The result was “Shipwreck,” subtitled “A History Play about 2017.” It begins performances Feb. 11 at the Almeida Theater here before a likely, but as yet unannounced, run in the United States.
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
From ‘The Simpsons’ to ‘The Twilight Zone.’ And Now, Trump.
The result was “Shipwreck,” subtitled “A History Play about 2017.” It begins performances Feb. 11 at the Almeida Theater here before a likely, but as yet unannounced, run in the United States.
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Honestly, I am just as surprised as the playwright that this was picked up, especially outside of the United States. I hope this play will reach us soon enough, but I am not sure if it would succeed here. Like the playwright, I can not imagine people want to talk about or hear about trump and our current administration anymore than they have to right now, but I think it is also important to see all of these arguments from everyone on the conservative/liberal spectrum in a space where we cannot immediately shut it down or ignore it. A play like this forces us to confront the validity of all arguments which I think is really important to closing the current divide in this country. As much as I hate to say it, we all need to listen right now. I think in the right hands this could be a really beneficial play and I can't wait to see how it is received.
I am familiar with Washburn's writing because of Mr. Burns. I think there's something very impressive about a playwright being able to speak to the past, present and future through pop culture and other sorts of media. While using The Simpsons and The Twilight Zone are, in my opinion, a little less loaded than talking about Trump, it's effective in reaching an audience. It is interesting that it's being welcomed in a place that is NOT the U.S. Contemporary politics affect really the entire globe, especially our current leader, who has his hands in a lot of affairs that aren't really applicable to him. I think it's easy to outwardly criticize when you aren't directly in the situation, so in Britain especially I think there's a sort of novelty to watching a play that provides such a critique of the world. I think that the show will eventually make its way to the U.S. but it will do so carefully, because in this climate the repercussions could not be positive. However, good theater should be controversial in some aspect, so kudos to Washburn and the courage to bring such a blatant story to the stage.
I don’t know how I feel about this, like Kaylie, I feel that a lot of people don’t want to talk about the last three years if they can help it, but avoidance isn’t the way to solve or prevent anything. So, I appreciate that this is acknowledging the need for conversation, and the arts are a good platform like that, but I am skeptical about how the production will handle the material and how the casting of Trump will work. He is such a caricature in my mind that having an actor perform as him in any sort of serious conflict would be ineffective, but I am optimistic.
I do think that this is going to attract a lot of interest from an audience, so it has the potential to have a massive impact on not only our thoughts about the period but also how we handle situations like this in the future. Art has always been political, but something as grand as this could potentially launch political theater into the mainstream especially since theater is already on the rise in pop culture.
This article is incredibly applicable to me as a freshman. I’m really split on what I should declare as a major. What I love to do, what I like to do, and what I’m good at clash with what I see as possible future professions. It’s so difficult trying to decide what to do. The degree I get feels like it’s going to lock me into one place. The balance of doing what I enjoy and doing what I know I’m good at and what I can make a living off of is hard to find. I think I’m at a good place currently, but I know that sometimes I question my choices. I like the method of prioritizing what I want to do over what I should be doing. I feel that going to school is the perfect opportunity to find what I like to do and finding out what type of position/environment I want to do said job in.
Ok I love Mr Burns, I love 10 to 12, and I love anything that Anne Washburn writes for the stage. I think that if any playwright could be equipped to take on writing a cohesive and incredibly impactful play on Donald Trump and his administration, it would be either Bertolt Brecht or Anne Washburn, and one of these playwrights is dead. In her other works like Mr. Burns, Washburn is highly delicate in crafting a world where characters are simultaneously at an odds with their own existence and also incredibly aware of the world around them. With Donald Trump in the picture, I think this play could very much succeed in providing adequate commentary while keeping it subtle to actually impact our society and how we treat the powers of executive branch of the government. I'm also really fascinated by it premiering in another country as opposed to here in America, it makes me think of what would happen if I saw a production about Putin.
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