By Terence Stewart
Award-winning writer and actress Carmen Mitzi Sinnott performed Snapshot, a thought-provoking, autobiographical play that explores issues of race, war, self-identity and healing at Alumni Hall last Thursday.
The one-woman show begins in present-day New York City where Sinnott is asked to perform in an upcoming anti-war rally. After agreeing to perform, Sinnott asks herself, “What do I know about war?” As she flips through the pages of a family photo album, the answer to her question becomes painfully clear: her entire life was impacted by war in a literal and figurative sense.
Through the use of music, dance, sound effects and a projector, Sinnott brings to life the snapshots in her album. The audience is taken on an hour-long rollercoaster ride through Sinnott’s past as she searches for her estranged father who abandoned her after serving in the Vietnam War.
Sinnott makes many emotional stops before reaching her final destination. She travels to Kentucky in the 1960’s where her white mother and black father fall in love at a time where interracial love was forbidden.
She reenacts a moment in the Vietnam War where her father must decide if he should kill a Vietnamese soldier. She relives the 1970’s where she grew up as mixed-raced girl who was never fully accepted by her white or black classmates.
The beautiful storyline and Sinnott’s superb acting makes Snapshot a must-see play. Sinnott seamlessly plays different characters with raw emotion. The audience is never confused as Sinnott transitions from various characters from scene to scene.
Sinnott’s use of props is also noteworthy. Sinnott cleverly uses a projector, music and sound effects to place the audience in Vietnam and Kentucky in the 60’s and 70’s.
For instance, when Sinnott reenacts being taunted by her black classmates for acting “white” when she gets off the school bus, a picture of a bus is projected on the large screen hanging in the backdrop and the sound of an engine blasts from the speakers. In an instant the audience is taken back in time to that tense and painful moment.
Above all, Snapshot succeeds because it’s provocative. It encourages viewers to examine snapshots of their personal history and heal any wounds preventing them from experiencing love and evolving as a person.
Snapshot also awakens the social consciousness of the viewer. When Sinnott travels to Hawaii to find her missing father, she discovers that many war veterans are homeless. This scene, like many others, makes the viewer wonder about the treatment soldier’s receive after risking their life to protect our freedoms and interests.
