Writing Plays to Address Social Justice

As theatre returns in the aftermath of a global pandemic and constant upheaval, it must address our current reality and the shattering impact on millions of Americans. It’s time to write plays that acknowledge people’s urgent concerns, are created for and brought to targeted and neglected audiences, incite action, inspire hope, and build or support communities.

There is no better role model or exemplar than the work created during the Great Depression by The Federal Theatre Project under the leadership of Hallie Flanagan, who sought to employ out-of-work artists and bring high quality, socially relevant theatre to people who never, or rarely, witness it. In this course, led by instructor Sheri Wilner, students will examine the plays and writings by Hallie Flanagan, such as Can You Hear Their Voices and her testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, as well as Federal Theatre Project created work, such as One-Third of a Nation and the Living Newspapers. Working alone, or in collaboration with classmates, students will come up with ideas for how to apply the Federal Theatre Project’s principles, practices, and politics to a 2021 audience. By the end of the course, students will have completed a short work designed for a specific audience, in a non-theatrical space, and have devised a plan for how to bring that work into the community for which it was created. Let’s re-invent, re-invigorate, and revive the theatre!