Faces
icole Anderson Cobb has studied gun violence for much of her life—from its impact on her community to how it changes the lives of college students she has
taught. Research on the topic led to Tangled, a play that has helped the member of Bethany Lutheran Church, Chicago, raise awareness of this issue. Cobb didn’t plan on being a playwright when she was
By Jeff Favre
Tangled research issue yields playwright N
working toward a doctorate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. But her passion about fighting gun vio- lence led her from an intellectual path to an artistic one. While teaching at Occidental College, Los Angeles, Cobb
talked about gun violence and gang issues with students. “I moved back to Florida and had students [at Jacksonville Uni- versity] talking to me about the same issues there on the East Coast,” she said. “At the same time I’m from Chicago and hearing from my mother about people getting shot in Chi- cago. I felt this issue of gun violence was stalking me on some level, so when I moved back to Chicago to teach at Roosevelt University I decided I wanted to do something different. I took a playwriting course at Chicago Dramatists.” Using research on gun violence, Cobb fictionalized a
story titled Tangled. She submitted it to competitions, and New York’s Castillo Theatre selected it as one of four winners of its 2010 Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Play Contest. The Castillo website says the contest “is intended to encour- age the writing of scripts for the stage that engage the politi- cal/social/cultural questions affecting the world today and/ or historical events and issues that impact on our heritage.” Cobb then founded Samaritan Road Productions (www.
samaritanroadproductions.com), an outlet for plays, courses and workshops dealing with, among other issues, conflict resolution and community transformation. Other theaters and schools have staged or held readings
of Tangled. Cobb also has sponsored a play contest on gun violence and has lectured on the topic, including a course at
Nicole Anderson Cobb is passionate about preventing gun violence to “keep our children safe.”
the University of Illinois titled “Hate Crimes.” Cobb said the African American Lutheran Association has
been a vocal advocate for fighting gun violence but believes the ELCA as a whole has not acted strongly enough. “The head- quarters of the Lutheran church is Chicago,” where last year there were 431 homicides and 2,194 shooting victims, she said. “I don’t know how the church can remain silent when this issue is happening outside its doorstep.” She urges conversation on the issue at the Churchwide
Assembly and said the best way to fight gun violence is to be active participants in communities where there are ELCA congregations. Cobb isn’t trying to
fight anyone’s right to bear arms, she said, “it’s about how to keep our children safe.”
Author bio: Favre is an assistant professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles and a freelance theater critic.
100 + birthdays
109: Katie Bodenbender, Trinity, Moline, Ill. 104: Gertrude Fisher, Lord of Life, Columbus, Ohio. 103: Stella Carlson, Bethesda, Moorhead, Minn.; Marie Wilhelm, Our Saviour, Bell- ingham, Wash. 102: Lila Strand, Kviteseid, Milan, Minn. 101: Ernest Langeberg, Grace, Ripon, Wis.; Marie Sersland, Washington Prairie, Decorah, Iowa. 100: Marion Chappelle, South Beef River, Osseo, Wis.; Gladys Eitreim, Palisade, Valley Springs, S.D.; Minnie Jack- son, Emmanuel, Warren, Ohio; Alice Jorgensen, Grace, Ripon, Wis.; Hilda Ryerson, Trinity, Sebring, Ohio; Elna Scheffey, Good Shepherd, Tampa, Fla.; Dagmar Sloan, St. John, Killdeer, N.D.; Mary Sennholz, Holy Trinity, Grove City, Pa.
Send stories Share your stories of ELCA Lutherans and your 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to
lutheran@thelutheran.org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
May 2014 43
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