Theatre in periods of genocide, holocaust, war, terrorism, etc.

[Denis.Salter]

Dear Colleagues,

There has been a strong, impassioned debate in Canada about the role of theatre in times of crisis, such as those now affecting the United States and perhaps soon much (all?) of the world.

We have had this debate before: during the FLQ crisis of 1970, and the subsequent imposition of the War Measures Act by Prime Minister Trudeau: both the work of the FLQ and of the Federal Government were argued then, as they have been argued since, to have been exercises in  intra-national terrorism.

Not surprisingly, these events have given rise to a significant body of plays, films, articles, and so on; and indeed these events continue to be treated artistically, as in the recent NFB film on Trudeau, Just Watch Me.  (I should be happy, in due course, to send a partial list of these works.)

As I have been reflecting over the last three weeks--especially with my students, whose insights have been astonishing, troubled and troubling, and strangely restorative--about some of the roles that theatre can take, and some of the roles (positions?) that critics can take, I happened to read Howard Barker's Arguments for a Theatre, first published in 1989 (though many of the articles in it were published earlier, in varied outlets, such as The Guardian), and recently republished, in its Third Edition, by Manchester UP.

In a provocative addendum to the ultimate essay, "The Audience, the Soul, and the Stage," Barker schematises "The Humanist Theatre," on the one hand, and "The Catastrophic Theatre" {which he has sought to develop throughout his career), on the other.

The Humanist Theatre

We all really agree.

When we laugh we are together.

Art must be understood.

Wit greases the message.

The actor is a man/woman not unlike the author.

The production must be clear.


We celebrate our unity.

The critic is already on our side. (Emphasis mine.)

The message is important.

The audience is educated and goes home happy or fortified.


VERSUS (Barker does posit these modes in opposition)


The Catastrophic Theatre

We only sometimes agree.

Laughter conceals fear.

Art is a problem of understanding.

There is no message.

The actor is different in kind.

The audience cannot grasp everything, nor did the author.

We quarrel to love.

The critic must suffer like everyone else [emphasis mine].

The play is important.

The audience is divided and goes home disturbed or amazed

{This was first published in "Theatre en Europe" in 1989}


Denis Salter


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"What we call truth is always a story, always an interpretation, and, therefore, largely fictitious, or at least made-up. Indeed, it is a 
great illusion to think there are things called facts. The moment we identify a fact we begin to invest it with interpretation and
fit it within a story.  Truth, it seems to me, is a great fiction agreed upon."--David Weale
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Denis Salter
Professor of Theatre
McGill University
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