By Abby Van Gerpen and Jordan McGinnis
Philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Since the beginning of modern society, there has been many instances of social injustice such as slavery, racism, sexism, and terrorism, to only name a few. They, unfortunately, have made repeated appearances throughout our history.
It can be an eye-opening realization when we see a play written in 1921 be relevant in 2016 – and that’s exactly what has happened at the Quad City Theatre Workshop in Davenport, Iowa as they take Davenport-native Susan Glaspell’s “Inheritors” and show the audience how years can mean nothing but a number in terms of change and cultural evolution.
This show follows three generations of family - including a man by the name of Silas Morton, and his granddaughter Madeline Morton. Mr. Morton comes to terms with what he has in life and how he can make the world a better place with a piece of land he owns. He wants to build a college on the land his father left him. Fast forward to 1920 where Morton College is in an uproar over World War 1 objectors and Hindu students protesting the British oppression of India as well as the imprisonment of a student well after the war is over – Morton’s granddaughter, Madeline Morton takes matters into her own hands by refusing to conform to the “Americanness” demanded by authority figures and sacrifices her collegiate royalty and freedom in order to defend what is right. In one sincere moment on stage she states, “They’re people from the other side of the world who came here believing in us, drawn from the far side of the world by things we say about ourselves. Well, I’m going to pretend that the things we say about ourselves are true.”
So, the big question: How does this have anything to do with us today? Just think, how many times do you hear about an African American being murdered, or police officers dying for reasons beyond their control, or even the xenophobia that has plagued our country since 9/11? Is this what our founding fathers meant when they wrote out the foundations of our country and dreaming of a better life for generations to come?
As a society, we think we are better than our ancestors, and we have come so far from where we started with abolishing slavery, giving women the right to vote, and we can communicate almost instantly with anyone around the world. Where we tend to fall back into our old ways is when we look at one another and immediately resort to judging them based on pre-conceived perceptions and live with the ‘every man for himself’ mentality. As Grandmother Morton says in the play, “People took care of one another back in those days. That’s the only way we made it through. Helping one another….you can’t put out a light just because it may help the wrong person.” This play forces the audience to think about the world we are leaving behind for those to come - are we truly doing the best we can with what we have? Or are we holding too tightly to what is safe and conforming to beliefs that are not ours because of the fear that we will stand out? Will we see through the eyes of Mr. Morton and sacrificially give what is ours for the betterment of the community, city, and country around us – will we take on the mindset of Madeline and sacrifice our time, energy, and life for the betterment of others? Or will we blindly sit and watch, making assumptions from our living rooms, and hope that tomorrow turns out better than today? Remember, things we do today affect those who inherit this world tomorrow.
If you’re in the Quad Cities area, check out “Inheritors” playing at the Quad Cities Theatre Workshop. Reservations can be made online: www.qctheatreworkshop.org – performances are 90 minutes and run through September 4, 2016 - Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. – tickets are Pay What It’s Worth (see the show, pay what you feel it’s worth after).
