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 * Contrast and compare the role and purpose of secular drama and theatre as an expression of the communities from which it arose and for which it has served with that of religious and ritual drama and theatre. Use examples from __Joe Turner__ and the way the play makes use of both secular and religious/ritual aspects to shape it's content an manner of expression.**

For actors, directors, and audience members all around the world, the theater has been a continually evolving entity. The origin of theater comes from worship and appreciation for the gods. The popularity of these religious productions fueled a mass following that encouraged an all around “stepping up” of performances to include costumes, makeup, professional actors, scripts, directors, staging, and complex props.

Religious drama, as in Greek and Medieval theater, involves elements of theater that are used in a way so as to revive spiritual belief and promote devotion to the gods. In Indian culture, these religious performances continue even today. The sole purpose of these works is for the gods. Of course, Indian performances also include costumes, makeup, and scripts, all traits of secular drama, but the main intention is to impress and respect the gods. Today, Indian secular drama has become just as popular as religious drama and the people who watch religious performances are the same people who watch secular drama. Ritualistic drama is also found in West African culture through griots, who are talented oralists and folklorists that continue the tradition of storytelling from generation to generation.

Secular drama can be properly discussed in context of Elizabethan theater and Being Opera. Secular theater brought the community together, unifying people together with themes such as internal struggles and the human mind and motivation. In the 20th century, theater began to focus on concerns aside from religion. Concerns which included race, gender, and identity, all of which can be found in Wilson’s work. Secular drama highly corresponds to issues present in society. For example, the Mao Zedong’s revolution in China had much to do with theater because at the time, theater was a popular source of media. When playwrights begin to hold ownership over theater companies, the realm of theater is completely transformed to one that strays away from religion. In this type of drama, there is a bond formed between actors’ skills and the audience’s imagination whereas in religious drama, there is a spiritual connection between the gods depicted on stage and the devotees. The actors in a secular play are both personally devoted to their work in different ways. Actors in a secular work began training to perform at a young age, so theater has basically become a part of their life and they are committed to the performance. In a religious work, the actors are less experienced, but forth a lot of effort for their religion and connection with god.

There is a combination of religion and ritual theatre found in Bynum’s character, a character whose status can be likened to the status of a religious authority figure. In society, besides Seth, Bynum is highly sought after. This sort-of following and desire for Bynum’s “services” alludes to the nature of society in which the supernatural is almost a religion. Bynum is public about his beliefs and mystical rituals. This is something very new because historically, there has always been a fear and general avoidance of the mystical. Now, Bynum goes outside and sacrifices pigeons, makes magical potions, and uses supernatural means for love.

Loomis’ character holds many examples of Christian religious elements, such as the juba dance, his journey to finding his wife, and his own personal spiritual crisis. Even though the juba dance is secular in nature, its origins are African. This shows how there is a continued influence of religious aspects in secular works. Additionally, Loomis’s slashing of his chest can be viewed as a sacrifice. However, in Wilson’s work, I believe that sacrifice is actually non-religious and only secular in nature where sacrifice is a means of self-finding.

Above all, I believe that Wilson does a good job of incorporating African and black culture through the use of both secular and religious elements. She does this primarily through the concept of finding one’s own “song,” which involves a secular concern such as identity mixed with religious aspects.

To be more specific regarding specific examples from the play, secular drama is found in Wilson’s work through the representation of the African American community in the 1900s. Secular drama is timely and deals with the everyday concerns of characters. Seth and Bertha’s home is a place where people come to regroup and find solution to their life problems. The concerns that are brought to this house are real concerns. As in everyday life, there are people who do not care about the problems of others such as Seth, who does have a care in the world. Mattie faces problems with her love life, which is a universal concern. Bertha’s role as a caring mother like figure to the residents is also universal in that women usually serve the role of a caretaker. There are issues that are brought up such as the loss of a job, family issues, and the common struggle with being lonely. Bertha’s biscuits and cooking serve a purpose greater than simply feeding the residents. Her cooking serves to help the residents find their own individual identity and solve their problems. The theme of identity pervades throughout the entire play, especially through the character of Bynum, who believes that everybody has their own song. In addition, the theme of race and racism is heavily present in the play, even though it is not specifically mentioned. For one, the play takes place during the migration of African Americans through the United States as they try to find true freedom, another theme of the play. Loomis experiences the repercussions of being a part of a chain gang after having being freed through nonsecular theater. Seth is constantly complaining about the behavior of his tenants, who are former slaves. Jeremy loses his job not because he was drunk, but because he is black. The racism present in the play is simply undeniable.

Wilson ties in religious theater with the secularism of the everyday community with religious African American tradition. The juba is an African styled song and dance that is part of the African American tradition. During the juba, Loomis enters a trance and experiences a hallucination. Nonsecularism can be found in the characters of Bynum and Loomis, who both believe in an outside influence. Bynum, a conjurer who believes in the spiritual binding of people, sacrificially kills pigeons and sees the vision of a “shiny man.” Similarly, Loomis sees the vision of skeletons, which are assumed to be from his past as a chain gang member.

Arnold, Stephanie. // The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre //. 5th ed. New York:

McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.