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see,’ which seems to be an apt metaphor for theatre itself. As an art form, it is uniquely crafted to give audiences access to the experiences and emotions of people who, by choice, by birth, and by circumstance, experience the world differently than any one of us may do. In creating these empathic relationships between audience and character, it also implicates us in the actions of these fictionalized human beings.”
Every so often, a new play is so well crafted that the writing thrills me. Add in the fact that the playwright makes me genuinely care about her characters, challenges any preconceptions I may have held before entering the theatre, builds the dramatic tension to a riveting climax, and I leave the performance feeling "alive, a'tingle, and a'glow."
One could not ask for a tighter ensemble or better direction than what's currently onstage in this production of White Noise. Performances continue through November 10 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre (click here for tickets). Here's the trailer:
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