Documentary theatre is a unique and fascinating way to address social and political issues on stage. This type of theatre uses raw data, often acquired from news sources and interview transcripts. These texts, generated by the people who took part in the actual event, form the script of the play. As the play text does not distort or embellish this information in any way, a theatrical documentary production falls under the category of verbatim theatre.
This type of production is more focused on a ‘Poor Theatre’ aesthetic. This means that elaborate sets, lush costumes and realistic backdrops are often relinquished for a starker look. These plays do not re-enact the historical event in question, but utilize disjointed structures that present a multifaceted presentation of the subject matter.
In Germany in the 1920’s, theatre directors Erwin Piscator and Bertolt Brecht developed a revolutionary form of theatre. This theatre removed all emotional engagement from the experience of a play. Rather, Brecht and Piscator wanted audience to engage with their critical faculties, interrogating the social structures that, then, contributed to large power imbalances in Europe.
Brecht and Piscator did not want audiences to be passive. They wanted their plays to ignite audiences and encourage social revolution. Documentary productions often seek to encourage dialogue and debate among viewers. It has also proven to be a useful teaching method, encouraging students to interrogate historical events.
The aim of this type of show is to deliver the facts as faithfully and objectively as possible. Playwrights often eschew any fictive embellishments, in order to attain a true, clear impression of the event. Nevertheless, the clash between the fictive and the actual is a debate that still surrounds these plays.
The Tectonic Theatre Project launched the Laramie Project in 2000. This play consisted of a series of interviews with the people of the town, Laramie, in Wyoming, USA. It sought to construct the murder of gay student, Matthew Shepard, in a hate crime. It allowed the audience to view the event from different perspectives, encouraging some interesting dialogues concerning homophobia and bullying. This is one such example of the social power of a theatrical documentary production.
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