Gay Theatre : A Microcosm Of The Contemporary Homosexual Landscape

People who come from the early to mid 1900s were not exposed extensively to anything other than heterosexuality. For example, homosexuality was a foreign activity thought to be an illness. Therefore, no matter what kind of punishments gays received, they brought it upon themselves for choosing the ‘lifestyle’. Not only that, the media rarely wrote anything related to homosexuals; however, there were a few daring individuals who noted the issue. One of those people is an author named Norman Mailer, who, at the time, was just as guilty as his other contemporary peers rendering homosexuality as ‘unpleasant, ridiculous, or sinister connotations’ (source). He was one of the most promising and significant novelists to arise from World War II. He was also a brawler and commonly adopted a macho character that he valued highly, so it was no surprise that he did not view the

Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Company travelled to Laramie, Wyoming to ‘Conduct over 400 interviews with about 100 Laramie residents’ (Chalkdust Theatre Inc. Riverside Theatre Parramatta, 2010) following the tragic murder of Mathew Shephard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming in 1998, to then create the verbatim, docudrama play, The Laramie Project. The production follows the real residents of Laramie following this tragic event by portraying a large range of views and opinions on the topic of homosexuality and the incident from that of priest’s, the parents and friends of Mathew Shephard as well as Laramie residents who identify as gay or lesbian and many more. The director juxtaposes these contrasting opinions throughout the play to portray the conflicting emotions within Laramie about the event, all the while we follow Mathews last hours and the court proceedings to determine the consequences for the perpetrators as the town begins the healing process.

Throughout the 1950’s, the United States belonged to the Leave It To Beaver era. Families were structured around a strong, hard working father and a wonderful homemaker mother. Children were brought up with solid ideologies on what society expects from them and were warned about living a different and dangerous life. Only one-year separates Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room from there publishing dates during this decade of unwavering beliefs. These texts were seen as extremely controversial during their time due to their themes of homosexuality. Sexual orientation was an awkward topic during such a “to the book” time period and these texts pushed the limits, making them remarkable and memorable works. Both Tennessee Williams and James Baldwin explore the panic men experience while trying to comprehend what sexual orientation they belong to and highlight the masculine gay man. These texts also examine the woman’s role in the mist of it all.

Many, if not all, plays are written to evoke thoughts from people in the audience. Through their scripts, authors deliver messages about their opinions on various issues ranging from gender roles to class ranks. These messages are developed to provoke thoughts and questions from people who experience performances. In the play Rome Sweet Rome, the Q Brothers Collective use both new and old theatrical techniques to make parallels between the Roman and United States governments by addressing issues involving women’s roles in society, class rank, and homosexuality. The play uses methods both similar and different to other classic plays to deliver a message that is relatable to issues in today’s world. This message is enhanced through the use of acting styles, set design, costumes, music, and lighting.

The social issues of 1960’s America allowed “open homosexuality” for the usage as “mass entertainment,” although the initial screening of the musical Cabaret did not quite dare to openly use homosexual characters and themes, having only joking mentions and subtle themes to reference, such as the song “Two Ladies” where in the Emcee dances with two women, singing of sharing a bed. The initial screening of the musical came before the sexual revolution of homosexuality took place, just three years before the Stonewall riots of 1969. However, Cabaret did use the “reclaiming of past culture,” such as 1930’s Berlin, in order to “comment on the present” circumstances of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement in America, and how much these two eras had

By completing the readings assignments of Shakespeare assigned to me by this class, I have achieved broader positive assumptions about Shakespeare, as well of understanding how Shakespearean plays apply to modern day society. Although I have had moderate experience in the readings of Shakespeare in High school, such as the reading of Othello. By participating a completing readings about Shakespeare’s plays and attending lectures discussing sexuality regarding Shakespeare, I have gained a greater overall understanding of Shakespeare. Through Shakespeare’s plays, overall, I have gained a greater understanding of what Shakespeare attempts to convey in his plays.

Set in the late 1980s, a period of regression and tragedy for the homosexual community, Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, explores the lives of four gay men living in New York. Kushner’s two part drama expounds some of the many difficulties encountered by gays during this time period. While two of his characters, Joe Pitt and Roy Cohn, both struggle significantly with their sexual orientation and identity, their troubles surface as a result of different aspects of their lives.

When the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) strengthened its audience, the project proceeded to be broken down by the Depression.The FTP requested “free, adult uncensored theatre”. The plays had social and economic themes. That offended most of the political people because the FTP was funded by the government. First and foremost out of all people the decided to impersonate

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.

The first paragraph of chapter one describes to us readers what theatre is. The word originates from Greece, and means “seeing place.” The author then describes the difference between the “hardware” definition and the “software” definition. Hardware describes the building where the play is taking place, where films are shown, and where wars and surgeries happen. The software definition describes the cast, owners, managers, and technicians. The author gives the example of the Guthrie Theatre saying “we are referring not merely to a building in Minneapolis, but also to the stage artists and administrators who work that building and to the body of plays produced there” (page 7).

It is well known that gay men account for a large percentage of the men on Broadway or involved with theatre as actors, singers, dancers, or even writers and composers, but that doesn't mean that gay men are actually represented in Broadway productions. A Chorus Line was one of the first Broadway musicals to depict gay men at all, and did so realistically and positively, "since it was grounded in conversations revealing real dancers' different backgrounds, experiences, and feelings" (Bush Jones 285). Not only was there one gay men, but there was two, therefore there was no implication that all gay men are the same, and these two characters along with how they interacted with and were treated by others offered a nuanced look at gay men's realities

With every great story line comes a theme. William Shakespeare created an art of intertwining often unrecognizable themes within his plays. In Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, one hidden theme is the idea of homosexuality. This theme might not have even been noticed until modern Shakespeare fans discovered them. According to Alan Bray’s book, Homosexuality in Renaissance England, “the modern image of ‘the homosexual’ cannot be applied to the early modern period, when homosexual behavior was viewed in terms of the sexual act and not an individual's broader identity.” (Columbia University Press). This difference between homosexuality as a “sexual act” and an

The history of theatre in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is one of the increasing commercialization of the art, accompanied by technological innovations, the introduction of serious critical review, expansion of the subject matters portrayed to include ordinary people, and an emphasis on more natural forms of acting. Theatre, which had been dominated by the church for centuries, and then by the tastes of monarchs for more than 200 years, became accessible to merchants, industrialists, and the less privileged and then the masses.

On reading Christopher B. Balme’s The theatrical public sphere, the concept of theatre’s role in the Public Sphere is explored. Balme traces the origins