Putting on my theatre maker hat for a second.
Over the last several months, I’ve seen a lot of theatre companies saying they’re leaving @X because it “endorses hate”, or similar reasons (two such companies today). Theatre, for centuries, has been part of the public square and should be a part of the conversation. By removing your theatre/company from the public square, you’re just enhancing that echo chamber that so many perform to. You are not touching hearts and minds, when you perform to an echo chamber where you can only hear your own ideas. What is theatre about anyway? What is the theatre’s role in society?
Shakespearean theatre brought together commoners and aristocrats, and questioned everything.
Is theatre not about connection, dialogue and empathy? Is the theatre not intended to reflect the complexities and flaws of society? Does a theatre not exist where there is diversity in voices and ideas?
It’s an interesting contradiction, isn’t it? As theatre makers we often celebrate our diversity, not just in storytelling and casting, but in our mission to represent a wide range of voices and experiences. Yet stepping away from spaces like the public square- the messy, the challenging, the areas where there are contradicting ideas- it seems that we’re at odds with our own mission.
The theatre exists in the public square; It should not abandon the most important part of its mission. Theatres, theatre companies, and theatre makers tout themselves as “agents of change”, but if you cannot be a part of the conversation, no matter how much the ideas differ from your own, what is the point anyway?
/KMR