LGBTQ theatre
LGBTQ theatre is theatre that is based on the lives of gay and lesbian people and their culture. Some LGBTQ theatre is specifically about the experiences of gay men or lesbian women. Collectively, LGBTQ theatre forms part of LGBTQ culture.
Famous examples of LGBTQ theatre include the musical Rent by Jonathan Larson and the play Bent by Martin Sherman.
History of LGBTQ theatre
Ancient Greece
In Ancient Greece, homosexuality was considered normal and was even promoted in some settings. In Thebes, it was actively practiced and legally "incentivized". The theater was considered a "tool to promote society's values" and homosexuality was showcased in these plays. In Aristophanes' play The Knights, the protagonist Agoracritus openly admits to having been a "passive" partner. In another one of Aristophanes' plays, Thesmophoriazusae, the character of Euripides directs what could be seen as homophobic comments to his colleague Agathon. Other characters in the play ridicule his behavior and point out their obsession with masculinity. As the play is a comedy, many have interpreted the character as humorous. A theorized example of homosexuality in the Iliad is Achilles and Patroclus. Historians and contemporaries theorize that the characters had a more than platonic relationship. The story of Achilles and Patroclus was portrayed in William Shakespeare's play, Troilus and Cressida.Pre-20th century
Due to both social and legal discrimination, the homosexual experience was hidden from theatrical audiences in the centuries following the downfall of Ancient Greece and leading up to the 20th century. Theatre during that time period is not known to have openly expressed any LGBTQ themes or ideas, although there were LGBTQ playwrights before 1900, such as Oscar Wilde, who imbued their theatrical works with their personality while keeping their sexual orientation a secret. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the idea of homosexuality was not only stigmatized but also criminalized in many places around the world. In the UK, the punishment for any act of sodomy was execution. Additionally, there was a shift in the understanding of homosexuality in the 18th century where to "commit sodomy" became no longer simply an act but a larger stain on one's entire identity, making one a "sodomite". It would have been incredibly dangerous for playwrights, actors, producers, or anyone involved in a theatrical production to put on a play with gay characters during those years. However, gender-bending has a long theatrical tradition. In the era of Shakespeare, men would play women's roles in theatre. Women were not allowed to be actors, so men would dress up like women to portray female characters in the plays. This continued until the 19th century when the popularization of opera allowed women to access the world of theater.Mid-20th century
United States
In the United States, the New York City theatre scene was the center of LGBTQ theatre in the country during the mid-20th century. Caffe Cino was the birthplace of Off-Off Broadway, where The Madness of Lady Bright, the first admittedly LGBTQ play was performed. The show was the longest-running at the Caffe Cino and was performed over 200 times to packed houses. Four years later, the first LGBTQ play to be on Off-Broadway, was performed, The Boys in the Band. This play garnered serious attention, as it was performed at a legitimate playhouse. Although reactions were mixed, The Boys in the Band cemented a legacy for itself and is considered one of the classic LGBTQ plays. By 1983, a mainstream LGBTQ musical on Broadway was performed. La Cage aux Folles was a musical based on the 1978 movie La Cage aux Folles. The story surrounds a middle-aged homosexual couple who learns how deep their love truly is after navigating obstacles. The play was groundbreaking because of the characterization of its main characters, one being the owner of a Saint-Tropez drag club and the other its star performer. The play received high praise and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1984. It was performed 1,761 times, and was revived in the fall of 2004.Late 20th-21st century
United States
The mid-20th century saw the rise of LGBTQ plays and the popularization of them. Even with the stigma around the LGBTQ community, especially with the rise in the AIDS epidemic, LGBTQ pride and media were becoming mainstream. Plays, TV shows, and films about LGBT-identifying people were becoming common pieces of media. Popular musicals began to pop up throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the most famous being Rent, which came out in the 1990s. The musical is set in the early 1990s, and it centers around a group of New Yorkers, as they struggle with their careers, love lives, and the AIDS epidemic. The play was seen as groundbreaking and was performed over 5,000 times and ran for 12 years. The legacy that Rent produced allowed for a range of LGBTQ productions to be performed across the world. Subsequent notable American LGBTQ musicals include Fun Home, The Prom, and A Strange Loop.Legacy
The history of LGBTQ theatre has inspired many plays and musicals over the years. As the genre grew, playwrights and screenwriters cited the "classics" as their reference for their projects. A prominent play that has been cited as "influential", was one of the first, The Boys in the Band. The play became prominent throughout the U.S. when it came out for being the "most frank description of being gay", and instantly received praise and criticism. The play, for many, was cited as their first time being exposed to homosexuality. In 2018, an article by the New York Times came out, where people submitted stories about how they heard about The Boys in the Band, and how it affected them. The play was revived for its fiftieth anniversary in 2018 with a cast including Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, and Zachary Quinto. The play's producer Ryan Murphy stated "The guys that who are the leads, are the first generation of gay actors who said, 'We're going to live authentic lives and hope and pray our careers remain on track' — and they have. I find that profound." The play was brought back with two other gay "classics", Angels in America and Torch Song Trilogy.LGBTQ theatre around the world
Background
LGBTQ theatre has become much more popular in the last century, including in North America, Asia, and Europe. However, this has not been without resistance, due to homophobia and other discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The presence, scope, and reception of LGBTQ theatre often depends on the country or region's rates of legal and cultural tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.Asia
LGBTQ theatre is generally less prominent in Asia than in other continents.South Asia
The tradition of men playing women's roles has a "long history" in the theatrical traditions of South Asia, being mentioned both in Patanjali's Mahabhasya and in the Natya ''Shastra''. In contemporary tradition, female impersonation is still practiced in the dance/theatre forms of Kathakali and Ramlila, among others, but has "vanished from the urban cultural zone".Taiwan
Within Taiwan, conservatism is still widely present which represses many citizens in general but especially those of the LGBTQ community. However, since the lifting of martial law in the country, queer theater has become more popular. Many Taiwanese queer theatres had similar themes, those being queer identification and gender and sexuality. A very important person during this time in LGBTQ theatre was Lai Sheng-Chuan, who would end up bringing LGBTQ theatre to light by criticizing the government, as well as dreams that many Taiwanese people wished to achieve because the martial law was abolished.The first known queer theater in Taiwan was Maoshi, which was established in 1988 by Tian ChiYuan, who would end up dying from AIDS. He would use theatre to fight homophobia as well as stigma against AIDS during times of extreme conservatism. His goal was to break social norms and to bring light to people of the LGBTQ community. Some of Tian ChiYuan's most known plays are adaptations of Whitewater and Legend of the white snake, which were both centered around homoerotic love, which was an unseen public topic during the 1990s. Even after Tian ChiYuan's death, people would continue to create adaptations of Whitewater because of its symbolism of queer trauma and people wanted that legacy to continue, because of his amazing influence in LGBTQ theatre.