I Wish My Life Was An RPG

A very personal but universal story of finding one's own voice through the process of seeking acceptance from others. Ashphord Jacoway is creative, courageous and captivating as she performs all of the characters herself through narrative, movement and spoken word. A non-gamer myself, I still found this piece easy to relate to. At the end of her rehearsed piece, Ashphord opened a dialogue with the audience to discuss what they saw, how they felt and what was on their mind. A unique way to spend an hour for no more than you are willing to donate.... full review

This was an interesting piece for me. There were fantastic moments created through movement, dialogue, and utilization of sound. While some moments felt stronger than others, as a whole Ashphord Jacoway is compelling as she tells us her own experiences dealing with identity in a world obsessed with stereotypes. Being "Not black enough" or "not female enough" to be who she wanted, she finds herself projecting her desire for acceptance into the world of RPG's- where one can hide behind the anonymity of their avatar and live without scrutiny. While the show was interesting, I especially enjoyed her talk back with the audience after the show. It gave us all a chance to open up in a comfortable environment regarding society, stereotypes, acce... full review

I really enjoyed this production. Although I think the show itself needs further development to be a fully polished and presentable show, I also believe it *deserves* further development. I found it to be thought provoking on important and currently relevant cultural topics - specifically race and gender in relation to nerd culture. Also, although I was apprehensive at first about the the unexpected talkback after the show, I really enjoyed the dialogue that came from it, and I thought it turned out to be a nice addition that rounded out the experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ashphord will bring to the festival in the future!... full review