Political Theatre

Kitty Drexel writes about Stephen Sondheim's Assassins , and the need for artists to defend natinoal arts funding.

Playwright Charles Gershman talks with seven fellow theatre practitioners about the impact of the 2016 presidential election on their work and view of theatre.

Holly Derr writes about Jacqueline E. Lawton’s new play at Arena Stage, part of their Power Plays commissioning initiative.

Seth Baumrin, artistic director of Subpoetics International, discusses the history, process, and journey of a company working with the stories of refugees and displaced peoples to find their way.

Paul Gagliardi, a scholar of the Federal Theatre Project, considers recent productions of It Can’t Happen Here and why the play is resonating with both directors and audiences today.

Tiffany Antone makes a case for why we have to reconsider how/why we engage audiences, and why it is now every artist’s job to be out on the frontlines, cultivating radical empathy and civil discourse.

Jamil Khoury writes about curating a series of six staged readings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that power of theatre to speak to controversial issues.

Harvey Young, chair of Northwestern University’s theatre department, looks at how American theatre has responded to a rise in conservativism to forecast not only what may appear on the horizon but also to anticipate a renewed attention to political/activist theatre following the 2016 election.

Bryn Boice writes about how a rift with her father led her to begin work on a devised piece called I, Snowflake.

Henrik Eger interviews Tina Brock about how her company is responding to the current political climate in the US, and what she feels that absurdist theatre has to offer.

Jonathan Mandell digs into three recent productions in New York City—Made in China, Confucius, and Caught—that explore US-China relations.

Abraham Benson-Goldberg discusses Khan Theatre’s production of Philoctetes, examining the intersections of young soldiers, heroism, war, and politics.

Edward Einhorn discusses the relevance of absurdist theatre.

On the eve of the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, Jonathan Mandell looks at how the political resistance of theatre artists is playing out on and off stage in New York.

Emily White writes about how her research on posttraumatic growth informs her belief that theatre can be an important tool to help America unite and heal.

Gary English, artistic associate at The Freedom Theatre on the West Bank in the Jenin refugee camp, discusses the complications of presenting work on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in the US.

Matthew Minnicino discusses what canonical works of theatre we can turn to in light of the current political situation in the US.

Playwright Abbey Fenbert on the new mandate for theatre artists.

Jonathan Mandell asks how perceptions of theatre have changed since November 8 and if and how theatre itself will change as a result of the new regime.

Brian Hashimoto travels to Poland and reports on the 2016 Malta Festival.

One year into organizing, the Committee of the Jubilee reports out on progress, answers common questions, and re-extends an invitation to the American Theatre to join the year-long nationwide festival of 2020.