What does community mean?

My name is Cara McHugh and I am from Memphis, TN. What does community mean to me? A community is a group of people who share the same interests, values, beliefs, or social norms. I am an American, a female, a southerner, an actress, a dancer, a student, a downtowner, a Methodist, a Louisvillian, and a liberal. These are groups that I identify with and share common interests with those who belong to the same group.

I think a lot of times communities create this wall between those included and those excluded. One of my goals with community-based performance is to break down that wall and unite and educate people to bridge the gap between the excluded and the included.

I think a common fear whenever anyone works with a group is what if people don’t have the same work ethic and some slack off while others are left carrying that person and their workload. While I doubt that it will happen with this group, it’s always a fear of mine in ensemble work. I am excited to develop a play based on other people's viewpoints and experiences and perform that for a public audience in hopes of educating and creating a platform for change. I hope to develop an unbiased piece of work where predetermined feelings can be challenged to create a new and deeper understanding of a community organization. Personally, I get very frustrated with art that tries to sway people one way or the other instead of providing all viewpoints and allowing audience members to decide for themselves.

I think it would be a wonderful goal to produce an un-biased piece of art that explores all views in hopes of educating, understanding, and changing the status quo. I am looking forward to working with such a great group of people and with an organization in our community.