Dug this post about "right wing" plays over at Parabasis.
For all the hoopla about the lack of right wing voices on stages, I just don't see a concerted effort from the right wing to write exceptionally good plays that everyone begrudgingly admits are fantastic. It's not like there's some right wing Leni Riefenstahl out there, who, despite her belief that George Tiller was a baby killer, has written these incredibly compelling characters.
I know, I know... I just compared the right to Nazis. Sue me. It's my blog.
Just to play devil's advocate with myself for a moment... is it possible that the reason we see so few playwrights of this persuasion is that they are socially discouraged early in their development? I know I wasn't exactly writing the world's best plays when I was in college, but I had people that believed in me and encouraged me. Could, in my academic settings, it be hard for a conservative to find the same social support in a college focused on theater?
Though, as Isaac puts it, does this really bother anyone? Well, not me. But I'm sure if I were a Republican, it might strike me as particularly frustrating.
About Me
- Freeman
- Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.
2 comments:
Matt,
I think you're definitely on to something.
For me the question this argument always raises is: what's the last piece of political theatre from any side that we've all grudgingly admitted was any good?
And if we're not talking about political theatre what defines a conservative play?
I don't think they're discouraged in their development. I just think if people hold right-wing views, they are unlikely to write for theatre. No money in it. They're going for TV, like "24."
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