Overture

This is a blog that really isn't a blog. I want it to be more of a conversation. But, how do you start a conversation, on the internet, with the world, when you're specifically trying to find people who want to join your conversation? Exactly. You start a blog. So here I am (we are).

I love musical theatre, it's rare for me to see a musical that doesn't have something in it that inspires me. I also am passionate about social justice issues - questions of race, gender, class, and equality. I believe musicals are a very powerful tool to promote social change along these lines. I also know a lot of people disagree with me, or don't see how that's true. I think there are many successful musicals that do a lot to make the world a better place by putting things on stage that aren't always considered normal or acceptable, but that are the way many people live their lives. I also think there are musicals that further misguided stereotypes and add to problematic societal beliefs. What's really complicated is that sometimes those two things happen at different places in the same musical...these are the issues involved with representation. They exist in film, tv and pretty much anything else where people are portrayed (fictionally, or otherwise). The way that we as viewers interpret representation is really important to the way we as people behave in the world. However, as much as these issues are present in a lot of areas, musical theatre is unique, so the way issues of representation affect (and are affected by) musical theatre is unique.

I'm sort of a big geek, so I think analyzing musicals is fun. However, I don't want to write a blog that's just me analyzing issues of representations in musicals. There will definitely be some of that. But, like I said, I want a conversation. I want to post questions about musicals and bring up issues of representation I see in them, and then I want to hear through comments what everyone else thinks. I want a discussion. I want a community of people interested in making musicals that have a positive impact talking about the way to do that. I want a community of people interested in watching musicals to help those of us who create them do that in a productive way. I want people who love musicals, but have never thought about them in relation to social justice to have conversations with people who think about social justice all the time, but who have never thought a musical could help promote it. And, because I want this conversation to be respectful and productive, I will moderate comments.

So! This is Stage Left. Let's get started! The starter question, to be discussed (more like suggested) in the comments, is: What musicals do you want to see discussed on here? What issues do you think the musical(s) you suggest raise?