This week: Drama Through the Ages Edited by: Kit  
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What drama stories do you think future generations will tell?
Much has changed over the centuries, yet more remains the same...
This week's Drama Newsletter, then, is all about drama through the ages.
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When it comes to art, the Ancient Greeks were not so different to us. Greek comedy poked fun at Greek culture, and well-known personalities. Greek drama explored the complexities of human nature. The structure of the performance may be different to what we are accustomed to, but the content is indeed as old as time – we all of us try to make sense of the world that we live in, and of what it means to be human.
I quite enjoy reading philosophical texts. As frustrating as Plato may be – he was rather full of himself – it is nice to know that I am not alone in pondering the big questions of the universe. When you philosophise you’re participating in a debate that spans hundreds, even thousands of years. It may be frustrating that some questions have yet to be answered, but I find comfort in this commonality. Who hasn’t gazed up at the sky and thought about who we are and why we are here? Who hasn’t felt puzzled at our capacity for great cruelty yet, also, for great kindness and true heroic deeds? Why do we hate war yet wage war? Why are we born only to have to die?
A little more light-hearted are Jane Austen’s works, but they offer a fascinating insight into society as it was in her day. Women had it tough back then. The vast majority of women were dependent on men – their fathers, brothers and , once married, their husbands. A woman of no great fortune would struggle to marry well, and it wasn’t uncommon to marry for practical reasons rather than any romantic sentiment. There was a significant class division and there wasn’t the social security that’s in place these days. Having to rely on the kindness of others is difficult, and stressful, and not at all good for one’s health and well-being. It is interesting to see how far we have come as a society, but also to be reminded of what could be as social security networks are undermined, or even dismantled. I’d rather not see a return to poorly treated servants and marriage of necessity.
Again, though, where there are differences there are similarities, too. Then, as now, there was love and heartbreak, good parenting and bad parenting, community spirit and endless gossip, tragedy and hope. It is what stays the same that helps us relate to characters even through big societal changes. I feel fairly secure in predicting that 500 years from now people who find themselves reading today’s stories may wonder about high heels and cell phones, but they’ll recognise our feelings and emotions, hopes and dreams.
If you are writing contemporary drama it is a good idea to use what is current. That may sound like it goes without saying, but it’s not uncommon for me to read a piece where modern, commonly available technology would have solved some major problem within minutes. It’s never explained why they didn’t just quickly send an app, or look something up on the Internet. Most of us have a pretty powerful computer right there in our pocket, and it’s got a camera, and a calculator, and even a torch!
We have at our fingertips a vast amount of information that would have seemed miraculous to previous generations. This can be helpful and unhelpful – it can instruct and mislead, as not every source is equally reliable. Nor do we always know how to interpret it correctly. I am no stranger to looking up medical symptoms, but I know of those who browse and feel immediately convinced that theirs is the worst-case scenario.
This changes life, and it changes the stories that we tell. It does not change human nature, however. We are not that different to the citizens of Ancient Greece, nor the people who inspired Jane Austen’s observations. Unless we somehow end up in a lasting utopia, there will be drama, and it will be written about.
What's your story?
Kit
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Drama: May 29, 2024 Issue [#12568]
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