Challenge America
The Blind + The Elephant
ALIEEP’s mission is centered on promoting multilingual and multicultural understanding within the community. Each year, the organization presents a theatre production designed not only to entertain audiences, but also to encourage reflection on important social and cultural themes.
This year’s production, The Blind and the Elephant, explored the idea that everyone’s perspective matters. The story illustrates how different people can hold different views about the same situation, and that each perspective may still be valid because everyone sees only part of the whole picture. Through this performance, the production encouraged audiences to approach differing opinions with empathy, openness, and respect.
The show served as a meaningful reminder that everyone’s opinion matters, and that understanding diverse voices is an important part of building a more inclusive and compassionate community.
To enrich my internship experience, I also decided to participate in the audition process for the production. I was very honored to be selected as part of the cast, which gave me the opportunity to directly experience the rehearsal and performance process of a stage production. Being involved behind the scenes and on stage was both a new and exciting experience, and it allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of theatre production, teamwork, and community engagement through the arts.
Media Coverage and Outreach
As part of the promotion for The Blind and the Elephant show under the Challenge America project, I had the opportunity to appear on local Alabama television programs, including WSFA 12 News and WAKA 8 News, together with the show’s director, Adrian, to help promote the performance and introduce the event to the local community.
Compared to my previous television interview experience during the Kite Festival promotion, I felt much less nervous this time and was more confident communicating in English during the interviews. It was exciting and meaningful to once again have the opportunity to appear on television and participate in promoting a community arts event.
Through these media experiences, I continued to develop my public communication skills while also gaining a better understanding of how nonprofit organizations use local media outreach to increase community awareness and support for cultural programs and performances.
Rehearsal Collage
During the preparation period for The Blind and the Elephant, we held rehearsals every Monday and Friday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Wetumpka Depot Players in another town near Montgomery.
Throughout rehearsals, we practiced blocking, singing, and becoming more familiar with our lines and characters. Each rehearsal helped us gradually build confidence on stage and strengthen our teamwork as a cast.
I truly enjoyed the rehearsal process and always looked forward to meeting everyone each week. Our cast members were incredibly kind, welcoming, and supportive, which made the experience even more meaningful and memorable for me.
Meet The Actors Posters
To help promote the production, I created a series of “Meet the Actors” posters and regularly shared them on social media. These posts introduced the cast members and provided audiences with a better understanding of each character’s personality and role in the show.
In the production, I played Alex, a circus worker of Korean background. Alex uses a traditional Korean hand drum called the sogo to guide and encourage the children as they search for the missing lion, Wendal. Through this role, I had the opportunity to engage with both performance and cultural representation on stage while interacting closely with the audience and other cast members.
