https://snapjudgment.org/episode/greetings-prophet...
Reflect on how theatre can spark social and cultural conversations, especially around topics like identity, protest, and marginalized perspectives.
Instructions:
Listen to the Podcast: Listen to the Snap Judgement episode, "Greetings, Prophet!" Focus on:
- How the community responded to Angels in America.
- The personal struggles of the cast and director.
- The effects of staging a controversial play in a conservative community.
Connect to This Week’s Themes:
- Using concepts from Theatre of Identity, Theatre of Protest, and Cross-Cultural Theatre, consider how Angels in America fits these categories.
- Reflect on how the play acted as a Theatre of Protest at Kilgore College, challenging social norms and addressing deep personal and political issues.
Journal Entry: Choose and respond to 3 of the questions below. Copy each question before your response.
Questions:
- What were the benefits and challenges of showcasing gay cultural identity in a rural East Texas community?
- As a college theatre producer, would you encourage or discourage staging a play like this? Why?
- How did the Kilgore community respond to the play, and what does this reveal about theatre’s role in challenging community values?
- How did the cast members and characters struggle with identity, and how did the play bring these issues to the surface for both actors and the audience?
- Do you think the director’s decision to stage Angels in America was an act of activism? Why or why not?