Is White Supremacy being taught in the classrooms of theatrical arts?

Question

In a theatre class I was considered theatrically ignorant because I was not familiar with all of the plays of Eugene O'Neil, Tennessee Williams, and others like Thorton Wilder. The fact that I was familiar with minority playwrights was insignificant. Why is it a must to know white artist, but it doesn't matter if you don't know minority artist?

Some of the comments truly prove how some people truly believe that the way of one group of people is the best way. Its sad because this is what will continuously keep us held back as a nation. To believe that white writers are the best because they are the main focus in theatrical study and are considered "mainstream" because they control the media of this country is simply ludacris.

Sorry RIVER but re-research your information. Playwrighting did not originate in Europe.

River, I'm sure you're a nice guy but your research is so far from true. I know for a fact that you can find and read many plays by African American slaves. To further your studies look up or check out "The Escape" by William Wells Brown that was written in 1858. Or check out the musical "Peculiar Sam" written by a female African American playwright in 1879. I could go on and on. There are two reason why these plays aren't known and aren't considered "Good." These plays express a culture that was of no importance in its time and it expressed the ideas of a culture that the white man of that time could not understand and that some today still don't understand. Many White people think Shakespeare is good. I think it's okay! Its nothing to write home about, but this is because is doesn't reflect my culture, my day-to-day life. People are stimulated by things to which they can relate. Yet minorities are suppose to be in awe of all white art because as some say it's just better.

Answer 1

well i wouldn't call it white supremacy. unless they are forcing you to put on a sambo costume and dance a jig on a table. but your teacher(s) are certainly guilty of ignoring other cultures' influence on theatre. you're not alone though. whites are pretty much the only figures mentioned in any subject unless it's black history month. if it really bothers you i'd talk to your principal and ask him/her to address that issue.
i'm an art teacher but i don't try to focus on any particular race. i just pick an artist who works for whatever lesson i'm doing. it does matter if you know those minority artists but some of those white guys did good things too. it's important to get a little bit of everything.

Answer 2

I don't think white supremacy is the correct phrase, and by using it you have invited some of the heavy handed responses. I do think that Eurocentric is what you are looking for, and yes all of our class rooms are a little too erocentric. It is a shame if your theatre class is not teaching Hansberry, or my go August Wilson, in my opinion second to only Arthur Miller as the greatest American Playwright, and special kudos for comleting the 10 plays, and such good plays at that.
I also think though that it woud be short sighted of you to not know O'Neil, Williams, etc. These writers are just as important, and in fact without them there may not have been the black theatre movement int he us that helped launch Wilson, thier modern realism laid teh groud work for modern American drama, and I also can see an arguement for saying that Wilder and Wilson are very similar, you might enjoy the style of Thorton Wilder if you enjoy Wilson plays.
Finally our history ha a lot to do with why, the fact is there was no comercial end to black or minority theatre until fairly recently in the US, blacks were not alowd on certain stages, there was no money invested into black artists or shows, etc, things are better now, although obviously not great, but better. Instead of showing the anger that will shut you out of the greater conversations, embrace teh art in all its forms, the country is beginign too embrace minority writers, what a shame if you were left behind.

Answer 3

No, White supremacy is not being taught in your classroom's theatrical arts class. The law of averages is being shown in action.

Whites have been writing plays in English for hundreds of years, and have been keeping records of these plays. Other races have not traditionally kept written records of their forms of entertainment, and have not written in English.

In the past, Racism has led to a certain elitism in the art of writing, and well into the 1800s, anyone of a non-white race who tried to put pen to paper might have been punished. Even once they were allowed to write, the lavish nature of play production, and the personal introduction by most living playwrights would keep most minorities from successfully getting a play to a large audience.

Currently, intellectual property laws are a major problem as well. Plays are private property for 100 years. Thus, any play written by a minority before 1906 is private property, and to teach it, or to act it in a school play, the production team (Your class!) would have to pay royalties. This can get very expensive.

Even supposing this to be the case, there is about five hundred years worth of quality plays written before 1906, and virtually all of them are written by white people, because Plays were a traditional European passtime. Simple logic dictates that a lot of these plays are better than plays that were written more recently, because the good plays would get passed down to the next generation, while the bad plays would be dropped and forgotten. With more modern plays, the good and the bad are both still available, and any new play, like any new movie, is not likely to be as good as some of the old classics.

Answer 4

A lot of it depends on what theatre class you were taking. If it was American theatre, you should expect to hear about O'Neil, Williams, and Wilder as they have had/and continue to have significant impact on popular American theatre. If you are a theatre major, you should be familiar with them regardless of their or your race because of their impact. Frankly, as a theatre graduate and teacher, I don't usually research the race of a playwright. I learned about important plays/playwrights and teach important plays/playwrights. One of the best plays I've read is A Raisin in the Sun. It's excellent because it has a universal appeal--it deals with emotions and situations and actions that anyone can relate to. That is what makes for enduring and important plays. Perhaps theatre classes do teach/deal with more white plays than others, but there are a lot more white people in America, and thus more white playwrights. Instead of using this as an opportunity to speculate about racism and white supremacy (which is only frustrating and embittering), use this as an opportunity to graciously introduce your professors and fellow students to excellent plays written by minority playwrights. I am always looking to diversify my reading and my students reading (which is why I love teaching World Literature), so I always enjoy hearing of great literature and plays by playwrights from different cultures. I don't think theatre classes are nests of white racism--I do think excellent plays with good universal themes are always welcome for discussion, so bring them up for discussion. And get familiar with a broad variety of playwrights--including the white ones--so that you can easily relate and converse about theatre and introduce new writers.

FYI, theatre developed as an organized force in Greece. Other early dramatic presentation were basically "dramatized" religious texts or songs. The Greeks were the first to write new stories for a specific genre of performance. So, that would make the origins of modern comedy and tragedy in Europe. However, China, Japan, and India all have rich traditions of theatre worth delving into--though sometimes difficult because of aesthetic differences.

Answer 5

I think that it depends. In my classes on theater we covered plays by WASPS to plays I never been able to find a copy of they were so obscure and strange. We did plays with a mixed cast, boys and girls, any race, any creed...
I can't speak for everywhere in the US, or the world. Heck, I can't even speak for all the classes here in So Cal but I know that there are the roots of a minority play write movement growing each day. Every time that someone picks up a play they are encouraged to read more plays. They may get themes of racism and white supremacy from some plays...but they can get that from anywhere.

I hope that helps!

Answer 6

It's kind of conspiracy theoristy to say it's White Supremacy that's being taught in theatre arts.

Regardless of race, some playwrights have been more studied, better reviewed and deemed a significant contribution to theatre.

If they call you ignorant, study more of what they say you *should* know on top of what you *do* know. Then, you will have a more broad range and can tell those people who called you ignorant that they ware sadly limited in their theatrical expertise!

Answer 7

Personally I think this whole debate is utter nonsense--starting with the question being asked, and continuing with many of the answers. Look: why does it have to be either/or? Say you know the work of Lorraine Hansberry, Adrienne Kennedy, Amiri Baraka, Charles Gordone, Suzan-Lori Parks and August Wilson. (And I hope you do.) Does that make you a Black Nationalist? Does the fact that many if not most of the people you have class with aren't as up on these writers as you presumably are make them ignorant? Not at all--just as inexperienced with your end of the artistic spectrum as you are with theirs. They're wrong to call you ignorant, but you're just as wrong to assume that it's some white supremacist (your words--VERY badly chosen) plot...

Theatre is vast--far vaster than any one of us, or any one writer. We all need to know everybody--and that includes plays from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and from every past time. I feel sorry for students who don't know the power of "A Raisin In The Sun", the anger of "Dutchman", the amazing rhythms of "Top Dog/Underdog" and the unprecedented accomplishment that is the entire August Wilson canon. But that doesn't excuse you from needing to know why O'Neill, Williams, Wilder, etc. are important, and getting to know their best work, or feeling that "knowing white artists" is somehow going to diminish you. It's not a zero-sum game, and never was. Shakespeare was not white--Shakespeare was a poet of humanity. August Wilson was not black--he was a poet of humanity. I suspect you are young, but I hope the day comes when you understand that great art is not about shrinking itself down so it fits what "you can relate to"--but asking you to raise yourself up to universal human, not just racial, experiences. In the meantime, consider this a teaching opportunity for you, to share what you know. But for that to work, you also need to be willing to learn--and not pre-set your own limitations on what that learning will involve.

The past was rotten in many ways--no question. What are you doing to make the present and the future better?

Answer 8

white supremacy is slipped everywhere one way or another, sometimes more obvious than others.
Ok, ask yourself this question, you think the White house is called like that because was painted white?
my quesiton may sound ridiculous, but the white house is a representation and a kind of sublime message of what matters and who rules here.
back at you scotsman, remember it was the white man who believed the earth was flat resting on top of three elephaants who posed on top of a huge turtle, while cultures like the Mayas and after them the Aztecs already knew the earth was not only rounded, but it rotated around the sun and not the other way around. So, go to school, get some education, and then you may get the right to call others what you called them.

Answer 9

"White supremacy" is a term that's thrown around plenty even though it does not have any clean meaning. it rather is with "racism" as between the super sins of our time. in actuality human beings would be called white supremacists for being neo-nazis or for issues like being against affirmative action and unlawful immigration. i'm against affirmative action and unlawful immigration, does that make me an evil racist? some liberals might say so ... insanity.

Answer 10

You're assuming quite a bit, based on your unpleasant experience in ONE class...aren't you?

And, by the way, as a long-time acting teacher, it's not my job to teach you about your cultural heritage. There are other departments and classes in the university that do that specifically. In an acting class, my job is to teach acting technique, which can later be applied to texts of the actor's own choosing.