HowlRound Theatre Commons: I geek out on the social sciences. I remember vividly sitting in my first ever sociology course in undergrad and having this shock of recognition—“There’s actually a field of study that asks epic and messy questions! Gloriosky!” I was a theatre major, but in the spirit of “if you can’t fix it, feature it,” my path forward became about a bespoke pursuit of studying the whys and hows of human psychology and society and channeling those inquiries into the delicious what of our incredibly pliable art form.
5 comments:
The author of this piece has an interesting perspective through the lens of Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the carnival. As everyone has been saying for months now we are living in unprecedented times. Especially in theater which has been so negatively impacted. I think it is important to acknowledge that yes indeed the world is a crazy place but not to fixate on it. It can be used to grow and change if utilized in the proper way. I think it is also interesting, the authors strategy on hiring more BIPOC staff. I don't think in any way it is a revolutionary concept but it is nice that the author is considering it and recognizing change needs to occur. There is a lot of work to be done in theater. And I think often we talk of theater as an abstract concept that is somewhat distant to us. But as students majoring in this and planning on pursing it we are theater. It is a huge responsibility of ours to help change the work force we are entering.
This article points out a new perspective I have not stopped and though to consider. It speaks to and made me realize what Kaisa Lee also states, Everyone keeps focusing on the world as it is and keeps utilizing phrases like “unprecedented times” but reality is that it is no longer unprecedented anymore for all intents and purposes as we have been living in it for half a year now. It seems appropriate to look and work towards what can be and should be. Otherwise, this article simply takes a new look on carnival and doesn’t specifically stand out to me but remains worth a read and likely stands out to others. New perspectives and views are also worthwhile and no matter what it is and important reason for change. The author talks about putting words on a screen and then worrying about them as they know it will end up on someone else’s screen. It can be worrisome because what you do can invoke change and how people respond to change can be dramatic. That being said, caution doesn’t hurt so long as it keeps you focused and to the point, but we can’t let caution ruin what we need to say.
While I don't disagree at all with Bakhtin's concept of a time of great change, I think that "The Carnival" is an odd name for the theory, or at least one that needs a bit of explanation. I can see how there is commotion and a great renormalization, but is it a carnival? Anyway. In this essay, Susan Booth brings us into the theory and subsequently poses many "what if" questions; questions that we've been looking to develop on greatly in recent times. Questions relating to social capital and uplifting BIPOC in the theatrical space. It's so easy (too easy), as Booth points out, to say something and not do something. Her quote about the risk of "returning to the old form" strikes a chord specifically with me. We have a finite amount of time in this almost fugue state of the carnival where we can rebuild the system with actions and not words. We've seen it done before (given, on much larger scales) with the formation of worker's unions and various civil rights movements. The burden is being placed on the people who want to see change, but we still have to develop a plan for that amidst the chaos.
I think calling this theory “the carnival” is very deceiving – this big what if the author keeps referring to is never explained, which falls flat when she goes on to talk further. Although I am a little hesitant to call her big what if’s useless (mostly out of my own personal rule to not obliterate someone’s else’s work especially when it comes to the arts) but I do not find it compelling. These big what if’s she keeps referring to have already been through the minds of many other underrepresented groups in theater. As a leader she should understand that – and to paraphrase her own article – words mean nothing if there are no actions behind it. No need to point out the obvious if you are in a position to change things but won’t. That is not to say that awareness is not useful, but especially with the issue of the wage gap and a white majority within the workforce, we are way past that point.
So many people hope and pray that we return to normalcy, but this essay helps outline why that can't happen. When people call for a return to normalcy after the pandemic, they are most likely a comfortable, middle to upper-class white person with no desire for radical social change. But the ball has begun rolling, there is no turning back now. The curtain has been pulled back and everything we though was a necessity in our life has been thrown up in the air, which is especially prevalent in every major corporation desperately pleading for us to spend more money, despite the risk. There is room for an upheaval in our society, and theater can help be the pivot for that revolution. Art will remain the voice of a culture, and we've got plenty of shit to say.
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