by Rick Badman

Created on: July 21, 2009   Last Updated: July 23, 2009

Theatre has been a commentator on social issues for over two millenniums. Greek plays were often an observation of real life and motivated people to question authority and their own beliefs and morality. Actors could be other people when if they were themselves they might be arrested or even executed at times.

Sometimes, material and writers that were banned by the government or rulers of nations became popular in the theatre. Take for instance the character of Figaro. The operas "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Barber of Seville" were based on the banned writing of Molle' because he insulted royalty and the rich. But as an opera, the story of Figaro and ridiculing the upper class and royalty was very popular.

Subjects that couldn't be discussed in public like homosexuality, sexual desire for one's mother, the battle of the sexes, and mercy killing were presented in ancient Greece on the stage. Even those that were being insulted enjoyed some of the plays if they didn't recognize that they were being satirized. But if they did recognize themselves, they could come down hard on the actors and playwrights. That's why many plays were banned and actors and playwrights arrested for daring to insult them.

Many plays and operas may always be popular. Anti-war plays will be timely until the Millennium because there are wars in each generation. Immorality is a subject that keeps theatre alive along with greed, lust, theft, jealousy, murder, and numerous other human faults. Whether it's morality plays that were popularized by the church 1000 years ago or modern plays that have nudity, audiences have gone to the theatre to be entertained first and provoked to think next.

If there is a social wrong, sometimes the theatre can present it in a way that will encourage the audiences to make changes in society. Underground theatre has been around or centuries because normal theaters weren't allowed to present the plays. The use of symbolism allows actors to reveal truths that others won't allow to be known. Even the Bible uses symbolism if the writers know that the straight forward facts will punish them. When the Apostle John wrote about the Roman emperors and the empire itself, he used symbolism that Christians understood but the pride of the authorities kept them from understanding. Even today, many Catholics don't know that it is the Roman Catholic Church that is condemned by John. It could be they don't want to believe it. The same thing applies to theatre.

Some plays are so far ahead of their time that when they become relevant, often the playwright is dead. "R.U.R." was presented in the 1920's and featured the word robot. It was a science fiction play that was a curiosity. But with robots becoming more intelligent and able, it could foretell what may lie ahead for us if we're not careful. But thanks to that play, the evils of relying on machines to do our work and eventually take over is a warning that hopefully we will heed.

If the press won't move the masses to act positively, there is theatre. If there is a subject that needs to be discussed, there is theatre. If the world needs to be changed positively, there is theatre. Sometimes whether we like it or not, there is theatre. As long as it is considered free speech which is protected by the First Amendment, there will be socially motivated theatre. It has the ability to proclaim truth, move society, and change nations.

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