Linguistics

It's no secret that I work for a very old, large, well-established theatre company (although many would be surprised to know just how large; we're talking a budget of almost $30 million per year.) On more than one occasion, I’ve heard members of the artistic leadership state unequivocally, "Theater is always a political act." They say it as if it is an accepted, undisputable fact. I once asked, what exactly do you mean by that? I never got an answer.

If theater is a “political act,” can we define what we mean by the term “political”? (What this organization needs is a linguist.) When in doubt, I always return to the Oxford English Dictionary. Perhaps that is another symptom of my racial exclusivity and elitism; I let old white guys define my words.

Political:
1. A. Of, belonging, or pertaining to the state or body of citizens, its government and policy, especially in civil and secular affairs; public, civil; of or pertaining to the science or art of politics. B. of persons: engaged in civil administration; civil as distinct from military.
2. Having an organized government or polity.
3. Relating to, concerned, or dealing with politics or the science of government
4. Belonging to or taking a side in politics or in connection with the party system or government; in a bad sense, partisan, factious. (emphasis mine.)

Despite receiving negligible government funding, I don't think anyone would say that this theatre "belongs" to the state. As a 501(c)3 we are specifically forbidden from participating in electoral campaigns or party advocacy. I don't think they use the term "political" to refer to the internal politics of this organization (as Byzantine and fraught as they may be.) I don't think they mean to imply that the work we do directly relates to the science of government. Therefore, when they say "all theater is political" I assume they mean it in the sense of definition #4: taking sides in connection with the party system or government.

Is it the mission of this theatre to belong to, or take sides, in a party system or government? Is it our mission as theatre practitioners to advocate a political point of view?

I believe that theater aspires to something greater, something that transcends parties, systems of government and political points of view. It seems I always return to King Lear: regardless of whether the actor playing Lear, is black, white, male, female, young, old, right wing or left wing, audiences (be they black, white, male, female, young, old, right wing or left wing) can relate to his universal journey. We are all going to get old (if we’re lucky), our mental and physical powers will decline and we’ll die. August Wilson roots his stories in a very specific African-American experience portrayed by African-American actors, but he uses that specificity to talk about disappointment, injustice, exploitation, deferred dreams, and other universal themes that even a middle class white woman can relate to.

I have come to the conclusion that, for me, theater is a spiritual act. As cynical, suspicious and cranky as I am, I still hold the irrational belief that a handful of universal truths transcend race, class, gender and can be expressed in story form. The stories we tell have the potential to connect us to universal human truths. From what I've observed of politics, it breaks us down into smaller and smaller units and drives us further and further apart. Theater is the opposite; it has the potential to unite us in communal catharsis. That's why I do this work.

You can't change minds until you touch hearts.