In a nuclear submarine off the coast of California, sailor David Melendez hooked the crew’s dog on a leash before walking it around the engine room–a routine that he had established in his sunless 16-hour workdays. He and his crew members had not seen the world beyond the submarine in weeks and thus relied on their dog to keep them entertained. However, the loudly barking dog that they played with and cared for was not real, but a construct of their collective imagination.
U.S. Navy veteran and Cal State Bakersfield professor David Melendez discovered his passion for theatre during his service in the navy and now teaches his students the art that taught him how to not only reconnect with his humanity but to survive.
“When I tell students in theater it’s life or death, it very much is,” said Melendez. “Performance has the ability to validate a human existence.”…