Over the past few years, my wife Christina and I have gotten involved in local theater (in the audience only - no auditions...yet!). I love the thrill of live theater - the uniqueness of the experience and its presence in the moment. Last Monday, we were at the Huntington Theatre's "Spotlight Spectacular." At our table, we were discussing the Huntington's current show, The Who and the What (by Ayad Akhtar), about a Pakistani father and two daughters who immigrated to the United States. Like other of Akhtar's plays (most notably Disgraced), this show presents a rather critical view of Islam, especially with respect to gender roles and women's autonomy. With no strong counterbalance to this theme, the play left some in the audience uncomfortable, thinking that the play would only reinforce stereotypes about Islam for non-Muslims in the audience.Someone at our table brought up that even beyond Islam, theater has a fraught relationship with religion of all stripes - indeed, it's rare to see a positive portrayal of religion on a modern stage. Given the rich and moving themes of world religions - mercy, reconciliation, peace, self-sacrifice, love, and many other values truths central to the human experience - the animosity between stage and steeple is unfortunate. Theater is always a reflection today's reality, which is complex - while I don't expect to see explicitly Christian stories on Broadway anytime soon (except the recent revival of Les Mis), I think the art community has an opportunity to re-present enduring themes in a modern context.
That got me reflecting on the response of the local theater community after Donald Trump was elected. How good are the arts at representing truly diverse worldviews, including those that the artist or audience find distasteful? In a November 9th article in the Boston Globe, local theater companies reacted to the election with fear. Paul Daigneault of the Speakeasy Stage Company saw in the election a "parallel to the Boston Marathon bombing or September 11." Shawn LaCount of Company One Theatre, whose "initial reaction was tears," doubled down on his vision of providing "safe space for powerful art and inclusion like we've never had to before."
Other arts leaders were more measured, even seeing an opportunity to stretch themselves. David Dower of Arts Emerson felt challenged to expand his own understanding of diversity and inclusion: "I’ve been working around issues of diversity or inclusion my whole life. All of these things that we’re celebrating are being viewed in this election as evidence of what’s being lost in these other communities. It’s a divide that’s being reinforced by the work that I’m doing." Michael Maso of the Huntington put it well: "Part of our job is to heal the divide. Maybe we feel it a little more starkly this morning than we would have otherwise, but the responsibility is the same."
As Americans, we have two paths before us: we can either amplify the voices in our echo chambers or venture beyond our comfort zone, listen to others, and move our nation toward a more authentic community. Theater has an opportunity to become truly "inclusive", reaching out to ideas and personalities that have become anathema in blue-state urban environments - from the abandonment felt by a rust-belt worker who lost a job or the witness of a community of faith. Likewise, audiences of all stripes have a responsibility to let themselves be challenged by art. Good art is not something we "agree" or "disagree" with, but something that helps us grow in empathy - at a show, it's not just the cast who should put themselves in someone else's shoes.
*Boston residents 35 years old or younger - you should check out the Huntington's 35-below deal...just $30 to see any show! This is a great opportunity to see top-quality theater at a fraction of the cost!
