Thoughts on Theatre...

  Theatre. I love it. It's one of mankind's greatest ideas. And right now it is under attack from certain parties because it's hard for some people to understand that theatre isn't just for entertainment.

  Does theatre entertain? Yes. Broadway shows wouldn't run as long if they weren't entertaining. However, they offer up social commentary. Whether you actually notice it or not, the commentary is there. It's always been there. This isn't some new concept that we "cry baby, hippie, liberals" came up with in the last week. [Side rant: If being concerned about the environment makes me a hippie, I'm good with that. If being concerned about the future of our country makes me a cry baby, we need to have words.]

   I hope you're all familiar with Hamlet. If you ever took an English class, you should be. If not, Google it. Remember Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy? Guys, that's basically several minutes of Hamlet thinking suicide is a great idea and that maybe our existence means nothing. If that thought makes you uneasy in the year 2016, think of how the Church in Shakespeare's time felt. Theatre challenges the system.

   Theatre today does the same thing. A theme in 'Wicked' is fighting against discrimination. That's actually a theme in a lot of shows, including 'Hamilton'. If theatre makes you uncomfortable or if you leave a show thinking about your world in a new way, good. Theatre is doing it's job.

   If you feel that theatre is just for entertainment, you're entitled to that opinion. And I'm entitled to think that you don't know how to open your mind to new concepts. We can agree to disagree on that. But don't sit there and give me this crap about how performers should "just entertain" and that "outside opinions shouldn't be brought to the stage." And don't you dare demand that the cast of Hamilton apologize. Theatre is challenging the system.

  Also, historically, when a new regime comes in, one of the first things its leaders try to get rid of is art. Because it challenges the system. Art always comes back. Judging by our president-elect's reaction to Hamilton, I get the feeling that he might not be a friend of the arts. But I also get the feeling that theatre and all other forms of art won't be backing down anytime soon. This is your final reminder: theatre (and art in general) challenges the system.

   End of thought.

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