Fight the power - with art
There are people among us who, when confronted with atrocities and injustice, make art. Others pick up arms and fight, which is courageous and essential and honorable. So is a battle waged with art. Strategic use of ideas and non-violent resistance raise the awareness of those directly affected and also potential supporters. Art adds layers of emotion and hope, and together these elements encourage work towards political and moral solutions instead of - or in addition to - violence. This past weekend I was a witness to such a piece of art, a performance piece: the musical A Sunny Day. It was staged for a second time by a grassroots, all-volunteer troupe, all U.S.-based members committed to saving their/their family's country of origin, Myanmar. For over a year, the cast and crew have learned and rehearsed lines, songs, scene breaks, choreography, and changes for a presentation this past Sunday, January 29, 2023. This team effort is an exemplary demonstration of how a group applying mostly personal resources can come together and make a difference. We should all learn from this example, that truly nothing is beyond our reach once creativity and perseverance are applied.
Scenes from the show included representations of the mass civilian protests that have drawn fire and violence from the national army.
Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
Myanmar is in the grips of a civil war. Its people are fighting a military government that forcibly displaced a democratically-elected government in February of 2021. The five years prior of democratic rule had brought Myanmar into new prosperity and growth, and those gains are now lost. Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected leader, has been convicted of specious crimes and imprisoned. Mass civilian protests have drawn fire and violence from the national army, and activists are being rounded up for prison or execution. The military continues to conduct increasingly violent raids and attacks on civilians across the country, including bombing raids on schools and children. Institutions like education and journalism have been dissolved, and people have fled their homes to join a multi-ethnic resistance army. At least 1.4M people have been displaced. The country has been dissembled.
Characters were based on real people, including university students who abandoned their lives and homes to join the Resistance.
Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
There is, however, a parallel coalition government set up to fight the military rule and distribute humanitarian aid, bringing together everyday citizens and regional ethnic armies in the common cause to restore democracy.
Through my friend of over 30 years, Thet Win, and his family, I've become acquainted with the Myanmar people and culture, and even the country, having made two month-long tours there since 2001. My visits to Myanmar allowed me to experience a peaceful Buddhist culture and a wide range of beautiful places and ethnic regions, in every case comprised of gentle, generous people. Myanmar holds a special place in my heart, and my heart breaks to think of the human, cultural and physical devastation there now, committed by the country's own military.
Singing about hopes for a brighter future in Myanmar - “A Sunny Day”.
Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
A Sunny Day was written and directed by Thet Win. He worked with key collaborators to flesh out a robust show; perhaps foremost among them is May Wynn-Maung, an actress renowned in Myanmar and also Thet Win's wife and my friend. I suspect that in addition to writing lyrics, coaching actors and performing herself, she played a significant role in supporting the show's development. A visionary American graphic/set designer and a talented musical director rounded out the core creative team. A show of this complexity also required a U.S.-based Myanmar stage manager, as well as someone overseeing the finances/fundraising aspects and coordinating this effort with the general expat resistance strategy, each a big job indeed.
This moving show interweaves two plot threads based on real people fighting on the ground. Songs include mostly new compositions with a few well-known themes of the resistance; songs of optimism, sorrow, inspiration, love and unity. Traditional Myanmar performance and dance are included along with the contemporary, much as the story references history and how it connects to the present. The grand finale is a multi-song set meant to pull on patriotic heartstrings and appeal for a unified effort to restore democracy among all ethnic groups within Myanmar and supporters in countries across the world. It is effective in doing that.
A scene representing the pots and pans protests from the streets of Myanmar.
Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
The forceful piece “Requiem” commemorates the individual citizens lost in the fight against the military government, listing each by name in a seemingly never-ending scroll.
Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
The volunteer performers have dug deep with their time, energy, commitment, and personal resources. During the performance weekend, the LA-based troupe rode six hours in rented vans to San Francisco Friday night, arriving after midnight. The next day included twelve hours of rehearsals in a theater new to everyone. On the day of the show, rehearsals continued in the morning, preparing for the 1 p.m. show, and after three hours of performing, the troupe broke down and returned to LA in the mini-vans. It was tremendous investment on each individual's part, in addition to weeks of weekend rehearsals. The cast and crew are giving everything they can, and then some, to help Myanmar.
The grand finale is a three-song set meant to pull on patriotic heartstrings and appeal for a unified effort among all ethnic groups within Myanmar and supporters in countries across the world. Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
What is happening in Myanmar is extreme injustice, and requires a huge response to correct. The greatest hurdle the Myanmar people face now is the paralysis of the world community in taking a stand against what is happening there. The U.S. seems to be offering minimal support, and of course, it is hard to resist comparisons to the aid provided to Ukraine. For people trying to raise awareness, the scale of artistic weapons of battle must be big - big audiences, big emotions, big impact - making a musical a good choice of medium. To move more potential Myanmar supporters from inertia to action, hopefully across the globe, the musical A Sunny Day may be the rallying cry needed. I sure hope so.
A video is expected for release in the future.
A curtain call for this all-volunteer cast and crew, after months of hard work and personal investments to bring this show to life. Image: Beatriz Cadenas/David Lanese/Thet Win
