Theater of the Absurd

...and the Dangerous

Mike Daisey as Donald Trump

The September 2016 issue of American Theatre has an amazingly useful article on the Donald Trump campaign analyzing it from the standpoint of the theater.  As an acting student I have learned quite a bit about the business of being a thespian.  And after reading the article, I am clearer than ever that what D. Trump is doing is essentially theater.  The danger in this case is the fact that Trump is running for the most powerful political office in the world.

The Presidency is not play-acting.  Many American voters know this.  This is why Trump's polling numbers are anemic in most cases.

And yet Trump is throwing out all the rules of campaigning and in a country inured to "reality television," the nation's first reality TV star to be nominated by a so-called major political party has amassed a large following of people who are content to be his audience.  The danger of all this can hardly be over-emphasized.


Reference:  

"The Theatre of Trump"

by Mike Daisey, actor

American Theatre, September 2016, p. 26

(Article does contain a couple of instances of profanity.  Adults are cautioned regarding use by children.  Children under 13 are asked to avoid the article entirely.)