Theatre History Overview - Part 86 - Second Hand Drama

While many people use the term "second-hand drama" to refer to dramatic happenings that either occur because of a first instance or something that occurs at the site of the unfolding of a mjor incident, "second-hand drama" is also a theatrical term. It is not certain when the term first came into use, but second-hand drama is not a new phenomenon.

People often use the term second-hand drama as derogatory. However, this is not what it technically means. There can be bad second-hand drama and there can be good second-hand drama. The easiest way to explain second-hand drama is to say that it is an adaptation of an earlier literary work (such as a novel or an earlier play) or of a movie. It is known that Shakespeare used previous works in order to write his plays. In fact, even the Greeks never had a completely original play.

By saying an original play, that means that a source for the idea of the play had to come from somewhere. Charles Mee probably said it best in introducing his "The Making Project."

There is no such thing as an original play.

None of the classical Greek plays were original: they were all based on earlier plays or poems or myths. And none of Shakespeare's plays are original: they are all taken from earlier work. As You Like It is taken from a novel by Thomas Lodge published just 10 years before Shakespeare put on his play without attribution or acknowledgment. Chunks of Antony and Cleopatra are taken verbatim, and, to be sure, without apology, from a contemporary translation of Plutarch's Lives. Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle is taken from a play by Klabund, on which Brecht served as dramaturg in 1926; and Klabund had taken his play from an early Chinese play.

Sometimes playwrights steal stories and conversations and dreams and intimate revelations from their friends and lovers and call this original.

However, the second-hand play is a direct adaptation. It is not just a play taken from a source. Shakespeare definitely wrote some second-hand plays. Then, people who take Shakespeares plays and rewrite them are writing second-hand plays. There is nothing wrong with a second-hand play. If the play is well written and has a cohesive plot, it can still be a great play. It is onlly when the play is not well written and the plot isn't cohesive that writing a second-hand play doesn't work.

Second hand plays will always exist. It is important that people learn that second-hand drama doesn't mean bad drama. It is only bad second-hand drama that is bad. Examples of second-hand drama for the stage are The 39 Steps, Point Break, and The Pink Panther Strikes Again.

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