Description
Book SynopsisThis two-volume anthology tells the story of Roadside Theater’s first 45 years and includes nine award-winning original play scripts; ten essays by authors from different disciplines and generations, which explore the plays’ social, economic, and political circumstances; and a critical recounting of the theater’s history from 1975 through 2020. The plays in Volume 1 offer a people’s history of the Appalachian coalfields, from the European incursion through the American War in Vietnam. The plays in Volume 2 come from Roadside’s intercultural and issue-specific theater work, including long-term collaborations with the African American Junebug Productions in New Orleans and the Puerto Rican Pregones Theater in the South Bronx, as well as with residents on both sides of the walls of recently-built prisons. Roadside has spent 45 years searching for what art in a democracy might look like. The anthology raises questions such as, What are common principles and common barriers to achieving democracy across disciplines, and how can the disciplines unite in common democratic cause?
Trade Review"
Art in a Democracy overflows like water from a well, chronicling a rural working-class theater’s 45-years of crisscrossing the country bridging bitter partisan, racial, and other divisions by dramatizing the tremendous local intelligence and creativity inherent in every community. This collection of plays and commentary represents the cutting edge of a new democratic art." -- Harry Boyte, Senior Scholar in Public Work Philosophy, Institute for Public Life and Work
"Roadside Theater has mustered diverse local folks in declining towns in Appalachia to celebrate their traditions and restore community confidence through dramatization of local stories and music." -- Robert Putnam, author,
Bowling Alone
"These two volumes are an indispensable gift to our field. These plays, and the insightful essays that accompany them, offer a roadmap to hope, joy, and inspiration." -- Bill Rauch, founding artistic director of the Perelman Performing Arts Center
"The impact on Urban Bush Women from our work with Roadside Theater over two decades cannot be overstated. Art in a Democracy unveils the way we can build strong bonds through working, living, and creating art with communities while addressing social inequities. The history embedded in these volumes is priceless." -- Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Founding Artistic Director, Urban Bush Women; 2021 MacArthur Award Fellow; 2022 Gish Prize recipient
