Entry 1: Meet Cora!

Hi! My name is Cora López, and I'm a dramaturgical intern on the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Theater Project, and I'm so excited to be writing our FIRST website journal post! We're very excited to show you this inside look at the process-- take you behind the scenes and update you on what's going on as we watch the development of this project.  

I first got involved in this project in the beginning of Summer 2021. As a mentee of Caroline Jackson Smith, I have a deep appreciation of theatre and performance. I've been on both sides of the stage as an audience member and as a performer, but I've never done dramaturgy before! I’m learning so much from Ms. Caroline and Debra Wise about the methodology of dramaturgical research. I've learned everything from the history of individual trees in Tappan Square to the intricate, temperamental nature of the copiers on campus. 

Doing this good work has shifted the ways in which I interact with daily life-- I know the history behind First Church, and the names behind some of the most important spaces on campus: Finney Chapel, Tappan Square, Langston Hall, and more. I know about Charles Grandison Finney’s grand ways of preaching and the way he housed John Price in his own home. The way I see Oberlin's history has changed-- I knew before about its history of activism, but the truth is that Oberlin's name is synonymous with practices of sanctuary and solidarity. 

I'm excited to work more on this project! Till next time!