Note.

The 28PlaysLater task today was about cultural appropriation.

The performance happens in the space over a number of days.

The events happen initially in sequence but as time moves on the sequence can be updated all altered.

The role of The “American Indian” is constantly swapped with new people, including an invited cast, as well as any audience member who wishes to take on the role.

The scene is not reset between the start of the performance on the first day and the end of the performance on the last day.

Cast.

The “American Indian”

The Redskins Player

Scene.

An empty white space.

In the centre of the space, on a plain back metal chair, sits The “American Indian”, dressed in the performer’s everyday civvy clothes apart from a native American headdress.

A camera is trained on the face of the performer. The face is projected on the back wall of the space. The projection fills the wall.

There is a large stack of Pepsi next to The “American Indian” in a traditional looking birch canoe.

The “American Indian” has a single tear rolling slowly down their face.

In front of The “American Indian” is a massive wire basket full of American footballs. The Redskins Player, dressed in a full American footballers kit with Redskin branding, invites the audience up to throw the footballs at The “American Indian”. If they wish to do so, the audience stand behind a line on the floor and, one at a time, throw a ball. The “American Indian” can not flinch. They just sit there and stoically take the abuse.

Neither The “American Indian”  or the Redskins Player are allowed to talk.

The “American Indian” continues to cry.

Every 73 minutes, The “American Indian” takes one of the cans of Pepsi, opens it up, and drinks slowly from it. The Redskins Player keeps the cans of Pepsi topped up, so the pile never goes down. If the cans are hit by a football, the Redskins player will restack the cans. The “American Indian” has to open a can and drink regardless of risk of being covered with Pepsi. Once the can is drink The “American Indian” will throw it on the floor.

Every 89 minutes, the Redskins Player takes a polaroid photo of The “American Indian”. Once developed, the Redskins Player sticks the picture to the wall with Hello Kitty sticker.

Every 123 minutes, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech audio is played over the space while the Redskins player drives a child-size version of the Jeep Cherokee around The “American Indian”. When the speech ends, the Redskins Player parks the car wherever it is.

Every 191 minutes, the performer playing The “American Indian” pulls out a tissue, wipes their tears from their face and yells “fuck this” or something along those lines. They storm out throwing the headdress on the chair in disgust / fury / disbelief / etc as they leave.

The Redskins player pulls a new performer from the crowd. If it’s an invited performer they fill follow a similar pattern to the previous performer. If an audience member, they are handed the headdress and a can of Pepsi and invited to sit down.