Theater has been around far longer than television, movies, and the internet. It was founded before the world had access to anything, at any time. Theater and plays were and still are a main way for social views to be mainstreamed to audiences. Though theater may be more understated than the media because we all have access to at home—it is still a great outlet for views to be expressed. Plays have captivated audiences for decades and will continue to do so as they communicate to audiences’ social views of the world and ultimately influence viewers much like social media has.
Theater began in Ancient Greece and spread throughout the world, as we clearly have access to theatrical media across the globe. Attending a play in Ancient Greece was considered a form of rebellion or political expression, although now the plays themselves are a form of expression as the writers and actors are free to convey messages through their work. Expression has always been associated with media--it is inevitable when we give free range to people who have their own minds and a piece of paper—or Facebook, blogs, and Twitter. In a sense, theater was the foundation to what we have now. Before electronics were used, there was the theater. And with the theater there were audience members who watched what was happening and received a message. To this day plays are performed and some hide or hold a deeper meaning that what appears as they are able to use lines and movement to captivate an audience and tell them a story. These plays are much like blogs or articles; they are just brought to life by actors. But they have just as much sway over an audience as any other form of social media.
RENT takes place in the Lower East side of New York and follows a gang of poor young artists and musicians that are struggling to find work and live in the big city. Though it sounds like a simple plot that many can relate to, it pushes further than the average struggling artist story. RENT addresses an issue that can be hard to talk about, HIV/AIDS. And although this topic has become better known, it is still something that isn't often talked about or bought up. Yet here was a play that wasn't afraid to bring up this issue—and bring it up in a big way. The main character, Roger and his girlfriend both find that they have contracted AIDS. The plays message to the audience is to remember that AIDS is still affecting people in the world and a disease. They chose to bring awareness to this disease and used their play as an outlet for sending their message, giving audience members more knowledge about the disease and about the people who have it.
But RENT is only one example of theater pushing the boundaries and giving audiences something to think about. Spring Awakening has faced its share of censorship due to its no hold back nature. Spring Awakening doesn't just deal with one social issue; it addresses quite a few issues like abortion, suicide, and teenage sexuality. Here audiences are left with a ton to think about, an abortion pill kill a fourteen year old girl and addresses the issue of sex at a young age as well as birth control. As an audience member the issues are laid out right in front of you, you have nowhere to run or hide to. You have to address them. Abortion has always been a controversially subject and will continue to be. Here it is shown at its most dangerous point—a young girl dying while trying to get rid of her baby-a lot to take in about one social issue.
It doesn't matter whether or not you agree with an issue or if what you see is what you would do. The point of theater—and all social medias for that matter--is to give the public something to think about, to leave them with new views of the world around us. Controversy and an in your face approach can be the best way to get a message across. RENT and Spring Awakening are just a few critically acclaimed plays that have brought social issues to the surface—and they won't be the last. With the power of free speech and our own minds, we will never stop bringing up social issues—and why should we? They can be fun to watch.
Here are the sources I used to write my paper.
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