To Be [right-wing] or Not To Be: Politics of Theater

This week, it is time for theater to go political. On Tuesday everyone in America will be waiting with hushed breath to find out who wins the race for presidency--why not talk about it? As I searched the blogosphere, I came upon two posts about theater and politics. Both authors discussed how theater has been lacking of a little right-wing controversy. Chris Wilkinson from the Noises Off blog writes about this shortage. His main issue focuses around another blog, that of Edward Einhorn at the Theater of Ideas blog. Here, Einhorn remarks about the recent New York Times article talking about how the political plays of today are mostly all liberal. The article fails to answer the question of why that is. According to Einhorn, the reason is a "current spate of political plays have reac[ted] against the Bush administration." I thought this was a clever idea and enjoyed reading his explanation. He even brought in a rather clever quote that Obama had said which I think only made Einhorn's point stronger. He even helped with continuing my point on how theater helps society today, by saying:

"But that is all part of a disdain for intellectuals that has become a standard part of political discourse here in America. And theater is an arena for intellectuals. Yes, it is also a place for emotions, and for beauty, but it is one of the few places where people are asked to think out loud in front of you so you can consider what they have to say. Theater like no other art form is about debate, and by that I don't mean televised debates meant to convince the public that you have the right demeanor and are capable of looking into the camera and sounding forceful, but actual debates of actual ideas."

Below you will find the comments posted on each post, as well as the links to each. I would beg you to read and understand these blogs with an open mind--one that is ready to learn and understand. That after all is what theater is about.


Noises Off: The Politics of Theatre

Mr. Wilkinson,

First off I would like to say thank you for writing about something I believe to be very important. As a student about to graduate from university with a degree in acting, I find it very valuable to hear about theater and its place in society. Specifically in politics. Since I am voting in less than 12 hours now, I am very intrigued by the candidates and their positions—however, I will say I am an Obama fan. I find it fascinating that we do not have much, if any, “right wing” theater here. Do you personally have an inkling as to why that may be? Are people truly afraid to do it? Maybe it is just easier to poke fun at the government.

I also really love the quote that Andy Burnham said, “all of us, and I include myself, need to remember just how affecting theatre can be for young people. It can be life-changing in your late teens and early 20s.” This is something I believe and attempt to promote through theater and why I want to be involved in the theater.

Lastly, I would like to respond to MichaelFowke in the previous comment. As long as I have been involved with acting and the theater, I do not believe I have stumbled upon one “intolerant (even fascist) socialists.” Everyone I have worked with and have talked to are waiting for criticism. We want to succeed in telling our stories truthfully. How can do we that if we are not told if something does not seem true? Yes, it is the playwright’s story and his/her view of the world is just that, and that cannot be changed. But that does not mean a story can’t be told or understood in another way.

That is the beauty of the theater. One mans garbage is another mans treasure. I apologize, but it seems that you are the intolerant socialist, as you do not want to learn about the world and how others view it.

Theater of Ideas: Why is Theater Liberal?

Mr. Einhorn,

This is a fascinating topic for me. It is so important to deal with what is going on in society today. Right now, that is the race for presidency. And it is true that theater plays a vital role in society, so it is a great question of why it does not represent from both sides. Do you have an idea as to why theater is not as right-wing as it could be? Do you think it may become so in the future? I am not sure if I would necessarily like modern right-wing theater, but how would I really know until I came upon some.

I love the quote from Obama. To me, that is exactly why one should vote for him. He is a normal person—not some robot the government is churning out and not some old man who can hardly see while driving his Volvo.

I should also like to think the insanity we share as those who love the arts are only promoting open minds, a new view of the world and the most important, thinking. One on end, my generation is very adamant about what we want but on the other hand, we don’t think for ourselves sometimes. We say we fight, but that is only once in a while. I am tired of the bleach blonde, BMW driving, princess who is always on the cell phone not watching the world go right past her.

Theater can change society. It can change it for the better. All we need to do is get them to see.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

and

"OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD" runs
Thursday Nov. 6-9

Get your tickets now!!!

Drama In Society: A Look Around the Theater World

Last week in my post "An Expression of Civilization: Theater and Immigration Laws," I discussed how theater is being used to improve communities around the world. To discover more, I explored the blogosphere this week to find out what others are doing. The following links are all placed to the right in my LinkRoll. To begin to understand what theater is about and "how to be an actor," I suppose the first question one may have would be "How do I act?" Even though this question cannot truly be answered in one simple sentence, I stumbled upon a website that appears to be a good jumping off point. At The Applied & Interactive Theater Guide website, I found many different acting techniques, theatre techniques, as well as the history of theatre. The site is very simple and easy to navigate, however, the simplicity makes it appear to be less professional than it may be.

Similarly, The Applied & Interactive Theater Blog follows the same rather dull color palate, however writing about theater news and events around the country. While reading about what is occurring in the theater community, the C.A.T Community Actors Theatre website interested me. This theater company puts on productions written by the surrounding community--oh, and did I mention they are an all black company? By reaching out to the black neighborhood, C.A.T begins to redefine a new generation of theater. The website has a fun, funky feel to it with easy to use links. However, there appear to be misspellings and grammatical issues throughout the site.

Another theater group I found is Theatre West. The actors involved in this theater company not only act, but also teach acting workshops in multiple techniques. The homepage has numerous pictures with quotes about an actress or play and many links to informative pages. However, when I click on a link and then wanted to go back to the homepage, I found no way to click "home." It became annoying to retype the web address. Another website with many links and photographs belongs to the National Theatre in the United Kingdom. This theatre company is one of the largest and well-known companies throughout the world and their website proves it. With fourteen brightly colored links to their season of plays (picture above left), it is very easy to get lost in the website. However, it almost seems to be the point to get lost and find yourself on a page called Discover, where you can find out about their programs, plays, and backstage tours.

To find out what is happening in the art community in New York, I headed over to Gothamist: Arts and Events blog. The summaries of each post are easy to see and to read with interesting titles. However, the large and often brightly colored advertisements in the top and left margins of the page subtract from the simplicity of the blog.

The Next Stage is a fun online magazine discussing what they call "new theatre." The picture atop the page makes me laugh and pulls me into what they might have to offer. Everything is laid out neatly, making it possible for even the most internet incapable to find what they want to read. Yet, as interesting as the magazine may be, there will be random posts about unrelated topics. Something similar happens on the blog entitled, Theatre Notes. Here the author, Alisson Croggon, keeps a blog about her theatre reviews. Even though the theatre reviews are very insightful, Croggon's posts about Patti Smith do not seem to fall under theatre reviews and the copious amount of links turn me away.

At the theatre section of the Culture Monster blog, through the Los Angeles Times website, I found many posts about theater and events going on around the country. This was a great place to gain knowledge without any issues. Everything is easy to read and the writing is excellent. The only problem I had is with the categories sections; there are so many links that are in such a small text, they are difficult to read. On the other hand, the New York Times' theatre posts had no category section, only Most Popular and Critic's Picks links. The New York Times website, however, is spectacular. Not only are there interesting articles about theatre in New York, they have performance videos and audio. Everything is a bit packed in, but still easy to navigate.

There are many theater companies around the world who deal with helping children, at risk teens, families and communities. The Unusual Suspects is one. Their website has a great slideshow of people involved in their programs and photographs of their productions. However, there is so much material being presented on the homepage, I feel overwhelmed trying to take in all the information. The Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY) works as a therapeutic center. With a headshot and quote from Susan Sarandon, the front page is welcoming and open, giving the information in a calm way. Nonetheless, the huge red "Donate Now!" sign is extremely noticeable and detracts from the tranquil-ness of the page. ENACT is a drama therapy program which could use some help from the web designer from the CANY site. The page is laid out in a boring way with a lot of extra space not being utilized. The writing throughout the site is great, but the design could use some work. Broadway Cares is a company that is working to fight HIV/AIDS. Their website is patriotic and fun and makes me want to donate. The layout of the "important" links is easy to find and read, yet the left hand margin is packed with tiny writing and links to other information about the company. This is equally important as the donation page but is harder to find. Juxtaposing the Broadway Cares website, the Apollo Theater Foundation has enlarged every link, making everything seem of the same importance. It is vital to restore the Apollo Theater, however, the different scholarships they have for students are important to donors. I had to dig through a few pages to find out about those scholarships.

The America-Israel Cultural Foundation has a similar problem. Even though their mission may be clear, I had no idea how much they give back to the community until I happened to click on a link titled "Artists." Somehow the topics of “money” and “awards” do not seem to fit under that term. The government has also helped spread the arts. Soon after the Great Depression, Roosevelt mounted the Federal Theatre Project (above right). This website is the collection of all the plays, as well as photographs, playscripts and administrative records from these productions. The site is easy to navigate and themed appropriately. However, the way the way the information is presented is confusing and I just end up skimming over what they have written.

Some of the most interesting websites I came across talked about theater and technology. The Arts and Humanities Data Service has something they call a Digital Performance Archive, where they have performances that include various forms of technology. As interesting as it is, the search engine is difficult if you do not know what to search for. But there are a numerous amount of performances to choose to loose yourself in. Another out of the ordinary website is Teatre Virtual. Another site dealing with theater and the Internet, this website actually has "live" acting, as well as many other forms. The futuristic layout is enticing, but difficult to navigate, and the writing is hard to comprehend, since it was originally written in another language. Yet, it is still an innovative idea.

Lastly, a professor's blog entitled Theatre Ideas plays an alluring role in this search. Here the author writes on the role of theater in American society. He has book recommendations, theater quotes, posts on various actors and theater techniques. Even though his posts appear to lack order, his ideas are thought provoking.

My exploration of the web has given me a new perspective into the world of theater and its influences on society.