final 2 Flashcards
harold pinter
British playwright Harold Pinter began writing in the late 50’s
his plays include The Dumbwaiter (1959) and The Birthday Party (which puzzled London audiences and lasted only a week in 1958)
His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticence—and even silence—to convey the substance of a character’s thought, which often lies several layers beneath, and contradicts, his speech.
dialogue is of central importance in Pinter’s plays. He is sometimes called the “father of modern dialogue” and it is part of what makes his work unique
His characters’ speech consists of disjointed and ambivalent conversation that is punctuated by resonant silences—sometimes called the “Pinterian Pause” and on the whole characterized as “Pinteresque.”
his plays typically begin with a pair of characters whose relations are disrupted by the entrance of a stranger
his plays can be dark, claustrophobic, and edge into non-realism, and even absurdism
In The Caretaker, a wheedling, old tramp comes to live with two neurotic brothers.
His attempts to establish himself in the household upset the precarious balance of the brothers’ lives, and they end up evicting him.
hal prince and cabaret
Cabaret is based on The Berlin Stories, two autobiographical novellas by Christopher Isherwood
the stories had been adapted into a play called I am a Camera
several people had been trying to get the rights to turn the material into a musical, but Hal Prince got there first
the generally accepted approach to the adaptation was to turn it into a star vehicle
However, Prince believed that centering the story on the singer Sally Bowles was the wrong way to go
he felt the right hook was to draw parallels between the troubled 1930’s, during the Nazi’s rise to power, and the equally troubled 1960’s
it was his idea to add the MC as a sort of unifying symbol to the play
the musical team (John Kander, music, and Fred Ebb, lyrics) worked hard trying to find the right pieces: there are 15 songs in Cabaret; they wrote 47
Prince brought in newspapers and required the company to read about the Civil Rights Movement
He wanted to show that the tolerance of fascism that led to the Holocaust in Germany could happen in the US
three important layers to cabaret
1rst: the traditional book musical numbers, where characters sing about their feelings
2nd: the numbers where the characters are aware they’re singing because they’re actually performing in the Kit Kat club—where people do sing
Importantly, the songs of the Kit Kat Club comment on the musical: for example, the MC sings “Wilkommen” while Cliff is arriving in Berlin
as Schneider grows increasingly fearful about being engaged to a Jew, the MC presents a mockery of her dilemma in “If You Could See Her Through My Eyes”
Bob Fosse, who directed the 1972 film version, cut all the book songs so that almost all the singing took place in the cabaret.
the third layer was actually not visible until they moved into the theatre
designed by Boris Aronson, the original set design had mirrors which reflected the audience back to themselves
in this way, the audience became part of the show on stage
it created a parallel between those passively watching the Nazis come to power or people passively watching those struggle for their civil rights in the south, and those passively watching the play
the 1968 theatre act
the Theatre Licensing Act from 1737stated that a play must not “contain anything immoral or otherwise improper”
Edward Bond refused to make the cuts demanded of him by the Lord Chamberlain
the theatre staged the play, re-dubbing themselves as a “private members club,” which attracted more than 3000 new “members”
but the censor saw through the ploy and the director, William Gaskill, was arrestee.
this a domino effect, and eventually, the new Theatres Act of 1968 removed censorship of the English theatre
the womans liberation movement
first wave
the Women’s Liberation Movement began slowly in the 60’s and ramped up in the 70’s.
“First Wave Feminism” was the political campaign to get women the vote; Second Wave Feminism was a movement for women to gain the right to have autonomy over their own lives
in some ways, society hadn’t changed much since First Wave Feminism: women were still expected to marry and stay at home and have children.
women also had little control over their own money: a woman doing the same job as a man was always paid less; jobs were still advertised for either men or women; access to birth control was limited
in some places, a woman couldn’t get a credit card or even open a bank account without her husband’s permission
sexual assault and domestic violence were in many ways not considered a crime; access to divorce was difficult
second wave
Second Wave Feminism had no single leader or single philosophy, but was characterized by pluralism, debate, and theoretical discussion
In this era, we see…
the first intense discussions around the nature of gender and what gender and sexuality meant
Women’s Studies Departments established at universities.
a new form address, “Ms.,” began to be used
women began to move into all professions
there was still a division between the white middle-class women who led the movement and women of colour
leaders began to emerge from, for example, the African- American community: writers like bell hooks and Alice Walker began to address the particular challenges faced by women of colour
Second Wave Feminism resulted in many things, including laws were passed to attempt to create equal work for equal pay
In theatre, this means we begin to see more female writers and directors, including…
Timberlake Wertenbaker
(Playwright, Our Country’s Good)
Buzz Goodbody (The first female director at the RSC)
Adrienne Kennedy (Playwright, Funnyhouse of a Negro)
Paula Vogel, (Playwright, How I Learned to Drive)
Julie Taymor (Director of The Lion King, and others)
another way we see Second (and now Third Wave) Feminism at work is that the way sexism and women are portrayed in plays: Consider “Little Sensitivities” in Sweeney Todd.
peter brook and midsummers night dream
In 1970, Peter Brook directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the RSC
It was unlike any production of the play before
It featured stripped-down white box set with no ceiling and two doors; the actors wore bright silk costumes and swung on trapezes
it rejected everything that was usually done for Dream: there was no forest, no Athenian sets
This production opened up the possibilities of how Shakespeare (and by implication, nearly anything) could be produced
a concept musical
A concept musical can loosely be defined as a musical that is built around a central issue, event or theme, such as being single vs. being in a committed relationship
the concept musical was not invented in the 70’s
some consider Cabaret to be a concept musical; you could argue that Hair is, as well.
in concept musicals, normal narrative can be broken and examined on stage
time, place and action can be broken or played with
every character might have a story to tell, and all of them can comment on the action and/or illustrate different aspects of this concept
company
No musical illustrates what a concept musical is better than Company, lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth
it opened at the beginning of the decade and helped challenge the genre of musical theatre
it tells the story of Bobby, a thirty-something NYC bachelor with three different girlfriends, who goes to five different married couples for relationship advice
rather than a romantic look at love, it was cynical, skeptical of love, expressing the current revolution in sexual politics and also the alienating nature of modern life
different characters are given moments of reflection, speaking (or singing) to the audience; songs are sometimes intercut with scenes
songs didn’t emerge from scenes but rather provide commentary in fact, often songs are sung by characters who are not even in the scene taking place
the show was nominated for 14 Tony’s: it won six, including Best Musical
Augusto Boal
Boal effectively created, practised and helped spread a particular philosophy and approach to theatre called the Theatre of the Oppressed
this type of theatre is still practiced around the world
inspired in part by Brecht, Boal went a step further: he sought to bring the audience into the play and as a consequence, change the outcome of the story
his work is sometimes called “rehearsal for a revolution”
Boal was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1931
he would be the central figure of Brazilian government for the next 24 years
During World War 2, Boal remembered the adults in his life behaving inconsistently: some became members of the organization Justiceiros Contra O Nazismo (Upholders of Justice against Nazism)
however, some of those same people had formerly been members of an organization called Integralista, an ultra-right wing organization
young Boal saw this switch in loyalties was to ensure that they were “always on the side of the strong.”
Boal described his early years as happy ones: his parents were immigrants from Portugal, relatively liberal, and lived in relative upper-middle class comfort
he began writing stories and plays as a child
in 1948, Boal entered the university of Brazil, studying chemistry
his choice of studies, he said later, was largely to gratify his father
however, he had never given up his love of stories and theatre, and while studying chemistry he became increasingly involved in local theatre
he became director of the university’s Cultural Department, which entitled him to free tickets to local theatre productions
he saw more and more theatre, including local companies and foreign companies from outside Brazil
he also met local actors, writers and directors, who formed important contacts for him later in his career
in 1952 after graduating, Boal went to New York City and studied chemistry and theatre simultaneously
he studied with theatre critic John Gassner, who introduced him to Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavsky
at first overwhelmed by culture shock, Boal eventually began to feel at home through theatre
from his contacts he had formed in Brazil, he was able to connect with Langston Hughes, author and activist
eventually, he came to enjoy NYC so much that he stayed longer than planned
in 1955, he staged two of his own plays
he visited New York’s Actor’s Studio, for example, where he saw actors learningStanislavksy’s system from Lee Strasberg
Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Lorraine Hansberry were all active around this time
Boal saw the original production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams in 1955 and directed by Elia Kazan, and admired it
John Gassner admired the “selective” realism that he saw in Tennessee Williams’s writing
he was critical of departures from realism that became “pompously self-conscious”
audiences, he argued, can enter into a performances sense of reality at one moment, and at the next, appreciate an effect that they know to be “theatrical” rather than real life
Gassner urged playwrights to challenge the assumption that certain types of dramatic subjects belonged to specific theatrical forms
Boal returned to Brazil in 1955 with a developed awareness of the potential in theatre to go beyond both realism and non-realism
Boal’s first production with Arena Theatre was a stage adaptation of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
the production emphasized social issues; the actors worked in an Actor’s Studio style
it was done in the round and helped characterize the work that Arena would do
at first, Arena produced mostly foreign playwrights. This changed after only a few years
by the late 50’s, the company began to produce plays by Brazilian writers
in 1958, they produced a play called Eles Não Usam Black-Tie (They Don’t Wear Black Tie) by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri
it focussed on the lives of working-class Brazilians and was so popular it ran for over a year
Boal was imprisoned under a false name, so his family could not find him
he asked what he was accused of: his torturers said they did not know
Augusto’s brother went to the Department of Political and Social Order (which Augusto called “the lair of official bandits”)
there, he found Augusto, imprisoned under a false name, 10 days after he’d been arrested
he had not been permitted to see a lawyer and had been held in solitary confinement
an international campaign began to free him: Arthur Miller drafted a letter demanding his release
Boal was released to attend a festival, under the condition that he return to Brazil when it was over
when he signed the papers authorizing his release, the person handling the papers actually told him:
“We do not arrest the same element twice:
we kill them!
Never return.
But sign on this line - promising to return.”
He left Brazil and did not return for eight years
theatre of the oppressed
during his time in exile, he coalesced his ideas about theatre and specifically, Theatre of the Oppressed, which he wrote in 1974
He was clearly influenced by his years with Arena Theatre, a time in which he had used specific strategies to relay provocative content by covert means
he had worked not always in theatre buildings, or with an educated public—but rather in found spaces, with marginalized communities
his work in exile also closely examined issues that can spring up when one community—in his case, a privileged, educated class—tries to solve the problems of another—the marginalized working and peasant class
Theatre of the Oppressed incorporates several different ideas, including…
an awareness of what is often a disconnect between teaching methods and the realities of the lives of the working class
a rejection of the idea of a “top down” educational system, which treats students like “empty vessels”
influenced by the educational theorest Paulo Freire, Boal took up Freire’s idea of conscientização or consciousness-raising, a process that emphasizes ownership of knowledge
the idea was to enable communication between different groups of people without hierarchising one above the other and respecting the knowledge all participations already had
Freire was also considered a threat to the military regime in Brazil and had been arrested in 1964
Augusto Boal died in 2009. He spent nearly his entire life touring and teaching his techniques all over the world
he also continued to work in conventional theatre, but he always wished for more than the conventional could offer.
forum theatre
theatre of the oppressed has many different expressions, but one of the most commonly used is called forum theatre
In forum theatre, Boal’s vision was to make the spectator—in his view, a fundamentally passive being—into an actor
instead of presenting plays with ready-made answers, theatre of the oppressed engages the audience itself and asks them to become the actors
Actors of a forum theatre play are typically not professional actors. Rather, they are people from a group or community who are actually experiencing the oppression that is being depicted
they are typically brought to performance by workshops in which they learn different acting techniques and exercises
they usually help write the play
the performance typically is a series of short scenes that stage well known aspects of their daily living and the topic at hand
Possible topics: domestic violence, racial discrimination in housing, bullying, etc. Any topic that is relevant to a group may be examined.
the group performs the scene once
then, a mediator figure called a Joker, asks them to perform it again but this time also asks the audience to search for ways to help the oppressed character
Audience members can then interrupt the show and intervene by taking over a part depicted by one of the actors
when an audience member calls stop, they will come up and take the place of one of the actors
the goal is to act out the scene in a way that tries to find a solution out of the difficult situation presented.
The scene is acted out, the actors reacting to the new actor, and then the scene is discussed with the Joker as mediator
a key aspect is that an audience member/actor cannot substitute in for the person who is doing the oppression: because oppression will always exist, we cannot create magic solutions to it
the idea behind this theatre is that everyone can become political actors in every day life
aids/hiv
HIV wasn’t identified until the early 1980’s
the gay community, particularly gay men, were vulnerable because unprotected sex spreads the virus. This wasn’t immediately understood.
in the US, the disease was originally called gay-related immune deficiency, because all the first patients identified with AIDS were gay men
this spread the stigma of the disease: it was called the “gay plague,” or the “gay cancer,” even though scientists soon learned that anyone can get HIV
in 1982, a US congressman delivered a speech titled “What Homosexuals Do.” He pushed to create a government register of AIDS patients, quarantines, and deportation
this speech helped spread fear and homophobia before the disease was really understood.
there wasn’t a test for HIV until 1985
by the end of that year, more than 20,000 cases had been identified in the US alone. (Deaths had been doubling every year since 1982).
Hollywood actor Rock Hudson died in 1985, becoming the first high-profile fatality of the disease
the first drug, AZT, didn’t became available until 1987 (6 years after the disease had been identified in the US)
the disease ravaged the gay community: thousands died (other communities affected in these early years included hemophiliacs, who received blood transfusions of infected blood, and IV drug users)
a entire generation of theatre artists was profoundly affected: Larry Kent, the original Tony of West Side Story, Alvin Ailey, famed dancer and choreographer, and Michael Bennett (A Chorus Line) were amongst those who died.
in 1991, the red ribbon became the international symbol of AIDS awareness
throughout the decade, education and research helped stem the spread of the disease, and also helped improve the treatment of it
testing for the disease became easier; treatments became more effective
still, the disease ravaged different parts of the world, particularly Africa.
in 1999, AIDS was the leading cause of death on that continent
research has continued to this day; it has helped, for example, prevent the transmission of HIV from a positive partner to an unaffected partner, and also can prevent a mother transmitting HIV to her unborn child
gay liberation movement
An important cultural change that began prior to but gained momentum in the 80’s was the Gay Liberation Movement.
advocacy for gay people had begun far earlier, but this is where we see it really take off and affect systemic change
the movement sought to eliminate many things, including: laws that made it illegal for adults of the same sex to have sex; psychological beliefs that classified homosexuality as a disorder
if you were “outed” as being gay, you could legally be fired from your job, not to mention the everyday violence that gay people sometimes faced on the street
the Gay Liberation Movement was a pluralistic movement led by many different people, but they had similar goals…
change laws that discriminated against gay people, including laws that actually made being gay illegal
increase societal acceptance of homosexuality; increase the safety and opportunities for people who are gay
Some landmark events include…
June 1968 in NYC, police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. In response, 400 people rioted in protest.
1980, the group Human Rights Campaign is founded in the US as an advocacy group for LGBTQ2+ people
1980, the Democratic Party of the USA adds a non-discrimination clause that includes sexual orientation to its platform
cats
The biggest commercial successes of 1980’s Broadway did not emerge from New York, but from England
Producer Cameron Macintosh developed musicals in England, where it was cheaper, and then launched them internationally by taking them to Broadway
The early 80’s are benchmarked by a production that began in 1981 and didn’t close on Broadway until 2000, and didn’t close on the West End until 2002: Cats
the show was so commercially successful that the way it was run established many routines and expectations for future Broadway shows
Cats is not the first mega-musical
that distinction belongs to the musical Evita, also by Andrea LLoyd Webber, which was produced on Broadway in 1979
in fact, it came out the same year as Sweeney Todd, which is a musical by Stephen Sondheim
Sweeney Todd was universally a critical success: it earned rave reviews and won the Drama Critic Circles’ Award in 1979, and took the majority of that years Tony’s, including Best Musical
in spite its successful run and tour, however, the original production of Sweeney Todd lost money
by contrast, Evita made a huge profit
this fact was not lost on producers, and in an era of rising costs, the remainder of the 20th century Broadway musicals would often increasingly push theatre to make a profit over artistic merit
Cats was the idea of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was interested in writing a piece that was a song cycle based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by the poet TS Eliot
teaming up with Cameron MacIntosh, Webber worked with British Director Trevor Nunn, who was the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
they also teamed up with choreographer Gillian Lynne
the dance and movement of Cats was to be vital for its success. In fact, Cats was Webber’s first “dance” musical
the cast spent several days of rehearsal on character work, improv and movement exercises
together, they began to shape the songs into the semblance of a story, and the show opened in May 1981 in London
Key characteristics of the mega-musical:
typically sung all the way through, with very little spoken dialogue
the songs and emotions are big, loud, and bombastic
characterization is often explained rather than dramatized or shown: characters tell you who they are rather than showing you who they are by their actions
the music is pop-rock, but can incorporate different styles.
the music does not reflect the sound of any particular era
the plots are melodramatic, with minimal humour
the mega-musical puts spectacle in the forefront: substance and characterization takes a backseat
all major professional stagings are carbon copies
star performers not really necessary, since the show itself is the star
The show opened in May 1981 in London. The spectacle harkened back to the revues of the 20’s and 30’s
children responded to the fantasy of the show; adults responded to the deeper layers of social commentary
the show moved to Broadway in 1982 and went on to win 7 Tony Awards, including best musical
most critics agree that Cats was not ground-breaking in music, but they also agree that it was a good musical and was better than most people gave it credit for
cats marketing
an important aspect of Cats was its marketing. Cats took souvenir marking to the next level: its logo (right) was put on anything and everything.
the success of this campaign proved that auxiliary marketing can significantly boost a show’s profits
another important aspect of Cats was that every subsequent production of the show had to be the exact same
what that meant was that in any iteration or tour of the show, the staging, sets, costumes, lighting, etc all had to be identical
if a replacement actor joined the show, he or she was required to play their part exactly as the person had before: no variations, no exceptions
this practice stifled the spontaneity that is normal in live theatre, and affected theatre and especially Broadway for a long while after
by the time Cats closed on Broadway in 2000, more than 10 m people had seen it and it had grossed over $350 m.
The Lion King opened there in 1997. Its success of Disney’s investment in Broadway encouraged other corporations to invest
this eventually transformed the neighbourhood, and Times Square into what it looks like today.
designer/director Julie Taymor created remarkable masks, make-up, and puppets to stage The Lion King, making it theatrical and a musical of the imagination
she believed that showing both the actors’ faces and the animals masks would work. She was right.
It was the biggest show of the 90’s. It opened in London’s West End in 1999 and it’s still playing there.
