Ordinary People is a student theatre troupe founded in 1997, aimed at educating others about oppression, specifically about racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ablism, religious discrimination, and other forms. The material is largely written and performed from members’ personal experience, lending a high-impact and long lasting effect to the show and discussion.

The interactive performances, ranging from 15-60 minutes, aim to barrage the senses by presenting real-life scenarios and language, prompting new feelings in the audience members. A discussion follows each performance, to process feelings and relate the scenarios to ‘real world’ situations helps to fuel students’ desire to make a change.

The performances use humor, satire, sarcasm, reflection, and high-impact character portrayal in a variety of scenes, monologues, audience involvement, music, and images. The troupe reduces the barrier between audience and show through limited/no props, staging, or lighting, in order to highlight the words and experiences shown.

For more information about the troupe, our performance schedule, or auditions, send e-mail to OrdinaryPeople@cornell.edu. You can also find the group on Facebook or view the troupe’s Mission Statement.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.