As we get into "weirder" kinds of theatre, it appears to me that it is becoming more than entertainment. I have always thought of theatre as entertainment, but with these new "forms" of theatre, namely Invisible, Image, and Forum theatre, they seem to cry out to become platforms in which to voice an opinion, injustice, or a belief. Whether or not these forms of theatre would actually help facilitate a change of any kind is hard to figure out. Yes, they can bring an awareness of whatever they are trying to say, but making a change would depend on the audience that observes the performance. As far as question 2 goes, I don't think theatre by itself is the only answer. I think that it can be part of the answer. I do think that doing theatrical performances about certain subject matter, whether it is controversial or not, and performing in places where people, who would not ordinarily go to a theater, is a excellent way of exposing them to whatever message that is being conveyed.
As far a Invisible theatre goes, our group did an experiment with this kind of theatre in our class. It was a lot of fun seeing the reactions of the "spect-actors" (our classmates) especially when we ended it and they realized that it was our project presentation. I can see how this would be fun to try in public if for nothing else to see people's reactions and if they really care or not. Now if we rose an awareness of our "subject" (stalking on campus) or not didn't seem as important to me as how our classmates would react and whether or not we could keep up the appearance of our normal reality. It makes me wonder if the people who do this kind of theatre feel the same way (meaning they enjoy the reactions) or if they are truly concerned about what their subject matter is. It is something to think about!
I agree with you, Sue! Although theatre serves as a wonderful medium to get across the messages of controversial topics, it's not the only option out there. Although it's not the only option, I do see it as the most powerful. There is some effect that theatre has on others that is simply untouchable amongst other acts. It's a very powerful thing.
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