Hippy Movement Culture

Since the beginning of Broadway, musicals have been used as a social response to the issues going on in that time period. By using alluring music and riveting stories, these shows, along with many more, captivate their audience and grab their attention to the issues that are going on. Some shows that have reflected the time period they were performed in are Hair, Hairspray, and Rent. Hair is set in the 1960’s and follows a man who is being drafted into the Vietnam War. When he arrives in New York City, he meets a group of hippies and becomes acquainted with them. His new friends try and convince him not to go to war, but he goes anyways. His friends try and break him out of the military camp as a revolt against the war. This show portrays the rebellion and change of culture in the time period

The hippie groups began as peaceful, but eventually lead into drugs. Hippies were the first to use drugs in groups and were frequently raided by the police. They originated in urban areas such as San Francisco and the East Village of New York City. The hippie culture started a social movement of rejecting the American government and dominant culture in the United States (Miller 75-93). The people who joined the hippy movement didn’t want to be told what to do. By creating their own utopia, they gained the freedom to do what they wanted. There was no leader telling them how to live their lives. Communes largely inspired the way hippies lived. The first open land commune was called Gorda Mountain in Big Sur, California in 1962. Communes represented the want of a utopian society by the Puritans in the 17th century. Communes were created because the Puritan people weren’t satisfied with main culture, as were the hippies. Christians, Jews, and other religious groups served as inspiration to hippies as well. These groups took a creative and artistic approach to social reform and created a new way of living (Miller