I was really torn between putting this thread here, or the P&E forum. Enter ‘Stage Right:’ Central Ohio home to nation’s only conservative theater company | NBC4 WCMH-TV
This guy has started what he claims is the only Conservative theatre company. Apparently, he bemoans the fact that all the other theatre companies are “woke”, and he says he wants to provide a balance. " Cooperman said being the only conservative theater group can be frustrating. Theater so often leans left that when President Donald Trump announced he wanted to bring “non-woke” musicals to the Kennedy Center, many theater enthusiasts responded that there was no such thing." Actually, I recall people asking for examples of what might Conservative theatre consist of…and getting nothing but vagueness in return.
His problem isn’t finding conservative plays, it’s finding conservative players. To quote Mel Brooks in To Be or Not To Be, “Let’s face it, sweetheart: without Jews, [homosexuals] and [Roma], there IS no theater!”
(Sorry: Mel was crude, as always, but is heart was in the right place).
Two thoughts: First, I wish the motto he claims: “Disagreement does not equal hate” were widely accepted by people all along the political spectrum.
Second, I would like to see which plays they’ve found acceptable to produce so far. But it’s surprisingly hard to find a list of past productions - and to the extent that I can, it seems all the plays, whether past or upcoming, are original plays written just for his theatre.
Nothing wrong with emphasizing work by brand new, never-before-seen playwrights instead of going with the classics. Still, I wonder: is every single play in the world, except ones commissioned specifically for his theatre, too “woke” for him?
Right plays
The Scarlet Letter (woman is put in her place)
To Kill a Mockingbird (abridged) (all racism, no hint of justice)
The Navy Seal Monologues
The Caine Mutiny Court-martial Pardon
Springtime For Hitler
Hey – how about Joseph Addison’s tragedy Cato from 1712? It was a favorite with the Founding Fathers, who all read it. Washington had it performed for the troops. And a lot of our Revolutionary War era quotations are either directly from Cato or inspired by it. What could be more in line with the thoughts and feelings of The Heritage Foundation and their ilk?
The plot involves the courageous stand of the judge Marcus Portius Cato Uticensis (Cato the Younger) as he speaks out against the tyranny of Julius Caesar, and made himself a hero of Republicanism, an advocate of personal liberty against government tyranny, republican vs. monarchism….
Okay, I can see why there might be a problem with that.
I think it’s unlikely that this venture will lead to any good plays or productions, although , n fairness, I would think exactly the same thing if somebody decided to found Democratic Socialist Theater. Putting politics ahead of your artistic choices is never a good idea, especially if your art form of choice is one that is all about bringing multiple voices and perspectives into conflict.
Mmm. Shrew (if performed uncut) starts with someone dressing up a boy in woman’s clothes and giving him instructions on how to give a convincing performance of feminine submission and obedience, with the implication that it’s all a performance. And Merchant makes it explicitly clear that Shylock is retaliating for all the stuff Antonio and other Christians have done to him over the years, and that there’s a whole lot of glaring hypocrisy in Venetian Christian society, even if they “win” on a technicality (in a legal system that they control). I mean, you CAN do a staging of both plays that elides all that, but the complexity is what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare.
Likewise, you could have an all-conservative company that produces really good theater – there are plenty of classic shows that are essentially apolitical, or vaguely conservative in the sense that they portray order and stability as important – but it wouldn’t be obvious to audience members that was what you were doing if you were doing it right.
Based on the track record of attempts at “conservative” versions of comedy, Wikipedia, social media, etc. It’s gonna be some of the shittiest plays ever performed in stage.
I always thought that theOhio Star Theater in Amish Country (Holmes county, north of where Cooperman’s theater company is) was all “conservative” plays. My Mennonite grandparents loved going there.
But really their schedule is mostly comedians, nostalgic cover bands and singing groups. Once a year they put on a big musical but it’s a Bible-themed musical.
So I’m guessing this proposed theater is going to do a LOT of material based off the Bible.
I did an internet search for Conservative Plays, and the AI overview made these suggestions:
Heroes of the Fourth Turning** by Will Arbery:** A Pulitzer finalist about young Catholic conservatives, praised for its complexity and exploration of faith in modern America, written by a conservative playwright.
The Anarchist** by David Mamet:** A play reflecting Mamet’s own shift towards conservatism.
Ferguson: Truth Matters** by Phelim McAleer:** Uses transcripts to present a right-wing view of the Michael Brown incident.
I think he is looking for first-time playwrights that are looking for publicity, not established playwrights that are looking for legally owed payment.
I still can’t find any reviews of individual plays done by this group, but I did find a a ton of generic “This is wonderful, this is terrific, this is a breath of fresh air etc.” blurbs on Trustburn.
But I think the difference in that case is not that they were pursuing a left agenda, but that they were genuinely countercultural and innovative rather than being the “culture wing” of establishment society.
The Americans these days who are passionately into “anti-woke” as a sort of countercultural movement aren’t thirsting for artistic expression in conventional theater, AFAICT. (If I had to pick one, I’d venture that now that NASCAR’s struggling for more inclusivity, the current quintessential conservative entertainment experience is the patriotic air show. Yes, I’ve heard about Monster Truck rallies, don’t @ me bro. )
And it appears that the impresario in the OP’s link is realistic about the current climate in the arts:
Yeah. Pace Mel Brooks, as per @Alessan’s quote, the people you can’t do theater without nowadays are pretty much all the varieties of “woke”.
I mean, it’s not as though there couldn’t be an interesting and entertaining play on any of those subjects. But based on the couple of scripts I’ve read, they all seem to be thoroughly entrenched in the cultural status quo, trying to look interestingly “countercultural” by poking at some very recent controversial culture shifts towards inclusivity like that’s some kind of tremendously daring act. Reactionary != revolutionary.
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