Theatre for Real People

I don't want to do theatre for theatre people.  I want to do theatre for everyone.  It seems that in some of the places I've been recently, the same people go to all the same shows acted by the same groups of people to impress each other.  I want to inspire, not show off.  I want to invigorate, not impress.  I want to do something new because the times are changing and we, as a society, need it - not to be flashy or edgy.  I like flashy and edgy because it makes me think, not simply because it's shocking or . . . well, flashy and edgy. 

I want to teach theatre.  I want to get a fresh group of minds every few months and explain to them what theatre means to me.  I want to infect an entire generation with the notion that theatre should be dirty, it shouldn't cost thousands of dollars to produce and be attended by those who can afford it.  Those who need theatre the most often can't afford it - I grew up never being able to afford the theatre, and even the free stages around me weren't really "around" and required several different modes of public transportation to get to.  Public transportation that cost more money than I had.

I had the extreme good fortune to work directly with Julian Boal at an intensive workshop at DePauw University.  He told us a story that really stuck with me.  Here's my attempt at a summary.  There was a group of people being oppressed (creative already, huh?), and a troupe practicing Boal's Forum Theatre and tailoring their works specifically to the downtrodden workers.  The troupe's finale involved the actors taking up guns against their oppressors and fighting back.  The workers stood up and chanted with the actors, an act that was not only empowering to the workers, but the feeling on stage must have also been tremendous - as an artist, I would love to have a performance or piece of music inspire someone to action.  However, when the performance ended, the workers wanted to actually take their tools and guns against the oppressors, and wanted the actors to fight with them.  The actors were, needless to say, reluctant, and the workers, confused.  What gave these actors the nerve to tell the workers that they should fight back if they weren't willing to fight with them?

This story got me thinking, as I'm sure was Julian's intention when relaying it to us.  Why do theatre that I don't believe in?  I'm not calling into question how passionately these actors felt about the situation - they took the time to travel, learn about the local concerns, and perform with and for them in a manner that those people weren't used to.  But if they wanted to create change, why not back up word with action?  Should actors be willing to take up guns in defense of something they believe passionately about?

That was an extreme example, but this is war.  This is war against complacency, war against "high art."  This is war against people dressing up in evening gowns and three-piece suits to see a magical tale of an ogre making fart jokes.  This is war to tear down Broadway and make theatre accessible to those of us living below the national poverty line.  This is the time of Rough Theatre.  The Way We Live Now.  Loosen your ties, untuck your shirts, kick off your heels, and prepare your mind to think about what it lets in between your ears.  See a piece that pisses you off?  Talk to the playwright, actors, directors - I'm sure they have plenty to say about what they do and why they do it.  See a piece that inspires you?  Grab a pen write letters to the politician nearest you who can get things done.  See a piece that makes you laugh until you cry?  Good.  Feel something.  And don't be afraid.