Feeling Theatre: Replacing Elitism with Empathy
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I was working at the Royal Court and brought a friend to see a play by Caryl Churchill. When I asked what they thought about it they confessed: “I don’t know. I mean, I don't really know much about theatre.”
“But there’s nothing to ‘know’ I replied, “Just tell me what you thought, did you like it? How did it make you feel?”
This kept happening whenever I invited non-theatre types to see a show. We’ve all done that, haven’t we? Gone to an art gallery and thought ‘I don’t get it’, left thinking you’re stupid.
What has gone wrong in theatre? Intellectual snobbery is everywhere we look. We categorise artforms like theatre, opera and visual arts as ‘high’ art and culturally segregate them from popular artforms like cinema, gigs and musicals. This gatekeeping of theatre is not just about material notions of class, it’s a kind of intellectual elitism - a superior attitude that is intrinsically patriarchal and colonial in the way that it operates. We learn that theatre is valued by how smart it is and if you don’t understand it, well, you’re not one of us, are you darling?
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
It’s this intellectual elitism that often sits behind clumsy ‘outreach’ programmes in our industry, and is responsible for what ultimately becomes an evangelical notion that the masses need educating by the enlightened.
Look, I’m all for having my mind blown by new ideas and fresh reasoning. But at Hackney Showroom - which I co-run and co-founded with the marvellous Sam Curtis Lindsay - what really gets us excited about making theatre is how we connect with feeling. The championing and lauding of the 'brainy play' is inherent in our patriarchal Western dramaturgy.
“The gatekeeping of theatre is not just about material notions of class, it’s a kind of intellectual elitism - a superior attitude that is intrinsically patriarchal and colonial in the way that it operates.”
So much is intellectual pursuit extolled in theatre that we’ve found audiences can find simplicity quite disarming. You find yourself questioning 'Should I like this play if I find it too easy to understand?' There is an honesty and truthfulness in feeling theatre. There is nothing to hide behind. This surely is feminist theatre: no machismic bluster, no ego.
Our recent show, BURGERZ by Travis Alabanza finally came to a close after 5 magical years touring. Alabanza used the metaphor of the burger box to examine the way we are boxed in by the gender binary. There is a bravery that comes with offering something so pure.
Hackney Showroom’s upcoming show THE LEGENDS OF THEM by reggae icon Lorna Gee AKA actor Sutara Gayle opened on 14th September at Brixton House. It is almost parable-like and unashamed in the simplicity of its message.
The show truly transcends intellect in its story of a spiritual quest as Sutara charts her spiritual journey guided by the 4 legends in her life, her brother brother Mooji - a world renowned spiritual teacher, her sister Cherry who was shot by the police in her bedroom in ‘85 sparking the second Brixton uprising, her mother Euphemia and her ancestor Nanny of the Maroons. It’s a one woman virtuoso performance where Sutara channels multiple characters, rouses us with high octane musical numbers that will have you off your seat, and shares moments of darkness, light and belly-aching humour, and is ultimately an invitation to join her on a path towards spiritual awakening.
Both these shows offer a richness that goes deep, deep beyond the intellect, and hits you right into the belly. They remind us that the stuff of life is not found in the whirrings of our mind, but in the depths of our soul.
Dramaturgy is the practice of the conceptual and structural artistic development of a play or piece of theatre. Western theatre dramaturgy is concerned with conflict and dramatic action. We look at what characters are ‘doing’ to each other to see where the conflict lies. At Hackney Showroom our dramaturgical practice is more aligned with the conversation with our audience. We ask: what is the piece DOING to or with the audience? What connection are we making and how will audiences feel after the lights go up? We push against the Western dramaturgical form with a refreshing, democratising invitation to sit in community with our shows, be part of the experience collectively.
We do this by working with artists who are all masters of working a crowd - from Ms Sharon Le Grand and Travis Alabanza to Peter Clements (the spectacular Frau Welt) and Sutara Gayle. And with directors - Sam Curtis Lindsay, Jo McInnes and Oliver Dawe - who have honed the art of staging work that moves seamlessly across both sides of the fourth wall. These creatives, our theatre and the work we all create is purposefully rebelling against the traditional standards of theatre that bolster a classist hierarchy of expression.
Words: Nina Lydon | Images: Harry Elletson, Dorothea Tuch
Get tickets to The Legends of Them here.