Colón uses an evolved personal aesthetic that defies standard grammar and formatting—not for her own artiness, but rather as a brave and dynamic eschewing of the colonializing origin of art. By adding spaces and line breaks throughout her text, Colón has encouraged the performers not to submit to the language on the page but to arrive at an emotional truth themselves—a place of relentless veracity about the current problem with society. Listening to Colón’s language embodied skillfully by a devoted cast brings an immediacy to the issue, slowly but surely offering space for audiences to question: Is something this bloody that bad? She reclaims what might be called a “Pinter Pause” with an urgent call for help. Whenever there wasn’t a word spoken or an action scene, there was a strong sense of the audience thinking: “What must I do? How can I fix this?”
Colón’s piece is one of unashamed profoundness. Wit and humor keep the engines of the play well oiled, but it’s her commitment to bold and truthful thinking that make the piece unforgettable. Colón’s seemingly absurdist solution (i.e. shooting the rugby team) is one similar to the theatre of cruelty. The action and words of her piece immediately jolt the audience to think quickly and feel strongly for what is going on. The ending of the play signifies that solving the grave issue of assault and violence is not in the hands of one sex or another, but, rather, is a collective effort that requires direct action strategy.
If it were not for bracing playwrights like Colón, today’s theatre would lack the important conversations and action plans needed to transcend beyond theatre’s entertainment structure.
good friday rests in a place I call “theatre of the unashamed.” If it were not for bracing playwrights like Colón, today’s theatre would lack the important conversations and action plans needed to transcend beyond theatre’s entertainment structure. In composing her piece in an unashamed way, without filter, without fright, and in a place where morals are seemingly curtailed, Colón urges the audience to transfer their passive spectatorship into something more reflective. She activates the liminal space and blind spots in the audiences’ minds by positioning them in a situation where they would have to choose between believing someone or killing their perpetrators.
Colón’s piece does what some people might be too afraid to do or say. It challenges the idea of conversations as a way of working and healing through America’s disgusting qualities. It places the audience in a position to really reflect on what action they might take within their own communities to prevent the essentialism of the violence presented in the play. If we are to dismantle society through unlearning—case by case, person by person—how can we support the survivors? I think Colón’s answer is community, and, in developing a sense of community, first onstage between the performers and second in the audience, she begins to build a coalition of supporters and fighters.
So, does Colón’s solution to the grave issues of assault and violence really entail killing off violators? Yes. And no. Yes, because if the women in the show are able to kill off the patriarchy’s structures and view of themselves, they are able to move forward and build a community that is stronger than a man’s illest wish. It requires men and women to recognize that when they have privilege, they can and should listen and speak up. And it requires the acknowledgement that sexual assault in the United States, particularly on college campuses, is a grave issue—so much so that 11.2 percent of all students experience rape or sexual assault on campus. No, because Colón’s Artaudian usage of violence is in essence a genius tactic of artfulness that contains a strong positioning power for the audience. good friday clearly demonstrates Colón’s appreciation and respect for human life and the body. And, with such respect to humanity, Colón crafts a play that leaves the audience in a place to honor their own selves and be compelled to honor and stand for others.
Sexual assault does not need to be complex. It needs to end. Without prescribing a specific step-by-step guide on how to change this issue, Colón proposes that if people are not willing to step outside their own box of beliefs to meet the needs of a trauma-trapped nation and develop a community of support and protection for women, then a radical solution is a rational one.
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