The University Board is offering students a chance to voice their opinions on issues of racism, sexism and homophobia through a talk-back type play called, “Strange Like Me,” tonight at 8 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Union

“‘Strange Like Me,’ begins with a monologue that lays bare the ugliness of hate, setting the stage for a lively discussion of diversity,” said Lynn Stahlhut, UB lectures coordinator. In the play’s two scenes audience members follow six students as they attempt to navigate the sometimes difficult terrain of multicultural campus relationships.

What makes this play so different than other traditional plays are the talk-backs. “The characters freeze but stay in character,” Stahlhut said. “The audience can ask them questions or comment.”

This type of “Gestic” theater was created by German playwright and theorist Bertolt Brecht. He used the term “Gest” to describe socially significant attitudes expressed in action, Stahlhut said. Brecht advocated a type of theater that would expose these attitudes to the examination of the audience, allowing the spectators to make a judgment about them. From his theory, he created the Gestic Theater Company, the company that is bringing “Strange Like Me” to Eastern.

The goal of the company is to expose issues and attitudes encountered in campus life to the examination of students, Stahlhut said. Its goal is not to tell students what to think or how to behave, but to get them to think and most importantly talk to each other.

Since 1995, The Gestic Theater Company has been performing a series of innovative, interactive, entertaining theatrical programs and workshops on issues that are of vital importance to students, Stahlhut said. “It’s a different type of lecture because someone is not just talking to you,” she said.

These programs get students involved by engaging them in dialogues about date rape, diversity and substance abuse. Following the scenes, the audience then participates in moderated “talk-backs,” Stahlhut said. During these “talk-backs,” the actors remain in character allowing the audience to confront them on their behavior and voice their opinions.

The “talk-backs” take up more than 90 minutes of the play’s running time. Someone stands in as a moderator during the “talk-backs” and acts much like a television talk show host, Stahlhut said. The moderator encourages everyone to participate, challenges the audience’s responses and makes sure the focus of the play does not get lost in the shuffle.

The play is being sponsored in commemoration of Eastern’s African-American Heritage Celebration 2001. Admission is $1 for the public and free to EIU students with an ID.