American Invasion, Part Whatever
If you’re reading this, then chances are you’ve probably seen my review of the National Theatre’s production of Blues for an Alabama Sky. It’s not uncommon for me to see a show with little or no context beforehand, so I had no idea that this was a work from an American playwright (Pearl Cleage)… starring an American actress (Samira Wiley)….at the National Theatre… of Great Britain. The saga continues with the National’s most recent production to hit the Olivier, an indisputable, American classic, The Crucible. Again, at the National Theatre. Of Great Britain.
Now, don’t consider this a personal protest so much as a dramaturgical one… because the dramaturgy simply doesn’t track. Consider Rufus Norris’ comment earlier this year, in which he noted that streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon are steadily pilfering theatre writers, leaving little room for emerging writers on The National’s roster. Much of Theatre Twitter expressed its outrage, noting that there are more than enough emerging, new, and talented writers to go around, and I concur. There are plenty in this country if you just open your eyes. The current mission of the theatre is expressed as such on their website:
“The National Theatre’s mission is to make world-class theatre, for everyone.
We create and share unforgettable stories with audiences across the UK and around the world - whether on our stages on London's South Bank, on tour, in schools, on cinema screens, or streaming at home. We aim to be as inclusive, diverse and sustainable as possible.
The National Theatre empowers artists and craftspeople to make world-leading work, investing in talent and developing new productions with a range of theatre companies at our New Work Department.”
While I applaud their efforts to be as inclusive as possible (Cleage is a playwright I knew very little about before seeing her play), and the inclusion of American writers is not necessarily a terrible thing, I still can’t help but think that their efforts to “invest in talent and developing new productions” is just falling by the wayside. As the Pandemic subsides, and we scramble to magically regain those years we lost, it seems to me that every theatre’s mission should be to promote new, emerging, and unheard voices.
Was it fun to see a production of The Crucible in which it rains onstage? Absolutely. Was is also discouraging to see a poor depiction of about 8 different American accents throughout the production? Absolutely. This only reminded me of just how far away I was from my home country. But it also made me realise just how grateful I am to be so far away from my home country— to have that occasional escape from American cultural imperialism. When I am plopped right back into it, I probably recoil more than most non-native Americans.
When The National Theatre was first established, it proposed that it would be “a National Theatre in this sense, that it would be from the first conditionally – and, in the event of success, would become absolutely – the property of the nation.” The simple fact that The National, and many other theaters (consider The Young Vic’s transfer of Oklahoma!, which is currently transferring to the West End, and The Almeida’s productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and a brand-new Tammy Faye musical) are reaching outside, to the other side of the pond, negates the very multiculturalism and the plethora of perspectives within the nation.
Additionally, I would argue that The National’s aim to be “inclusive” and “diverse” is immediately threatened when deciding to produce dead playwrights. It is too too ironic, as well, that upon his appointment to the Artistic Director position, Rufus Norris proclaimed his main priorities moving forward were “partnerships and living artists.” The relevance to the National’s public dwindles when put against stories that playwrights that have been dead for decades. On the other hand, there is a duty that any theater certainly must have to honour its medium’s history. The only reason I went to The National’s production of The Crucible was to show my partner, who had never seen a play in his life before meeting me, a classic example of an American play (and of the classic “white man screaming” ending that is something of a trademark for Arthur Miller). Without theaters keeping this work alive, how are we to educate those just beginning to delve into the theatre world?
On the other other hand, however, I wish we had finer examples of those “classics,” regardless of whether they are American or not.
Sources:
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/rufus-norris-netflix-and-amazon-are-taking-talent-away-from-theatre
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/rufus-norris-partnerships-and-living-writers-are-among-my-main-priorities-for-the-national
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/about-the-national-theatre/history
