Last week I attended a performance of The Pastor Phelps Project: a fundamentalist cabaret, which was presented by The Centre for Urban Schooling in co-sponsorship with The Graduate Department for Study of Drama at the University of Toronto. Written by director/playwright Alistair Newton from “found text”, the play is an example of “archival theatre”. Archival theatre, a term created by Newton, uses found text to create political theatre. The text of The Pastor Phelps Project was created from news reports, on-line material from Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church, press releases, biblical passages, and quotations and transcriptions from Jerry Falwell, Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, and The Tyra Banks Show. The piece also includeed religious spirituals and hymns, as well as song parodies such as “This Land is Fag Land”, and “God Hates the World”. Combined with music, dance, design and strong socio-political context, as it was in The Pastor Phelps Project, the use of found text created a powerful example of the potential to research-informed theatre to provoke dialogue and entertain at the same time.
All the best,
Tara
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