All the world's a soapbox
Madison theater's 2008 election platform
Doubt: A Parable
It’s election season in Madison, so, frankly, it’d be a disappointment if the local artistic community didn’t hurl itself under the wheels of democracy with a great howl of political significance. This fall, local theater alone contributes in many tones, from stately ponderings to goofy provocation. All that’s lacking is a crappy reaction-parody play from the right. As America wraps up eight years of extremely easy president-bashing (and countless headlines proclaiming, “[insert play/band/book/cross-stitching collective here] takes on Bush!”), the theater will have to give us some encouraging ideas to move forward with. Decider attempted to cull inspiration from some upcoming productions (most of which can be caught before the actual election) and predict how our nation’s various factions might spin them.
Question everything—including yourself.
Miranda McClenaghan, who directs Strollers Theatre’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer-winning Doubt: A Parable, says it’s as much about the lack of doubt as it is anything else. A nun thinks a priest is molesting the only black child at his Catholic school in 1964, but McClenaghan points out that “none of them have the ability to stop and look around and wonder, ‘OK, is what I am believing to be true really happening?’ And all of them use certain methodologies to back up their beliefs.”
Advantage flip-floppers: McClenaghan says the point of this “parable” is not to look at any issue in black-and-white: “That’s not a sign of strength; that is a sign of not stopping and looking at the world around us and making sure we understand the full breadth of the consequences of our actions.”
Advantage secrecy advocates: The play leaves the audience free to determine whether or not the priest actually did it, so any post-show discussion will be opportune for picking up ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ refrain of “I don’t recall.”
Wars: They’re harsh.
And they’re tediously long and hurt a lot of the wrong people. Sound familiar? Probably enough that it should lend some fresh, innocent blood to Madison Repertory Theatre’s The Greeks, which examines the Trojan War’s impact on everyone from commanders to civilians.
Advantage peaceniks: The folly of war really hits home when put in millennia-spanning perspective.
Advantage hawks: Hey, with all these hotheaded folks running about in every era of history, we’d better keep that defense budget nice and fat.
Faith-based initiatives.
StageQ’s two productions this fall come after the election but are nonetheless noteworthy. Both are Christmas-themed, finding the holiday season assaulted by some non-divine forces: In A Queer Carol, Scrooge and Jacob Marley are lovers running an interior-design business, Tiny Tim is HIV positive, and the ghosts arrive in drag. In Seven Santas, St. Nick suffers the fallout of a drunk-sleigh-driving accident.
Advantage national health program advocates: StageQ artistic director Tara Ayres says Queer Carol’s “not a gentle comedy… the hard-hearted employer and the system that doesn’t take care of the workers is prominently featured.”
Advantage Baby Jesus advocates: Ayres also says she wants people to use the plays to escape from the season’s shopping and planning rush, and that may help some folks to re-focus on “Christmas,” not just “the holidays.”
The process is flawed, but we’re not screwed.
Madison’s Anthony Lamarr makes his debut as a writer at The Bartell Theatre with the musical satire Ballots, which projects the 2000 election debacle onto the race for senior class president at Everglades High School. It’s also set in the ’80s.
Advantage Bush legacy-savers: Lamarr says he’s “not taking any sides because we truly don’t know what happened.”
Advantage uniters-not-dividers: Lamarr adds that one part of his message is, “there’s no reason for the hostility… it’s just, ‘Who is gonna be the best person to represent us?’”
It’s time for better (or gayer) options.
Local playwright/director Brian Wild promises to leaven his Broom Street Theater play Run, Faggot, Run!, with fast-paced screwball humor. The protagonist, an average closeted gay guy, gets roped into running for president after challenging the Democratic and Republican candidates at a town-hall debate.
Advantage two-party sticklers: Despite the hypocrisy of the major-party candidates, the refreshing independent doesn’t learn his lesson about honesty until he’s tricked the nation into thinking he’s straight.
Advantage escapists and/or third-party upstarts: “I don’t know about you, but I’m burned out on politics right now and I need to do something light and fun,” Wild says.
Question everything—including yourself.
Miranda McClenaghan, who directs Strollers Theatre’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer-winning Doubt: A Parable, says it’s as much about the lack of doubt as it is anything else. A nun thinks a priest is molesting the only black child at his Catholic school in 1964, but McClenaghan points out that “none of them have the ability to stop and look around and wonder, ‘OK, is what I am believing to be true really happening?’ And all of them use certain methodologies to back up their beliefs.”
Advantage flip-floppers: McClenaghan says the point of this “parable” is not to look at any issue in black-and-white: “That’s not a sign of strength; that is a sign of not stopping and looking at the world around us and making sure we understand the full breadth of the consequences of our actions.”
Advantage secrecy advocates: The play leaves the audience free to determine whether or not the priest actually did it, so any post-show discussion will be opportune for picking up ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ refrain of “I don’t recall.”
Wars: They’re harsh.
And they’re tediously long and hurt a lot of the wrong people. Sound familiar? Probably enough that it should lend some fresh, innocent blood to Madison Repertory Theatre’s The Greeks, which examines the Trojan War’s impact on everyone from commanders to civilians.
Advantage peaceniks: The folly of war really hits home when put in millennia-spanning perspective.
Advantage hawks: Hey, with all these hotheaded folks running about in every era of history, we’d better keep that defense budget nice and fat.
Faith-based initiatives.
StageQ’s two productions this fall come after the election but are nonetheless noteworthy. Both are Christmas-themed, finding the holiday season assaulted by some non-divine forces: In A Queer Carol, Scrooge and Jacob Marley are lovers running an interior-design business, Tiny Tim is HIV positive, and the ghosts arrive in drag. In Seven Santas, St. Nick suffers the fallout of a drunk-sleigh-driving accident.
Advantage national health program advocates: StageQ artistic director Tara Ayres says Queer Carol’s “not a gentle comedy… the hard-hearted employer and the system that doesn’t take care of the workers is prominently featured.”
Advantage Baby Jesus advocates: Ayres also says she wants people to use the plays to escape from the season’s shopping and planning rush, and that may help some folks to re-focus on “Christmas,” not just “the holidays.”
The process is flawed, but we’re not screwed.
Madison’s Anthony Lamarr makes his debut as a writer at The Bartell Theatre with the musical satire Ballots, which projects the 2000 election debacle onto the race for senior class president at Everglades High School. It’s also set in the ’80s.
Advantage Bush legacy-savers: Lamarr says he’s “not taking any sides because we truly don’t know what happened.”
Advantage uniters-not-dividers: Lamarr adds that one part of his message is, “there’s no reason for the hostility… it’s just, ‘Who is gonna be the best person to represent us?’”
It’s time for better (or gayer) options.
Local playwright/director Brian Wild promises to leaven his Broom Street Theater play Run, Faggot, Run!, with fast-paced screwball humor. The protagonist, an average closeted gay guy, gets roped into running for president after challenging the Democratic and Republican candidates at a town-hall debate.
Advantage two-party sticklers: Despite the hypocrisy of the major-party candidates, the refreshing independent doesn’t learn his lesson about honesty until he’s tricked the nation into thinking he’s straight.
Advantage escapists and/or third-party upstarts: “I don’t know about you, but I’m burned out on politics right now and I need to do something light and fun,” Wild says.
