After reading and listening Brett Bailey’s World Theatre Day message, I thought that his commentary made excellent points about the state of theatre that still rings true three years later. His comments regarding the theatre being a voice for those that are feeling disenfranchised made me think back to a lecture from a sociology class about the role in socialization that various forms of media plays in society. Also, the comments made me think back to the uproar that the cast of Hamilton faced after speaking to the then Vice President elect Mr. Pence, and made me think how relevant in today’s political climate those words from 2014 may be. I felt that the message rang true as well with regards to how theatre has been a part of human society for a long time and can be seen in a variety of ways as well. I believe that Brett Bailey’s comments that based on the situation’s faced in today’s society that theatre should not shy away from social …show more content…
Pence as they tried to use the theatre to help be a voice for social agenda as they tried to be a voice for all those who hoped that the new administration would not be inclusive towards them. The plea was made by Brandon Victor Dixon who played Aaron Burr made the plea of behalf of the cast and while Mr. Pence later said he was not offended the gesture was seen as shocking by some, and this may mean that if the theatre is as Bailey said, “to inspire, enchant and inform, and to create a world of hope and open-hearted collaboration” it has to be willing to face some backlash from those who may not think the theatre is the medium where this discourse would happen. I think that over time if more and more theatre companies take the time to address these issues or even put on productions that address them, it will not seem so foreign and may not get as much criticism as the Hamilton cast