Abstract

Plays and Politics

The American theatre has very little to say about the state of American politics at present time. In any discussion of the theatre one of the first things to inquire about is the nature of the audience. According to the author, though he had no statistics, Americans are not genuinely concerned with politics. The ordinary American might define politics as something to do with elections and graft. According to the author, if he is right in these assertions, politics as such can hardly be expected to prove a proper subject for American theatrical entertainment. When people learn to see themselves and their neighbors truthfully against the broadest horizons of human concern, they shall perhaps not need to clamor for political plays; good ones will do.