Upholding Mainstream Culture: The tradition of the American high school play

Abstract

The school play is an important tradition in American high schools and is often the central event for high school drama students. This article seeks to question the educational value of such a tradition, particularly when schools recycle Broadway musicals year after year. It is argued that the traditional schoolplay upholds mainstream American culture through a process of patriotism and exclusion of minority groups as well as mainstream theatre. In analysing the ways in which mainstream culture is upheld, the article discusses the historical importance of patriotism in education and American society and looks at the ways patriotism is still reflected in schools and is inherent in the Broadway musical genre. Mainstream culture is also upheld when the school play does not reflect the values and experiences of the multicultural society in which we live. Therefore, this article examines the benefits of multicultural theatre, not only from the perspective of the huge influx of immigrants and minorities in American schools but from the perspective that all students benefit from a well-rounded drama education. At present, students in America are receiving a narrow view of drama which is dominated by mainstream theatre practices. Unlike GCSE drama students in Britain, American students are rarely exposed to devised work and, unlike A-level drama students, academic theatre studies of non-mainstream, non-commercial theatre practices. Thus, in this article, the use of non-mainstream theatre practices such as devised drama is recommended as an alternative to the traditional school play. This recommendation is made not only for its educational but also its creative value, as it allows young people to creatively express issues that are relevant to their lives.