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Examining Theatre As A Subculture (1st Draft)
Examining Theatre As A Subculture (1st Draft)
Examining Theatre As A Subculture (1st Draft)
LIT 2106
19 October 2019
Introduction
Theatre is an art form that originated in the 6th century BC in the form of Greek theatre. Greek
theatre slowly evolved over the years and was adapted by the Romans, the Christians, the
Japanese, the Italians, the French, etc. until it gained widespread population in Europe by the 16th
to 18th century (History World). Despite the numerous changes made to theatre, and the multiple
adaptations that branches its history off into different parts of the world, theatre has, in essence,
always remained the same: performing in front of a live crowd. Theatre is not the entire entity in
itself because the word encompasses many elements that may be considered “theatre”. Some of
these elements are: musical theatre, straight plays, technical crew, artistic crew, and the
production team.
Musical theatre is perhaps one of the most famous aspects of theatre due to its ability to
tell a story with dialogues being sung by the actors on stage. A musical integrates multiple
artistic elements into its performance and weaves them together with a narrative plot that
creatively unfolds through the use of dance, song, pyrotechnics, and/or well-choreographed
stunts that captivate the audience. Examples of famous musicals include The Phantom of the
Straight plays involve the use of unsung dialogue over the entire duration of the
performance. A straight play can involve some background music, but does not usually have a
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budget as big as that of a musical. Plays are easier to sort into genres such as tragedies,
comedies, and dramas. Compared to the lightheartedness easily expressed by musicals, plays
find it easier to tap into dark societal problems. An example of famous straight play includes the
The crew is an entirely different branch of theatre that deals with the way things are
handled backstage. The show would not run without these people manning the jobs backstage.
The crew includes the technical crew, who is in charge of the sounds, lights, and pyrotechnics (if
it is a part of the show); the artistic crew, who is in charge of the way things look like stage
design, character costumes, and the like; and the main production crew, which involves the
A “subculture” refers to a culture within a larger and more dominant culture [Ryan 85].
It’s like a culture found within another culture. Gelder expresses that every social group can be
considered subcultural one way or another because they carry a set of narratives about itself [2].
Narratives Much like any other profession, people who are part of the theatre scene think, act,
and dress in a different way compared to most people in other professions. This study aims to
examine whether theatre can be considered a subculture by examining the qualities of theatre
through the use of Ken Gelder’s six prevailing cultural logics about subcultures [3].
through their often negative relation to work (as ‘idle’, ‘parasitical’, hedonistic, criminal, etc.)
[2]. This characteristic does not mean that thespians1 are lazy or have dangerous qualities. It
simple means that they do not follow a regular 9-to-5 work day [Streubel 9]. More often than
not, theatre is just a passion they pursue whilst maintaining a 9-to-5 job because amateur theatre
does not pay very well. Most thespians do not consider theatre their main job and instead ask for
rehearsals to be scheduled at the end of what is largely considered a normal working day.
Therefore, some rehearsals are scheduled in the evenings when most people have already
dismissed from their primary line of work. In the case however of thespians who’ve made theatre
their entire career, rehearsals can be scheduled during any time of the day. It is difficult to pin
down an exact time because unlike corporate companies who follow a 9-to-5 working day,
theatre company schedules will depend on the availability of all members of the production. This
difficulty confirms that theatre is unconventional when it comes to being compared to a regular
9-to-5 workday.
Gelder states that “subcultures are seen as having deviated from their class background
altogether, disavowing class affiliations or even ‘transcending class as a result of the particular
cultural adjustments they’ve made” (3). A thespian is not defined by their economic background.
It does not matter what social class they are in because a thespian is defined by their talents and
abilities as an individual. A production is not limited to only a specific brand of theatre. The
productions that they put up will depend on the overall company’s budget and funding but
otherwise, even high schoolers are free to perform Romeo and Juliet, despite its reputation as one
of the classic plays. The choice of what production a company or group should perform mostly
Thespians do not legally own the stage; therefore, it cannot be considered their property.
However, they do territorialize the stage whenever they come across one. Claiming the stage as
their own is one form of expression and unity that allows them to feel a sense of belonging.
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Some Broadway2 thespians from one production territorialize the stage or theater they’re
performing in until eventually that theater is associated with that specific production. For
example, the Phantom of the Opera has been performed in Broadway in the Majestic Theatre
since it opened on January 26, 1988 (Playbill). Since then, the Majestic Theatre has been
associated with the Phantom of the Opera, resulting in a territorialization of the theater by
thespians performing in the Phantom of the Opera. However theatre groups are not hostile
towards other theatre groups performing in other theaters. This is evidenced by the cast of Les
Misérables from the Imperial Theatre welcoming their new next-door neighbors, the cast of
Hamilton from the Richard Rogers Theatre, by jokingly submitting their rap auditions via their
Thespians feel a sense of belonging when entering a room they’ve spent a lot of their
time in like the green room3, a costume shop, the main rehearsal room, or even a studio. Most
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/4516266
Thespians are often stereotyped for being overly
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dramatic individuals and that is not too far from the truth.
Although it may not apply to everyone in the theatre industry, thespians are known to be
confident in their actions, outgoing, encouraging, and competitive [Litster, 14]. Thespians
tendency to be
Fig. 2.2. Miracle; Tumblr,
louder and noisier
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compared to the
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average group of people. Another theatre meme is called the
Fig. 4. Hardcore Monkey; Pinterest, Fig. 5. Pretentious Poodle; Pinterest, Fig. 6. The Thespian Peacock; Tumblr,
There are more theatre memes with actual templates created to portray the life of thespians, with
varying stages of intensity (fig. 4, fig. 5, fig.6). This proves that thespians have their own sense of
community.
Gelder, a subculture opposes the conformist pressures of mass society and massification. It
refuses single-minded thinking, and to prevent being cast out by society, creates itself
(subculture) to find like-minded people who also don’t conform to society’s standards. Theatre
people think and act very differently from people who aren’t in theatre. They see the world as if
it were a performance of sorts, where everyone has their own role. Thespians are not afraid to
show people what they’ve got and shine beautifully under praise. They learn to handle rejection;
take chances; wear their hearts on their sleeves; multitask by familiarizing oneself with a
monologue while doing household chores; work under the pressure-filled demands of the
director, producers, and fellow cast members, whilst participating in the demands of everyday
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life: their jobs, if theatre isn’t a full-time commitment for them; or school. Students who are
already pursuing their passion for theatre must cope up with the demands of late-night rehearsals,
early-morning classes, and different kinds of homework from each side but since being onstage
is what they love, they plan on pursuing the goal of being a professional until it becomes a
reality.
Conclusion
According to the cultural logics applied based on Gelder’s theory, it is concluded that
theatre can indeed be considered a subculture. It was understood in all six ways subcultures are
generally analyzed: through their unpredictable rehearsal and performance schedules, their
individual value being recognized through their talent instead of their economic status, their
claiming of the theatre as their territory, feeling a sense of belongingness or nostalgia over
mundane things like hairspray, their tendency to be overly-dramatic over simple situations, and
that helps individuals express themselves in way that is often seen as therapeutic because actors
get the chance to find, release, and control emotions through their character’s journey both
onstage and offstage. Thespians experience the harshness of society in the safety of the theater
through productions that tackle controversial subjects such as AIDS and racism (Dagley and
Powers). They learn the value of morality in a way simple discussion in a classroom can’t
because they don’t just read about it; they have to live it. One common saying in theatre—though
it may be worded differently—is “stop pretending; be the character”. With all the good things
that can come from theatre, it is one of the most giving subcultures as opposed to gangs,
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prostitutes, and other subcultures that promote vices instead of virtues. Theatre has to be
Works Cited
Gelder, Ken. Subcultures: Suncultural Histories and Social Practice. Oxon: Routledge, 2006.
Dagley, Kelly and Kathryn Q. Powers. Culture and Youth. 2019. 18 October 2019.
The Cast of Les Misérables Auditions for Hamilton the Musical. Perf. The Cast of Les