Political Theatre

In the fifth installment of this series, Brendan McCall reflects on the work of Norwegian American vocalist Kristin Norderval, and how her art transforms listening into a political act.

Enterprise is a satire of American business-speak that is also a critique of capitalism.

Alícia Hernàndez Grande writes about the theatrical street protests that have been staged since 2012 around the Catalonia independence referendum vote, including this year’s vote on October 1. / Alícia Hernàndez Grande escribe sobre las protestas teatrales que se han presentado en la calle desde el 2012 sobre el voto del referendum de la independencia de Catalonya, incluyendo la votación del 1 de octubre de este año.

Playwright Lisa Biggs and director Kristin Horton discuss the process of developing After/Life, a new play about the 1967 Rebellion in Detroit, Michigan with Detroit community members.

Marci McMahon reflects on how Diane Rodriguez’s The Sweetheart Deal breaks gendered stereotypes about the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and ’70s. 

What is the significance of staging Coriolanus in Sao Paulo where the new mayor is a businessman who was the host of two seasons of the Brazilian version of TV show The Apprentice?

HowlRound announces the four selected convening proposals for the HowlRound Challenge, a new initiative to incubate ideas and seed action to make a better theatre and a better world.

Chantal Bilodeau kicks off this week's series on Theatre in the Age of Climate Change, and argues that we as a theatre community need to recognize when our practices and systems are detrimental to the earth and other people, and strive to change them.

Jonathan Mandell runs down the recent past and present dramatization of dystopian novels on stage, including 1984, and asks whether what’s on stage is reflected in the political era that we are in now.

MJ Kaufman writes about the decision not to see To the End of the Land ​at Lincoln Center. 

Matthew Clinton Sekellick discusses moving beyond awareness with action, advocating for theatre artists and administrators to join forces with existing social justice movements.

Gary English looks at the production Other Places by the Palestinian theatre group Al Khashabi Ensemble.

Lydia K. Valentine looks at Hands Up, a series of monologues that address the killing of unarmed black men by police.

Jonathan Mandell compares the countrywide reaction to the anti-Trump play Building the Wall with its reception in New York, where it's closing a month early.

Director and dramaturg Linda Lombardi discusses Lindsey Ferrentino’s Ugly Lies the Bone, and examines how changes to our political climate effect audience reaction.

Holly L. Derr looks at ethnodrama and Her Opponent, a restaging of excerpts of the 2016 presidential debates with gender-reversed casting.

Robert Stanton for #FairWageOnstage considers the recent success of negotiations for salary increases for Off-Broadway actors and how theatre can support and lead the resistance to oppressive political administrations.

Bari Hochwald of the Global Theatre Project discusses the need for artist activists today to “inflame the civic temper” and address the refugee crisis.

Director Alex Hare discusses using a town hall format for Chains Don’t Rattle Themselves, a song cycle performance about incarceration and how it affects individuals and their families.

Katie Pearl talks with Caridad Svich, a maker of work for live audiences, about the breath of theatre, the us in the room, and her new script Town Hall.