by Can Tran

Created on: May 02, 2009

For the most part, theatre is pretty much socially motivated. In a sense, the theatre scene and the social scene tend to go hand and hand.
Theatre in many senses is similar to live action films. However, there are several differences. In regards to live theatre, performances are animated and performed in front of live audiences.
Overall, theatre and social activity tend to go hand and hand. There are many examples in which how theatre has been socially motivated and driven.

Should it be socially motivated?
It would not hurt. Social times and social motivation does provide for very excellent source material when coming up with a play or musical.

EXAMPLE ONE: "The Crucible"

The Crucible is a play that was written by Arthur Miller. The basis of The Crucible takes place during the times when the Puritans had colonized in the Northeast United States. During that time, there were many witch hunts.
Suspected witches were arrested and put on trial. They would be tested to see if they were witches or not. However, their methods were extremely primitive. There was much paranoia in regards to the lure of witches and witchcraft.

Why did Arthur Miller write this play? Miller had written this play during the mid-twentieth century during the start of the Cold War between the United States
and Soviet Russia. There were tensions in both countries. In the case of the United States, there were fears of a secret Communist invasion along with suspected Communists and Soviet sympathizers.

Then GOP Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin started a "witch hunt." This was known as the Red Scare. People suspected of being Communists were blacklisted. In short, their lives and careers were ruined. In regards to a witch hunt, it was a hunt on those suspected of being Communists. There was tension and paranoia. This mirrored the witch hunts back in Salem during the time of the Puritans.

Miller was a journalist and was covering an event for American Communists. The place got raided. Because Miller was there, he got branded as a Communist. Due to the social times of McCarthy's Red Scare or "McCarthyism," this provided much source material for Miller. The situation during McCarthyism paralleled the Salam witch trials. Because of what had happened let alone to him, Miller had written the Crucible.
This is one major example on how theatre is socially motivated. In that respect, theatre should be socially motivated.

EXAMPLE TWO: "West Side
Story"

West Side Story is the American 1950s version of William Shakespeare's

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