By Saionara König-Reis, NYLESA Career Support Coordinator:
I have recently been to the NYC debut of a play called Taboo Tales. In the back stage of a Videology Bar and Cinema in the hipster hemisphere of Williamsburg, a group of people that have been telling their embarrassing stories around LA for a while, finally lost their shame to share them in NYC.
How I came across this play is a whole different story. Here I am at work, researching for sponsorship for an event to empower women. While I browse, security system leads to mattresses, mattresses lead to cars, cars lead to banks, banks lead to period-proof underwear, period-proof underwear leads to pee-proof underwear, that finally leads me to the Taboo Tales. But then again, nothing less that expected when you are searching for things in NYC. So let’s talk taboos.
Bottom line about the play, they believe that “the more we all talk about how fucked up we are, the more normal we all feel”. And so they encouraged the audience to anonymously write in a piece of paper that special secret moment of their lives, that little thing they don’t talk about with anyone, that moment they behaved in such a disgusting, embarrassing, frustrating, disguising, funny, freak way.
And we all do it. Actually, I could swear there were more papers than people. It was an audience too thirsty for the juicy stories hiding behind each pair of glasses, or eyes, looking just normal next to you. Or maybe it was just an audience of normal people confronted with the fact that we are all, as normals, just too freak. Comforting, right?
Anyways, the stories of the normal-looking people on the stage were fabulous. Challenges of living with OCD, greedy attraction for revenge, bargains in plastic surgeries, death, sexuality, drugs. Those exquisite minds translated into words and beauty the struggles of being just a normal and slightly bizarre human being. Here and there while they speak, you identify with the story yourself, your friend, your family, a colleague, an acquaintance… And by the end of the night you might have laughed or cried, or laughed and cried, and suddenly you realize that the taboos of the tales are taboos of your life.
I was almost achieving the goal of the night and feeling “normal” amongst that group, when they take the jar full of our papers and say: “we are gonna pick a story from this jar. If you wrote it and want to make it public, just stand up, say your name, and you will win a pee-proof underwear!” OH MY GOD, THE DREAM, I think almost out loud. But but but… Are you ready to put a face to that disgusting story you anonymously put on the jar? Would you? Well… … … how far would a girl go for the beautify promises of a pee-proof underwear, right? Pee-proof, leak-proof, period-proof, whatever, I’m in love with this new science built on women’s basics needs and making sure no women is held back by their bodies.
And as for that piece of paper, hmm, it involved the 5-second rule for food that goes on the floor, and NYC, and… I should stop here, trust me! Ah, yes, and I earned that underwear… Did I go to far? Well, I warned you this text would be all about taboos. 😉