AMERICAN THEATRE: In a democracy, we take a certain kind of representation for granted: People in elected office are supposed to speak and act on behalf of their constituents. They represent us, and often try to show their qualifications for doing so by empathizing with our concerns and struggles. When we talk about representation in a play, we often ask another question: Is the person onstage appropriate to play this specific character? Both of these representational “acts” hinge on belief and trust.
1 comment:
This is so interesting to me. At first I was having a hard time wrapping my head around what exactly the article was describing, but as I kept reading I think I get the picture. I wonder how audiences would react to pieces like “City Council Meeting,” and what they take away with it. Personally, I think I’d be nervous to take on the words of someone that I know I’m not the right person to represent. Also, from experience with improv or getting a large group of strangers together like this, I wonder if people would try to cut the tension with humor or by going deep into “character,” which could lead to more miscommunications or disrespect. I am still a little unclear on whether they are reading from exact scripts, or given a general idea of what they’re talking about and able to make some changes. Either way, the psychological implications of this are fascinating.
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