The term agitprop is a portmanteau of agitation and propaganda. it is political propaganda. When it started in Russia, it was particularly for trying to give communism a good name. Popular media such as pamphletes, films, and plays were used to spread politicized messages.
Actors and actresses would borrow clothes from the working class people for their costumes. This way audiences would feel like the performers related to them. The performers came to the public rather than making the public come to the theatre. They would simplify messages and make the characters be more charicatures of good and evil just like melodrama.
When agitprop theatre first hit the Western World, it had a negative connontation. However, agitprop theatre does not have to have a negative connotation or message.
In 1931, Germany and many European countries banned agitprop theatre. This was because of the negative connotations of the art form. However, the message does not have to be negative. A government could use theatre in order to spread the ideas of not littering and recycling.
While it is not theatre, this video from Sesame Street could easily be considered agitprop.
Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright that was highly influenced by agitprop theatre. While agitprop theatre is not as common as other types of theatre these days, especially since most people don't want to pay to see politicized messages in their entertainment, it is still used around the world today.
If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.
No comments:
Post a Comment