On the Theater of Violence

I have observed that there is some popularity in producing theater that emphasizes negative aspects of the human condition. And yes, that was an intentionally obvious statement.

I find that often, such theater is enjoyable, humorous, or enlightening. It creates a positive result out of something negative--we'll call it the 'badness'--it might mock the badness until we can laugh at it, or perhaps it hyperbolizes the badness in a comical way. The audience may go away thinking this badness is ludicrous and laughable in addition to being bad. This is a positive result because it lets people cope with the badness.

Perhaps it satirizes the badness. Or perhaps it shows a particular badness in all its horrifying details in hopes of shocking the audience into questioning themselves about it. The hope being that audience members might avoid that badness in the future, might ask new questions that might lead to a better life. Again, a positive result.

But this note is called "On the Theater of Destruction," and so I must now define Theater of Destruction as any piece of theater that creates an overall negative effect. If at this point you're asking, 'what kind of theater creates an overall negative effect?' I'll give an example: A play that, in essence, is saying that life is shitty.

There seems to be a common error in some thinking where people equate life being difficult to life being shitty. Difficult does NOT equal shitty. I can agree that life is difficult, but I will never agree that life is shitty. In fact I will vehemently oppose anyone who makes such a vile and, in my opinion, grotesque declaration. And my big question when I go to a play that tells me that life is shitty is--why on earth would anyone put on a play about this? Why would anyone PAY to see a show like this? Why would anyone expect other people to pay to be told that life sucks???

It is destructive to tell people that life is awful: that life is, in itself, a 'badness' both overwhelming and inescapable (except, in some cases, through death).

It is infuriating to go to a show and come away with nothing but "life is difficult and therefore it sucks," or to go to a show and be told that "people are animals [in a base and disgusting way]." It is not only a waste of my time it is an ASSAULT upon my consciousness. And the only conclusion I can draw (since I assume that the director, actors, and playwright are not actually suicidal) is that the creators of the show are doing it to be controversial or something. As if it were bold or brave to say that life sucks. As if it were taboo territory or an experimental horizon of theater to be explored.

It's not taboo territory. And it's not bold or brave. It's just a meaningless violence committed against your audience.

And I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't want that on my conscience.