Theatre is something that can transform the lives, beliefs, and ideas of many people. Whether it be a small local theatre performance or a Broadway musical, it will impact each and every audience member in some way. Theatre can be controversial, but that makes it generates discussion and brings new issues to light.
Controversy causes people to discuss topics and issues in ways they never have before. By having one controversial piece of performance art or one controversial moment in a play can causes people to talk. Theatre deals with controversial issues such as the role of women in society, sexual orientation, sexual violence and even now gender orientation. Theatre acts as a messenger and plays are the message. Together, plays and theatre work together to get important points across that some people may have never even thought of or heard about. This can be seen in the emergence of LGBTQ theatre, specifically with plays such as “The Boys in the Band”, “Angels …show more content…
“Gently Down the Stream” and “In Our Own Words” are great examples of how theatre’s primary purpose is to educate the audience on popular issues simply because it puts the audience member in the situation and shows a new generation just what the gay rights movement was like and how we got to where we are today. “Angels in America” is also a good example of how theatre is important because it talks about gay identity and the AIDS crisis, both of which were new and controversial topics at the time. Theatre deals with another controversial topic of the role of women in society and how women in society are treated. This also leads into plays discussing what some women experience. For example, Paula Vogel, a feminist playwright, wrote How I Learned to Drive, which talks about sexual violence and the treatment of women. It uses the metaphor of driving to relate to the main character’s sexual abuse by her uncle. It also deals with slightly more controversial issues such as incest, misogyny, and pedophilia,
Controversy causes people to discuss topics and issues in ways they never have before. By having one controversial piece of performance art or one controversial moment in a play can causes people to talk. Theatre deals with controversial issues such as the role of women in society, sexual orientation, sexual violence and even now gender orientation. Theatre acts as a messenger and plays are the message. Together, plays and theatre work together to get important points across that some people may have never even thought of or heard about. This can be seen in the emergence of LGBTQ theatre, specifically with plays such as “The Boys in the Band”, “Angels …show more content…
“Gently Down the Stream” and “In Our Own Words” are great examples of how theatre’s primary purpose is to educate the audience on popular issues simply because it puts the audience member in the situation and shows a new generation just what the gay rights movement was like and how we got to where we are today. “Angels in America” is also a good example of how theatre is important because it talks about gay identity and the AIDS crisis, both of which were new and controversial topics at the time. Theatre deals with another controversial topic of the role of women in society and how women in society are treated. This also leads into plays discussing what some women experience. For example, Paula Vogel, a feminist playwright, wrote How I Learned to Drive, which talks about sexual violence and the treatment of women. It uses the metaphor of driving to relate to the main character’s sexual abuse by her uncle. It also deals with slightly more controversial issues such as incest, misogyny, and pedophilia,