racism and homophobia in shows

[Wesley]

The sad and dark truth about many stereotypes that few people like to admit is that most of them do come from somewhere. That, while caricatures, they are often based on a kernal of truth and a core of real experiences.

Yes, there is a "gay" stereotype, but I've met many gay men and women that fit it to a T. Many that don't, as well.
I grew up in the south and I can tell you that there is a certain truth to the "redneck" stereotype, from speech patterns to attitudes. Again, it isn't 100% accurate, it isn't even 50% accurate, but there are enough people that strongly fit some portion of the stereotype that the effect of the whole is a believable representation.

The question for me is not that you "do" a stereotype, but what you do with it. For example, I love the dichotomy of a redneck who comes out with the gait and pace and vernacular and everyone thinks he's stupid, too, but then he goes off, albeit in a southern drawl, about the subtleties of Shakespearan relationships between the sexes. Yes, in many ways he is a stereotype, but then you add that one unexpected thing that makes him real.

So, in short, be black, York, be black. Just be one that doesn't steal my wallet or chase my white women.

[York99]

I wasn't really asking a question there. I know the answer. The sad truth is that you can't have complete freedom on stage. If you come out speaking in jive or something, then you don't even get a chance to show that Jerome is the chancellor of Yale. The audience is horrified. What's possibly worse is if the audience eats it up. I've even had times where, believe it or not, a teammate (or troupe-mate or brother-in-arms or whatever will eventually become Austin PC) hasn't supported the choice. You're judged before your character develops... You could say you're PRE-JUDGED... (Come with me on this, folks)... that's prejudice.

The bottom line of my way-too-drawn-out point is that even if you’re making an ultimately smart choice of satire, parody, etc. you simply do not have complete freedom on stage. The point is blocked by years of blind liberalism that occasionally misses the point. C’est la vie. Plus, I hate Swedes.

Jy

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

There is no justice here. I blame the fuckin' Swedes.

Excuse me, sir. I am a fuckin' Swede and I am offended by your comments! We Swedes have been persecuted for far too long! When will the tall, white, blonde hair, blue eyed heterosexual Christian male's day come? I ask you, WHEN???

in truth, i always approach this subject as i do in ANY form of theatre. One of my playwriting teachers years ago said something that always stuck with me...if you're going to be offensive, ask yourself WHY. What is the intent? The motivation? Are you just trying to shock people? Or is there a deeper meaning? Once you understand WHY you're doing something, the manner in which you go about executing is almost automatically elevated. I don't think there's anything wrong with lampooning race, gender, sexuality, religion, politics, culture or those who are bigots against any or all of the above. Nothing is off limits. It's all in how you execute it.

I love playing with stereotype. Exploring it. Subverting it. It fascinates me. But in whatever I'm doing, regardless of the meta-context or thematic element i'm exploring, there must always, always, ALWAYS be a human element to the character. In performance and in writing (though in writing, you also have to trust the performer to take on the burden of finding that humanity). I've played a number of gay characters in improv scenes. Some incredibly flaming and stereotypical, some so subtly gay that only another performer onstage even realized my character was gay and outed me to the other characters as well as the audience. But beyond "this character's gay," i always want to explore what else is unique about them. What do they have to offer. Their experiences are human experiences. Their relationships are human relationships. There is something extremely satisfying in portraying the Other in such a drastic fashion and at the same time finding a way to make it so intimately relateable to an audience. Yes, this character speaks with a lisp and sings along to the soundtrack from Flashdance in the car...but they're also incredibly caring, have a wonderful relationship and actually offer some key pieces of wisdom to the protagonist. That appeals to me. But also finding that humanity in the racist, the homophobe, the sexist, etc. I performed in a short scene for a showcase some years back, playing a KKK recruiter. For half of the play he rants on about black, Jews, gays...and i had to get into this guy's head. Why does he say these things? Why does he believe them? What do i agree with? What do i disagree with? That appeals to me as well.

Those of you who saw the Sicks show may recall a sketch i wrote entitled Bad Fortune Cookies, where Jon played a very broadly drawn Asian stereotype. Nothing particularly negative, but there was the Fu Manchu moustache, the conical straw hat, the squinty eyes, the broken "Engrish." But the other four characters onstage are all portrayed as rather WASPish stereotypes as well and the interaction between these two stereotypes is what really activated the initial idea of just making a pun out of "bad fortune cookies." And in the end, it's the Chinaman who triumphs in a very trickster archetype sort of way. Could Asians be offended by that portrayal? Of course. But Christians and Jews could have been easily offended by Jesusween, and we did it. Hell, we had four people walk out of one of our shows during another sketch that was making fun of pro-lifers. And to this day, we don't know if they walked out because they were ultra conservative and didn't like the skewering of pro-lifers or because they were ultra liberal and didn't approve of the use of the word "faggot" at the end of the sketch. To be honest, i hope they were liberals because i enjoy pissing them off just a little bit more.

My point is...you don't always have to play a character to their utmost intelligence. if you're playing a black character, don't feel like you have to make them a brain surgeon to overcompensate or assuage some liberal guilt. Play the character honestly to who they are, make them real...whether that means playing with stereotypes or subverting them. On the flip side of that coin, it's easy, lazy and hackish to sacrifice character or story (even in short form) for a racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. joke. That doesn't even play into offending people or anything, that's just basic prov principles. It's a cheap gag going for a cheap laugh instead of working for a higher standard. Challenge yourself, challenge the audience, challenge your fellow performers. It creates a better show and a higher form of art. Don't mock race, gender, sexuality, etc. merely for the sake of mocking them. Mock stupidity, mock laziness, mock ignorance, fear and hatred, mock pretension and self importance...human flaws and foibles that we all share across the board. Redeem the racist, heal the homophobe, save the sexist...what happens if they're your hero? What journey can you take them on? Do they learn their lesson? And if they don't and still win...what does that mean? What if the villain is black or gay or Jewish or a woman? Let them be the bad guys! Not because they're black or gay or Jewish or a woman, but because they happen to be the bad guys who is also black, gay, Jewish or a woman (or, in the case of Whoopi Goldberg, all of the above). Explore these things, don't be afraid to explore them if they come at you. But always do so with intelligence and humor. An audience is far more likely to forgive a smart and funny show than a dumbed down, cheap and gaggy one.