Ch. 15 PART 2 (8th Ed) Ch. 17 (7th Ed)

Chapter 15

Social unrest and violence Genocide in Bosnia, Rwanda, and the Sudan Torture of prisoners Presidential scandals Middle Eastern violence and instability

▪ September 11, 2001, attacks

▪ Saddam Hussein deposed from power

▪ Continued conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians

▪ Barack Obama, first African-American President 2© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Asian American Theatre In the 19th and first half of the 20th century,

Asians appeared in drama as stereotypes Asian-focused theatre groups formed in the

latter half of the 20th century

3© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Asian American Theatre continued

These groups fostered a more accurate Asian-American identity on stage ▪ East West Players, Los Angeles (1965)▪ Asian Exclusion Act, Seattle (1973)▪ Asian-American Theatre Workshop, San Francisco

(1973)▪ Ma-Yi Theatre Company, New York (1989)▪ Mu Performing Arts, Minneapolis (1992)▪ David Henry Hwang, ‘M. Butterfly”


Latino-Latina Theatre Can be divided into three categories:

▪ Chicano Theater▪ Cuban American Theater▪ Puerto Rican or Nuyorican Theater

All three address experience of Hispanics living in U.S.

Sometimes written in Spanish but are usually in English or a combo of both


Latino-Latina Theatre Chicano theatre

▪ Originated primarily in the west and southwest▪ Came to prominence during the 1960s civil rights

movement ▪ Luis Valdéz (1940– ) and the El Teatro

Campesino (“farmworkers’ theatre”)▪ Zoot Suit (1978)

▪ Roosters (1987) by Milcha Sanchez-Scott (1955– )


Latino-Latina Theatre continued

Cuban American theatre▪ The Federal Theater Project resulted in 14 Cuban

American plays from 1936-37▪ Developed chiefly in Florida

▪ Maria Irene Fornes (1930– ) “Mud,” “Fefu and Her Friends”

▪ Nilo Cruz (1960– ), won Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for “Anna in the Tropics”


Latino-Latina Theatre continued

Puerto Rican or Nuyorican theatre▪ Nuyorican refers to Puerto Rican culture, primarily in

New York but elsewhere as well▪ Playwrights with a Puerto Rican background began to be

produced in the 1960s and 1970s by groups like: Teatro Repertorio Español The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre New York Public Theatre The Nuyorican Poets’ Café – produced many Hispanice

playwrights including Miguel Pinero ("Short Eyes")


Native American Theatre No theatre tradition as we know it Instead, theatrical elements were found in

ancient rituals and communal celebrations Many native ceremonies outlawed by the

American government in the 19th century Forced to go “underground” Companies identify with their nations, not

under the generic term “Native American”


Native American Theatre continued

American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1972 Two groups that led the way:

▪ The Native American Theater Ensemble▪ Spiderwoman (also feminist). Began in 1975 and

longest running women’s and Native American theater group

Native American theatre groups▪ Thunderbird Theatre, Lawrence, Kansas (1974)▪ Red Earth Performing Arts, Seattle (1974)▪ Tulsa Indian Actor’s Workshop, Tulsa (1993)


Feminist Theatre and Gender Diversity Feminist theatre companies have encouraged

audiences to reexamine their own gender biases▪ Companies include:

▪ At the Foot of the Mountain, ▪ Women’s Experimental Theatre▪ Omaha Magic Theatre▪ Split Britches

Feminist influences are felt in both Native American and lesbian theatre


Feminist Theatre and Gender Diversity Some significant contemporary feminist

playwrights:▪ Maria Irene Fornes▪ Paula Vogel▪ Marsha Norman▪ Wendy Wasserstein▪ Beth Henley▪ Suzan Lori-Parks


Gay and Lesbian Theatre Gay and lesbian theatre is a distinct

movement Themes existed in theatre before the 1960s

▪ Men in drag in 19th century and early part of 20th century, raising questions about sexual and gender roles

▪ Lillian Hellman’s “The Children’s Hour” (1934)

First play that brought gay life to the forefront was The Boys in the Band (1968)


Gay and Lesbian Theatre continued

Stonewall Inn riot considered the beginning of the modern gay rights movement

Gay characters, now more than ever, are presented unapologetically



Today’s theatre art is complex Mirrors the changes in our global society

Performance Art – Experimental theater that initially incorporated elements of dance and visual arts. Since performance art is often based on the vision of an individual performer or director rather than a playwright, the autobiographical monologue has become a popular performance art form.


Today’s theatre art is complex Mirrors the changes in our global society

Performance Art Antecedents:

▪ Earlier avant-gardeexperiments of the 20th century

▪ The theories of Antonin Artaud and Jerzy Grotowski


Performance Art continued Early manifestations:

▪ Related to painting and to dance▪ Story, character, and text were minimized or

eliminated

Present form:▪ Individual artists who present autobiographical

material onstage▪ Some artists’ work challenges the status quo

Many are performed off-off-Broadway


Performance Art continued Performed in conventional spaces as well as

non-conventional spaces like warehouses, museums, etc.

Some significant performance artists:▪ Karen Finley (controversy surrounding National

Endowment for the Arts grant)▪ Spalding Gray▪ Robbie McCauley (“Alice’s Rape”)▪ Anna Deavere Smith (“Twilight LA”)


Postmodernism – A contemporary concept suggesting that artists and audiences have gone beyond the modernist movements of realism and the various departures of realism, to combine them both into one unique form.


Postmodernism Characteristics:

▪ Reflects issues of power in art▪ Rebels against traditional readings of texts▪ Mix of abstraction and realism, techniques and

styles▪ Mix of popular concerns with those of “high” art

Deconstruction Non-text based Wooster Group is a contemporary

postmodernist theater21© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

English and Irish Theatre In London, fringe theatre

▪ Postmodernist tradition▪ Deborah Warner – English director

▪ Many contemporary playwrights begin here▪ Caryl Churchilll (also feminist) – “Cloud Nine,” “Top Girls”▪ Tom Stoppard


English and Irish Theatre continued In Ireland

▪ Young Irish playwrights who dramatize social, political, and historical issues▪ Martin McDonagh – “The Pillowman”▪ Conor McPherson – “The Seafarer”



A Continuing Global Trend: Documentary Drama Has roots in classical Greek and Elizabethan

theatres Reflects the diversity and eclecticism of our global

theatre Based on historical documents Goal: convince the audience that they’re watching

history unfold▪ “The Investigation” by Peter Weiss – dramatizes war

crime trials of Nazi guards▪ “Exonerated” – about former death row inmates who

turned out to be innocent


The future of theatre The live performer: human contact between audience

and performer will continue to meet a profound, fundamental need

Human impulse to create theatre: humans have a universal impulse to create theatrical activity

Theatre will continue with new works alongside a rich mixture of plays from the past bringing important issues to light for specific groups as well as humanity as a whole

Theatre will be as complex and fragmented as the world in which it exists

Theatre will continue to focus on human concerns


Documents

Ch. 15 PART 2 (8th Ed) Ch. 17 (7th Ed)