American Exile

Here’s a brilliant article in The New Statesman that looks at why political theatre is so rarely programmed in American theatres and why politically oriented playwrights must look to the UK to get produced. The problem starts with a theatre culture of artists and critics who view human experience almost exclusively through a psychological prism, ignoring how social forces shape our lives. It’s then compounded by not-for-profit theatres addicted to the economics of the subscription series, which results in homogenised programming and a tyranny of whimsical theatre.

The writers interviewed may be describing their experiences in America, but it speaks to precisely the same conditions here in Canada.

• 3 08 2006 - 12:05