Avenue Q: Diversity In Theatre

In today’s culture, people are constantly being influenced by media, whether it is subconsciously through advertisements or consciously through news media or any form of entertainment. Society, young and old, comes to understand the world through the media they consume and that means that the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of nonwhites is a problem that more and more people are starting to notice. Studies are being conducted to analyze different aspects of the lack of representation in the media. However, few have proposed practical, if any, solutions to this growing problem. The solution starts with addressing who is responsible for the lack of representation. The white-dominated executive positions that are behind the problem also

According to Kendell (2016), Karl Marx, the conflict theorist, made a perspective stating that ideas are created and used by the ruling class or society consisting of the most powerful members to affect the thoughts and actions of the other classes. Josephine Joseph, also known as “Big Mama” and Ahmad are the powerful members

2015 and is considered as one of the best musicals of all time. It is incredible how a play based

The play was very well done and was not dull even though it was catered to a large audience. The musical numbers are very entertaining, and the spectacle, both visual and emotional, is well accomplished. I would recommend this to most children and adults, due to the Christmas themes and general lightheartedness of the play.

There’s a reason that English classes have students study Oedipus the King, A Raisin in the Sun, The Crucible, and many other titles in schools across the globe. Adding music to a story focused on a serious issue doesn’t impact the message that it carries to audiences. Musicals like Next to Normal, and South Pacific carry themes of extreme social struggle like racism and mental illness all with soundtracks that stand the test of time. What I love most about how theatre affects people is that most theatre kids are well adjusted due to the exposure to these wide ranges of themes, making them the best people to be around; theatre kids are well adjusted because of the awareness of theatre, and not necessarily juggling education and stage productions.

Theatre has evolved over the many years. As it has grown, it moved to include more diverse performers, crew, producers, and audiences. This is an exploration of the expansion of diverse theatre.

The acting in this musical was phenomenal. The puppets and the puppeteers were in sync with one another to the point that their outward appearance and facial expressions mirrored one another. I do not know if this was intentional of the director but it help to minimize the fact that there was someone else on stage holding the puppets. However, I often

They run the audience through American history from the America’s independent to present day through song, dance, and a slide show. Teaching most America’s history is the narrator. There’s no clear setting as a large amount of the play there were a singer(s)/performers under a spotlight or the actors are ding a dance number. The performers were amazing singers.

Since I have prior knowledge about this famous play, I did not have a hard time figuring out which actors played a specific character. When all the other characters came onto the stage, it was easy for someone to believe that they were the character stated in the program due to the costumes. The actors were attempting to make you believe they were the real characters, something that could have worked if the execution was better. If the actors practiced more and thoroughly knew their lines, making the character their own without losing the integrity of each character, the audience would be gripping out of their

Not only does it call out the issues of immigration and politics through its words, but it also brings out the issue of race through its casting. The characters are all white people, but none of them are played by white people. Not only does the show sharpen awareness of current controversial topics, but also of the knowledge of the founding of our country. During the American Revolution, the men fighting and planning were going through some really tough times, and it is hard to think of people in the 1700’s as being more than old men with white hair, but as Miranda says in Hamilton, “Congress writes, “George, attack the British forces,” I shoot back, “we have resorted to eating our horses.” With the awareness of history having been the present at one point, we also realize that these were real people with real feelings and flaws, as Miranda demonstrates with Alexander Hamilton’s murderer regretting his decision, confessing: “I should have known the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.” As Tom Teodorczuk sees it, a lot of Hamilton’s success comes from “contemporary relevance rather than celebrity currency,” which proves that the content is good enough that it does not need celebrities in order to get audiences. Through this show, topics that were relevant in the 1700s are shown to be theoretically the same as issues we face today, and that is pretty

One of the main magic’s of the theatre is for the audience to go into it unaware of what they will see, and exit with a whole new view in mind. This is still possible in jukebox musicals even if the audience member is familiar with some of the songs. Songs, text, and all literature can be interpreted in different ways based on the individual. Theatre is meant for all different people to enjoy. Some may like going to a show featuring songs that their favorite artists wrote or that speak to a memorable time of their life. It becomes a discussion about how the audience can relate to the characters.

The history of African-Americans in theatre in performing arts and how they evolved is absolutely outstanding. African-Americans been entertaining audiences since the 1800s until this very day. It has made a colossal impact on the black theater community in today. The history of this topic is a combination of legendary years leading up to this very day. It’s mostly about how blacks, in the 1820s, finally got to take their theatre and performance name from the whites. Then took it upon themselves to stride for greatness.

When I first heard the play I figured it was obviously centered around the title, but I was hoping for a little more to it. Once I read the description and it stated a family friendly play for children 4+, I knew I had to be in for some kind of treat. I figured I was going to be the only college student attending this play, then I walked in and

Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were

In a study of 414 films and television series, only 33 percent of all characters were women, and only 28 percent were of racial minority status (Associated Press). Casting diversely in entertainment has been an issue for years and has recently spawned many controversies such as the 2016 Oscar Controversy where an outrage occurred due to a lack of minority Oscar winners. Many cultures and races fell underrepresented and cast aside by film and television. The entertainment industry should cast more diverse actors because it increases viewership, provides a broader perspective, and creates a more realistic setting.