This discourse on the power and social responsibility of theatre-goers by Desryn Jones-Collins was written in response to the ‘Arts on Sunday’ feature ‘A Season of Theatre’ published in Sunday Stabroek on January 13, 2013. She argues that the role of theatre to transform society and the audience’s responsibility is to demand quality and insist that that role is performed. How valid is the claim that good playwrights do not write messages or preach morals? – “If you want to send a message, don’t write a play; go to Western Union.”
By Desryn Jones-Collins
Desryn Jones-Collins is a linguist and lecturer in Education and Literature, attached to the Antigua State College.
Who goes to the theatre? Why do these people choose to spend two or more irredeemable hours watching a play or other dramatic performance by players on a stage? What collective responsibility do theatre-goers have to themselves, to the national culture and the development of the dramatic art form? These are questions which may, without careful consideration, appear to be frivolous,
