What is political theatre?

Political Theatre

Politics

(from Greek: πολιτικός politikos, definition "relating to citizens") 

The practice and theory of influencing other people.

It surprised me to read how simple this definition really is and how much we overcomplicate things. Politics seems so inaccessible but this simple research taught me essentially means that preachers on hyde park corner or care salesmen are just as much of a "politician" (in the literal sense) than the men and women wearing smart dresses and expensive tailored suits in the house of commons. 

To be involved within politics simply means to be a rhetoric.

What is Political theatre? 

• Theatre that looks to educate / inform audiences.
• Theatre that presents arguments.
• Theatre that aims to provoke change (or at least thought for change).
• Theatre that is not primarily designed to be "pretty" but to have an impact on society.
• Theatre that tackles current social issues/raises them

Political theatre looks to pose statements and be constructive or if necessary destructive to society often in an attempt to better or shape it for the better (more accurately to the creators ideas of "better"). Political theatre tends not be evasive and is often referred to as a strike or "slap" to the face as a result of its intentionally coarse nature. This particular branch of theatre was employed, developed and largely invented by a theatre practitioner known as Bertolt Brecht (analysed in detail later on in this post)

"All theatre should be political... if it isn't then it shouldn't be put on" - Ben 2015

Ben posed this to us on our first workshop of the term and being who i am i sat challenged it in my mind and rejected the idea but as the term progressed i began to realise the truth behind this statement. I thought, there must be some exception to this statement or some way around it? There must be musicians, writers, or artists that simply have creative ideas that spontaneously arrive in their heads. It took a while but eventually i accepted that consciously or not, politics almost always has an influence on art even if it isn't the primary focus of the piece. 

Personal Reflection

I myself have always strongly believed that theatre can be (and often is) a tool for change and I have always enjoyed writing or taking part in politically motivated pieces because a lot o the time I feel like my views and opinions are meaningless and that I'm powerless and non influential in making change but theatre is an excellent to positively channel that energy.