Author(s): Joseph Stahle
Mentor(s):
Institution SUU
Wartime: A period that brings forth the worst and best of humanity. People act to the best of their beliefs, yet sometimes those beliefs can lead to the loss of life. As for theatre, Yasmina Reza said, “Theatre is a mirror—a sharp reflection of society,” meaning that theatre reflects society and shows both the positive and negative of people’s values. Thus, it would stand to reason that both theatre and wartime would bring about interesting reflections of societies’ ideas. Theatre, being this mirror, helps society to reflect on history and change. However, if humanity fails to examine this reflection and make necessary changes, then it is doomed to repeat those atrocities. This presentation will briefly explore musicals that depict wartime and offer social commentaries, including shows like Cabaret, Miss Saigon, Allegiance, Oh, What a Lovely War!; 1776, and Hamilton. Through traditional research practices, this exploration will highlight humanistic beliefs that encourage the audience to reflect on theatre's purpose within war times as protest and commentary. These stories are not solely focused on the Western or combatant perspective, for they primarily look at the citizens, artists, and politicians affected by the war. Moreover, the presentation aims to bring to light the destruction and creation of both war and theatre. It is the nature of both to build and destroy, and yet both bring around some form of rebirth for everyone involved. Whether this is for the better or worse is up to the audience to decide, leaving them with a renewed understanding of how the stage and the battlefield may not be as different as initially thought.