Does the theater have a duty to be politically correct? I stumble upon answering this question, especially with period pieces that were written to show the horrors and comment on the atrocities that the world was going through in the time of their writing. But what about today’s pieces? Is there any appropriate time to use nasty, slang language, purposefully depict movements or body language that highlight the cruelties and injustices that minorities faced in our past? Should we, as present day people, attempt to rewrite history or historical shows to make them more comfortable for the casual viewer?
Is it taboo to put on a show such as Fences, or Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Shows like these highlight the racism that used to run completely rampant during the time they were written, and if you look at any news/ media platform, it still runs rampant today.
The theater’s original purpose was to share stories and to entertain, engage and to teach. Should it be the theater’s responsibility, at least in part, to teach the historical complications that lead us to this world we are in now? Frankly, I will never know what it is to be anything other than a white woman, who statistically fits into the majority when it comes to my demographics in the 21st century. I struggle personally on how to handle the answers to these questions, both as a person, and a producer/ director who wishes to make a change and give more opportunities to voices that are different from mine.
What I do know is that I personally could never direct a show like The Color Purple. I have no experience nor do my ancestors have that experience. I fully believe that shows that feature persons of a particular ethnicity or culture should be AT MINIMUM Co- Directed by someone of that particular ethnicity or culture. ( Don’t even get me started on the whitewashing of certain theatrical pieces… with that the theater needs to do better. ) If I was given the rights to produce a show to share these stories, you totally bet I would do what I could to make sure these stories were told with justice, the input of people who know more than I, and make sure to organize either talk backs or research for the community to actually learn something.
Of course this is the type of topic that cannot be summed up in an article of 400 words or so. The role of the theater and arts in politics is complicated and one that has been debated, with many factors and schools of thought. Although I could most definitely go on and on with my opinion, I hope to open up a space in the comment section to discuss.
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