Re: RAT Politics and Theatre

[Cat Hebert <virtualdrama@juno.com>]

Nice analysis, Conrad. 

The areas where theater can be the most useful through political
activism, of course, is by presenting issues that the general public
doesn't want to deal with at all. One of those issues is something that
Conrad brought up, and that's the incredibly successful corporate-party
(Republicans et al.) re-definition of terms. Think of "left" and "right"
and "liberal" and "conservative", which are presented in the media as
though they are a balance "fifty-fifty", when in actual fact the
corporate party only represents (in terms of legislation introduced, not
rhetoric) about 5% of the voting population.  Control of the media is the
overall GIANT issue here. Why aren't there dozens of plays on that issue?

***
Just a note on Lysistrata. I was putting together an entire season of
readings of "great world comedies" at one point and got to work with some
Greek scholars in looking at Aristophanes.

Apparently the old boy must be rolling in his grave every time Lys gets
performed because they said he was considered to be wildly misogynist --
so the "intention" of the piece was probably "even stupid women can stop
a war",  or "these women are getting too bold in Athens" -- not the
interpretation we use. And the audience at the time had a good laugh.

Cheers,
Cat Hebert
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