Satiric Impersonations

Author: Joel Schechter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
In this entertaining and provocative new work, Joel Schechter selectively surveys political satire covering a wide range of periods and events from Aristophanes to the present. His absorbing essays focus on the satires of Jonathan Swift, Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, Dario Fo, and the Guerrilla Girls, among others. Schechter furthermore examines how the histrionic behavior of some politicians and world leaders has prompted them to become unwitting contributors to political satire. He argues that these politicians are as theatrical, if not as comic, as the plays, pamphlets, and films in which they are satirically impersonated. As examples, he cites Hitler, Stalin, and Reagan as performers whose "acts" rival anything a satirist could invent and any impersonation a comedian could stage. In Schechter's view, satiric impersonation is not only an art form through which one living person appears to be another, it is also an act that reveals that the person imitated is an imposter. For example, he comments that "while Hitler conquered Europe, Chaplin [in his film The Great Dictator] in his own way conquered Hitler; adding him to a repertoire that included the Little Tramp and (later) Bluebeard." Schechter approaches satire with candor and humor, personalizing his text by concluding with a memoir of his own brief career as an actor-politician.

Disciplining Satire

Author: Matthew J. Kinservik
Publisher: Bucknell University Press
ISBN: 9780838755129
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Book Description
Focusing on the playwriting careers of Henry Fielding, Samuel Foote, and Charles Macklin, the three most controversial and heavily censored satiric dramatists of the century, Disciplining Satire pays particular attention to what type of satiric expression the law encouraged, not just to what it prohibited."--BOOK JACKET.

Satire

Author: Joel Schechter
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350140090
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
Satire reconsiders the entertainment, political dissent and comic social commentary created by innovative writers and directors since this theatrical form took the stage in ancient Athens. From Aristophanes to the 18th-century plays of John Gay and Henry Fielding, to the creations of Joan Littlewood, Bertolt Brecht, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Erika Mann, Brendan Behan and Dario Fo, practitioners of theatrical satire have prompted audiences to laugh at corruption, greed, injustice and abusive authority. In the theatre these artists jested at prominent citizens, scandals and fashions. In retrospect it can be seen that their topical references, allegories and impersonations also promoted intervention in public discourse and events outside the theatre, as satire extended its reach beyond the stage into society. Satire focuses on three exemplary satiric plays: The Knights by Aristophanes, The Beggar's Opera by John Gay and The Hostage by Brendan Behan under Joan Littlewood's direction. Detailed discussion of these three innovative works reveals both changes and continuities in stage satire over the course of its long, hilarious history. The survey concludes with a discussion of stage satire as an endangered art in need of preservation by actors, directors and theatre historians.

Humorous Political Stunts

Author: Majken Jul Sørensen
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 9188061019
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 607

Book Description
A group of anti-conscription activists break into a prison, demanding to be jailed together with their friend already locked up because of his beliefs. Clowns from the rebel clown army mimic police sent to control political protests. Visiting Santas hand out presents taken from shop shelves without the approval of the shopping centre management. These are examples of humorous political stunts - public actions, hoaxes and happenings that confront systems of power. This book contains many amusing stories of such stunts, showing the boldness and creativity of the activists. Interviews and documents are used to show how humour can facilitate outreach, mobilisation and a culture of resistance. Humorous Political Stunts combines insights from the fields of nonviolence and humour studies and makes theoretical contributions to each area.

You Can't Spell America Without Me

Author: Alec Baldwin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 052552200X
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Political satire as deeper truth: Donald Trump’s presidential memoir, as recorded by two world-renowned Trump scholars, and experts on greatness generally "I have the best words, beautiful words, as everybody has been talking and talking about for a long time. Also? The best sentences and, what do you call them, paragraphs. My previous books were great and sold extremely, unbelievably well--even the ones by dishonest, disgusting so-called journalists. But those writers didn't understand Trump, because quite frankly they were major losers. People say if you want it done right you have to do it yourself, even when 'it' is a 'memoir.' So every word of this book was written by me, using a special advanced word processing system during the many, many nights I've been forced to stay alone in the White House--only me, just me, trust me, nobody helped. And it's all 100% true, so true--people are already saying it may be the truest book ever published. Enjoy." Until Donald Trump publishes the ultimate account of his entire four or eight or one-and-a-half years in the White House, the definitive chronicle will be You Can’t Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year As President. Trump was elected because he was the most frank presidential candidate in history, a man eager to tell the unvarnished truth about others’ flaws and tout his own amazing excellence. Now he levels his refreshingly compulsive, un-PC candor at his landslide election victory as well as his role as commander-in-chief and leader of the free world. There are intimate, powerful, mind-boggling revelations on every page. You are there with him during his private encounters with world leaders, a few of whom he does not insult. You are there at the genius Oval Office strategy sessions with his advisers. You are there in his White House bedroom as he crafts the pre-dawn Twitter pronouncements that rock the world. And, of course, you are there on the golf course as Trump attempts to manage the burdens of his office. President Trump explains each of the historic decisions that have already made America great again, and how he always triumphs over the fake news media. You'll learn what he really thinks of his cabinet members and top aides not related to him, of the First Lady and the First Daughter and the additional three or four Trump children. Included at no extra charge is a lavish and exclusive portfolio of spectacular, historic and intimate color photographs of President Trump in private – inside the White House, inside Mar-a-Lago, at Trump Tower, and more. You Can’t Spell America Without Me is presented by America’s foremost Trump scholar Kurt Andersen as well as America's foremost mediocre Trump impersonator, Alec Baldwin. You Can't Spell America Without Me is the perfect holiday gift!

Electoral Guerrilla Theatre

Author: L.M. Bogad
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317291786
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Book Description
Praise for the First Edition: 'A major contribution to performance studies. If cynicism and political quietism have quelled your impulse to rage against this sorry state of affairs, Bogad demonstrates, with wit and verve, that it is possible to expose the sham and, through a variety of performative tactics, make a meaningful contribution to democracy.' Modern Drama 'A compelling and urgent read. Bogad’s passion for the topic reminds the reader of the exhilaration of live performance and the importance of engagement in democratic life.' Theatre Journal 'Delightfully written and wonderfully provocative ... Valuable reading for any scholar of social movements.' Mobilization 'As a guide to both theory and action, it is insightful, entertaining and indispensable.' Andrew Boyd, Wrangler-in-Chief, Beautiful Trouble 'Beautifully contextualized within social movement theory, this book enlivens the debate about performative interventions into power.'Jan Cohen-Cruz, Editor, Public, A Journal of Imagining America 'Electoral Guerrilla Theatre deals a refreshing wild card in the repertoire of resistance.' Baz Kershaw, Emeritus Professor, University of Warwick, and author of The Radical In Performance. In liberal democracies across the globe, where the right to vote is framed as both civil right and civic duty, disillusioned creative activists run for public office on satiric, ironic and iconoclastic platforms. With little intention of "winning" in the conventional sense, they use drag, camp and stand-up comedy to undermine the legitimacy of their opponents and sometimes the electoral system itself. This revised and updated edition of Electoral Guerrilla Theatre explores the phenomenon of the satirical election campaign, and questions the purpose of such public political performances. Drawing on extensive archival and ethnographic research, this is an entertaining and illuminating read that will be invaluable to students and scholars working across a variety of disciplines, including performance studies, the social sciences, cultural studies and politics. New case studies for this edition include: Reverend Billy’s run for Mayor of New York City in 2009; Stephen Colbert’s run for President in 2012; Candidates including Superbarrio, the Best Party, Antanas Mockus, and Einstein the Dog.

Culture Jamming

Author: Marilyn DeLaure
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 147980620X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 481

Book Description
A collaboration of political activism and participatory culture seeking to upend consumer capitalism, including interviews with The Yes Men, The Guerrilla Girls, among others. Coined in the 1980s, “culture jamming” refers to an array of tactics deployed by activists to critique, subvert, and otherwise “jam” the workings of consumer culture. Ranging from media hoaxes and advertising parodies to flash mobs and street art, these actions seek to interrupt the flow of dominant, capitalistic messages that permeate our daily lives. Employed by Occupy Wall Street protesters and the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot alike, culture jamming scrambles the signal, injects the unexpected, and spurs audiences to think critically and challenge the status quo. The essays, interviews, and creative work assembled in this unique volume explore the shifting contours of culture jamming by plumbing its history, mapping its transformations, testing its force, and assessing its efficacy. Revealing how culture jamming is at once playful and politically transgressive, this accessible collection explores the degree to which culture jamming has fulfilled its revolutionary aims. Featuring original essays from prominent media scholars discussing Banksy and Shepard Fairey, foundational texts such as Mark Dery’s culture jamming manifesto, and artwork by and interviews with noteworthy culture jammers including the Guerrilla Girls, The Yes Men, and Reverend Billy, Culture Jamming makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of creative resistance and participatory culture.

Victorian Theatrical Burlesques

Author: Richard Schoch
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131724236X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Book Description
First published in 2003. Wildly popular in their own day, Victorian burlesques are now little read, scarcely studied, and never performed. Giving long overdue emphasis to an unjustly neglected theatrical tradition, this critical edition - the first to focus on Victorian burlesques of Victorian plays - represents a valuable scholarly tool for students and scholars of modern drama, theatre history, and nineteenth-century popular culture. Victorian Theatrical Burlesques includes a 'state-of-the-art' introduction which provides a general overview of theatrical burlesques in the Victorian era, emphasising performance history. Sustained reference is made to burlesques other than those presented in the anthology. Through its general introduction, prefaces and annotations to individual plays, checklist of burlesque plays, and bibliography, the unique volume allows both specialist and non-specialist readers to see Victorian burlesques as a rich historical record of shifting attitudes toward drama and the theatre.

Castration

Author: Gary Taylor
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135957754
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Book Description
Castration is a lively history of the meaning, function, and act of castration from its place in the early church to its secular reinvention in the Renaissance as a spiritualized form of masculinity in its 20th century position at the core of psychoanalysis.

Actors and Activists

Author: David Schlossman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136712747
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
This scholarly work looks at the issue of politics and performance in America today with particular attention paid to performances produced by activists, the NEA Four, and "Miss Saigon".