Dangerous Theatre

There's a post on HowlRound today about "Bro Theatre" and its dangers. Holly L. Derr does a good job describing this trend in theatre, and while the commenters may disagree with some of her generalizations and press her to more specifically clarify what she's talking about, I had an immediate shock of recognition: a physically dangerous, artistically undisciplined, demagogue approach to theatre.

I have seen theatre like that recently, and wondered at what was happening as well. Theatre, after all, is supposed to take audiences on an emotional journey to places that aren't comfortable. It's supposed to feel dangerous. But the key word there is FEEL -- it's not supposed to actually be dangerous.

Of course, for many "bros," feelings ARE dangerous. Reading Derr's article I was reminded of a recent NY Times article, Teaching Men to Be Emotionally Honest. The author, a teacher at college, like Ms. Derr, writes about "how boys are taught, sometimes with the best of intentions, to mutate their emotional suffering into anger."

So how much of this is being translated into their approach to theatre? Theatre is a safe space for people to explore emotions, and express them in ways that normal society rules don't allow for. But the outer society still exists. If "bros" have found a space that allows for emotions -- but are simultaneously restricted from actively exploring and expressing those emotions, could that not explain these twin pulls of yearning for dangerous emotions, and the societal pressure to conquer them through displays of physicality and danger?

Unfortunately, the problem with this is that this just leads to even more disassociation from emotions, once again burying true emotional reaction under the bluster and violence of a societally accepted way of dealing with emotions. E.g., lots of yelling, posturing and violence.

These are just some random thoughts -- I have no data to back any of this up, so this is all theoretical -- but I have seen the type of theatre she's talking about.

How about you? Have you run into this kind of theatre? What has been your experience with it?

And for fight choreographer's or other directors out there: What is the best way to cope with this? How can you stand up for your right to have a safe "fight" on stage?

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Permalink Reply by A. Thomas Cavano on Tuesday

Jacob

Thank you for reflecting on this article. I found it interesting for a few reasons.

While the article is talking about "Bro Theatre" as if it were a thing (and maybe it is . . . but I have never heard of it - is she trying to coin the phrase or did I just miss the first two chapters of this phenomenon? or maybe it has always been "Bro Theatre" until feminists conceived of something else?), the issues are all very old hat. The safety of actors (psychologically and physically), the attention - or inattention - to the playwrights' work - directors who abuse their power - have been around for centuries.

Which does not mean that we shouldn't be talking about it, nor does it mean that we shouldn't find a new label for a shopping list of old problems. I found it instructive to read the comments after the "Bro Theatre" article to give dimension to the assertions. What I did not find in the article were specific examples - evidence - of the problems. "In our Funky Playhouse 2003 deconstruction of Taming of the Shrew, So-and-so was told not to do a stage slap but to use real violence. The resulting broken jaw meant that Kate had to say her lines through gritted teeth." But I could certainly provide several such examples from my own experience which predate any recent emergence of "Bro Theatre" by decades. Or, maybe, as I said, it's been "Bro Theatre" with a few exceptions since 2500 BC . . .

Permalink Reply by Jacob Coakley on Tuesday

Thanks for writing, Thomas!

I agree, there's lots more talk for specifics in the comments on the piece -- and I could give examples of my own for that matter, too. In fact there were two whole paragraphs I deleted that were just that -- but I didn't want to go around slinging mud. Funnily enough, my examples did include a punch in a Shakespeare play that landed. Didn't result in a broken jaw, but almost. Actor was visibly, definitely hurt and could barely talk. Director lauded the performance, and the violence on social media...

But since you mention the questions, I return to mine... How have you dealt with an unsafe situation on stage? How would you push back against an unsafe rehearsal or performance environment?

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