Questions From Steppenwolf: Theatre Themes?
Posted by Martha Lavey on 6/02/2009
As you know, for the past three years, we have been choosing a theme for our season and using the theme to guide our selection of plays. Further, the theme has served as a guide to the conversations we generate about the work - in our post-show discussions, in our newsmagazine, on our blog.
The impulse to thematize our work really began in our 30th anniversary season. Because it was an anniversary, we wanted there to be a cohesiveness to the statement we were making for the programming. We struggled with whether we wanted the season to speak to our history or to forge new ground. Fairly quickly, we decided that the history of Steppenwolf has always been about the impulse to make it new - whether that meant a new work or a refreshment of an extant play. Given the work we have dedicated to the development of new plays, we felt that our 30th anniversary should be framed as a season of new work.
Having used that over-arching idea for our 30th season, we were drawn to the idea of creating programming around a theme and in the following year, framed the season around the question of “What does it mean to be an American?” This season, we have been exploring the idea of the Imagination and in the upcoming season, we will be focusing on Belief.
We are beginning to plan for our 2010-2011 season. We are reading plays and talking about theme.
I would love to hear your ideas about theme. What do we, as citizens of Chicago, as Americans, as a community, need to talk about? What’s troubling you? What’s exciting you? What big ideas will lead us into a sound future? What are the possiblities opening up in front of us? What are the values that need refreshing? What in the human experience calls out for confirmation, for re-examination, for discussion? And which of your ideas is best suited for discussion in the forum of the theater? Why does the idea have its best expression in live performance for an audience in the here and now?
I look forward to hearing from you.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Lately, I’ve been thinking about spirituality and religion. I find the topic both fasinating and confusing. The institutions, traditions, rituals, scriptures, beliefs, practices, moral codes and the values. What does it all mean? What is the spiritual quota for a week? A month? A lifetime? And what about religion and violence? Why does a 14 year old boy become a suicide bomber? Is it the promise of paradise in reward for acts of martyrdom? I grew up a Muslim…but I still don’t know what that means. What makes you religious or spiritual? What do we do in the name of God?
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
With all the Prop 8 nonsense and the constant evolution of the dynamic of the American family, I think that would be an interesting thing to explore. There are so many things that could be done with that as the overarching idea, and there is definitely an assortment of more classic plays to choose from, as well as newer works that could show what is going on currently.
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Truman and Ghandi all have been quoted with saying different variations of, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” When I think of this, I think about the troubling way in which we as Americans treat those in our prison system. By “treat” I mean dismiss, demonize, forget. Our belief system is often based in very self-righteous, very self-serving ideals. We are quick to judge others and determine their worth in the society…or lack of. Pedophiles and rapists are deemed evil and aren’t given the slightest room for understanding, nor offered any real rehabilitation. Our country incarcerates 5 times the amount of people than any other country in the world. Overcrowding has led to recent political hot topics such as the legalization of marijuana (where 1 out of 7 prisoners are serving due to weed-related offenses, mostly misdemeanors). Rehabilitation behind bars, HIV/AIDS transmission inside, reentry to society, are all concerns that are completely overlooked. Numerous plays have portrayed prisons and their inhabitants in a very powerful way (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago, The Exonerated) but usually as cold hearted and callous or in a romanticized way. As an audience member and playwright I would appreciate gaining fresh insight to a more human, everyman point of view…offering true understanding rather than theatrical arsenal that raises our blood pressure; where any one of us could easily find ourselves making the same choices and ending up in the same predicament. Or perhaps, prison system aside… the theme for your next season could simply answer, “Who do we consider to be our weakest members in our society? And why?”
June 18th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Hi everyone–
I’m Joy, the Literary Manger here. Thanks so much for these thoughtful (and thought-provoking) responses. All three of you have opened up questions of vital contemporary relevance and the capacity to inspire a multitude of conversations.
Sadieh–We agree that this is a compelling area of inquiry, so much so that we hope the theme we’ve articulated for our 2009-2010-the power of belief and how it illuminates what is authentic in our lives-may touch upon some of the issues you raise. That said, a more particular focus on religion as institution and spirituality would catalyze some dynamic conversations.
Aislinn–yes, the theme of the family is a touchstone in American drama! When I studied abroad in England, I remember one of my professors telling me “You Americans are obsessed with family.” I thought it might be an ramification of the individualist ethos in this country–rooted perhaps in the iconic frontier image of the cabin in the woods. I agree that it would be fascinating to revisit the question of family in light of the many ways our definition of the word is expanding.
Steven–Yes–this is fascinating. I wonder if you’ve seen the speech that Haruki Murakami made a few months ago called “The Novelist in Wartime”. He begins with the statement, “Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg” and ends with “The System did not make us: We made the System.”