Debate: What is Political Theatre Now?

Working on The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning  - arguably NTW's most overtly political piece of theatre to date, I've been asking myself 'What is political theatre today?'  Is it a question of subject-matter - a campaigning play bringing an urgent issue to people's attention via a familiar medium.  Or is it as Brecht, Piscator and the 'real' John McGrath of 7:84 Theatre would have it, equally a matter of form - the shape in which a theatre piece comes - the ways in which it causes us to interact with the world.  Or is the politics of contemporary theatre more about where and who - who is represented on stage, who gets to be in the audience, where theatre takes place.  Or is a truly political theatre going to be unrecognisable as theatre at first - is the Occupy movement the truly effective political theatre of our time?  I'd love to hear your views.

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Comment by Michael Kelligan on December 8, 2011 at 0:14

As Terry says in a way all theatre is political theatre. Many playwrights will and have always done, respond with passion to  the situation around them or to a facts in history that have a parallel  today. Where the force of the art of theatre is strong and moves its audience, the art of theatre itself achieves a strong political effect.  I would like to see more playwrights in Wales produce more  plays that respond to contemporary events both here and world-wide

Comment by carmen medway-stephens on December 8, 2011 at 0:00

For me - Political Theatre is Theatre that Matters,

 

This was also a big debate in the Lucid Event

Comment by Terry Victor on December 7, 2011 at 23:36

This is an instant response: no real attempt to make it coherent or marshal my thoughts.

I welcome the renewed interest in overtly political theatre.

The arts speak for the heart as well as the mind. Verbatim theatre has been/is instrumental carrying the political theatre torch forward but, whilst I appreciate its value and the urgency to portray matters of immediate interest, I suspect that this form, by virtue of editing, is less honest than a conventionally theatrical and imaginative consideration of a single issue, however one-sided or controversial. Recently, non-verbatim urgency has been expressed, for example, by Caryl Churchill's Seven Jewish Children (six weeks from event to stage - but only 15 minutes long) and Belarus Free Theatres Minsk 2011 (three week's from clean sheet to an hour on stage); both plays made me cry in a way that no simple documentary ever does. 

Is the Occupy movement the truly effective political theatre of our time? No, although it may be the genesis, there are distinct differences, good and bad, between public gestures and theatre.  

If theatre defined by its audience then Occupy, Uncut and others are valuable agit-prop. Effective campaigning theatre or singing to the choir?

If you only write the words that you believe in then surely all theatre is small p political. Just don't expect the small politicians to support it with more than words.

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