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{{Short description|Play, film or TV program that has a political component}}
A '''political drama''' can describe a [[Theatre|play]], [[film]] or [[TV program]] that has a [[politics|political]] component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a [[politician]] or series of political events.

[[Dramatist]]s who have written political dramas include [[Aaron Sorkin]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815070/bio|title=Aaron Sorkin|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-07-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/dramatist-aaron-sorkin-1012873/|title=The Dramatist: How Aaron Sorkin Made Politics Entertaining|date=2009-12-07|work=TVGuide.com|access-date=2017-07-04|language=en}}</ref> [[Robert Penn Warren]], [[Sergei Eisenstein]], [[Bertolt Brecht]], [[Jean-Paul Sartre]], [[Howard Brenton]], [[Caryl Churchill]], and [[Federico García Lorca]].

==Theatre==
In the history of theatre, there is long tradition of performances addressing issues of current events, especially those central to society itself. The [[political satire]] performed by the [[comic poets]] at the [[Ancient Greek theatre|theatres]] had considerable influence on [[public opinion]] in the [[Athenian democracy]].<ref>Henderson, J. (1993) ''Comic Hero versus Political Elite'' pp.307-19 in {{cite book |editor=Sommerstein, A.H. |editor2=S. Halliwell |editor3=J. Henderson |editor4=B. Zimmerman |title=Tragedy, Comedy and the Polis |year=1993 |publisher=Levante Editori |location=Bari}}</ref> Those earlier Western dramas, arising out of the [[polis]], or democratic [[city-state]] of Greek society, were performed in amphitheaters, central arenas used for theatrical performances, religious ceremonies and political gatherings; these dramas had a ritualistic and social significance that enhanced the relevance of the political issues being examined.

[[Shakespeare]] is an author of political theatre according to some academic scholars, who observe that his history plays examine the machinations of personal drives and passions determining political activity and that many of the tragedies such as ''[[King Lear]]'' and ''[[Macbeth]]'' dramatize political leadership and complexity subterfuges of human beings driven by the lust for power. For example, they observe that [[class struggle]] in the [[Roman Republic]] is central to ''[[Coriolanus]]''.<ref name=DollimoreSinfieldDrakakis>[[Jonathan Dollimore]] and [[Alan Sinfield]], eds. ''Political Shakespeare: Essays in [[Cultural materialism (cultural studies)|Cultural Materialism]]'' (Manchester, Eng.: Manchester UP, 1985), {{ISBN|0-7190-4352-2}}; John Drakakis, ed. ''Alternative Shakespeares'', New Accents Ser. (New York and London: Routledge, 1985), {{ISBN|0-415-02528-1}}.</ref>

Historically in [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Russia]], the term political theatre was sometimes referred to as '''agitprop theatre''' or simply '''agitprop''', after the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] term [[agitprop]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/agitprop|title=Definition of agitprop | Dictionary.com|website=www.dictionary.com}}</ref>

===Recent political drama===


In later centuries, political theatre has sometimes taken a different form. Sometimes associated with [[cabaret]] and folk theatre, it has offered itself as a theatre 'of, by, and for the people'.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} In this guise, political theatre has developed within the civil societies under oppressive governments as a means of actual underground communication and the spreading of critical thought. Following the war there was an influx of political theatre, as people needed to discuss the losses of the war.

Often political theatre has been used to promote specific political theories or ideals, for example in the way agitprop theatre has been used to further [[Marxism]] and the development of [[communist]] sympathies. Russian agitprop theater was noted for its cardboard characters of perfect virtue and complete evil, and its coarse ridicule.<ref>[[Richard Pipes]], ''Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime'', p303, {{ISBN|978-0-394-50242-7}}</ref>

===Realism in theatre===
Less radical versions of political theatre have become established within the mainstream modern repertory - such as the realist dramas of [[Arthur Miller]] (''[[The Crucible]]'' and ''[[All My Sons]]''), which probe the behavior of human beings as social and political animals.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

===Feminist theatre===
A new form of political theatre emerged in the twentieth century with [[feminism|feminist]] authors like [[Elfriede Jelinek]] or [[Caryl Churchill]], who often make use of the non-realistic techniques detailed above.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}. During the 1960s and 1970s, new theatres emerged addressing women's issues. These theatres went beyond producing feminist plays, but also sought to give women opportunities and work experience in all areas of theatrical production which had heretofore been dominated by men. In addition to playwright, producers, and actors, there were opportunities for women electricians, set designers, musical director, stage managers, etc.

===Brechtian theatre===
[[The Living Theatre]], created by [[Judith Malina]] and her husband [[Julian Beck]] in 1947, which had its heyday in the 1960s, during the [[Vietnam War]], is a primary example of politically oriented Brechtian performance art in the United States.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} Their original productions of [[Kenneth Brown (playwright)|Kenneth Brown]]'s ''[[The Brig (play)|The Brig]]'' (c. 1964), also filmed, and of [[Jack Gelber]]'s controversial play ''[[The Connection (1959 play)|The Connection]]'' and its 1961 [[The Connection (1961 film)|film]] rely upon and illustrate the [[dramaturgy]] of Brechtian [[alienation effect]] (''Verfremdungseffekt'') that most political theatre uses to some extent, forcing the audience to take a "critical perspective" on events being dramatized or projected on screen(s) and building on aspects of the [[Theatre of Cruelty]], which developed from the theory and practice of French early [[surrealist]] and proto-[[Theatre of the Absurd|absurdist]] [[Antonin Artaud]].<ref name=LivTh>The Living Theatre is currently still functioning and has produced a new production of ''[[The Brig (play)|The Brig]]''; see its website: [http://www.livingtheatre.org/ The Living Theatre]. Retrieved 18 Sept. 2007.</ref>

===American regional theatre===
In American regional theatre, a politically oriented social orientation occurs in [[Street theatre]], such as that produced by the [[San Francisco Mime Troupe]] and ROiL. The [[Detroit Repertory Theatre]] has been among those regional theaters at the forefront of political comedy, staging plays like [[Jacob M. Appel]]'s [[Arborophilia]], in which a lifelong Democrat prefers that her daughter fall in love with a poplar tree instead of a Republican activist.<ref>"Daughters in Love Fuel Mom's Dismay," ''Detroit Free Press'', November 14, 2006.</ref> In 2014, Chicago's [[Annoyance Theater]] produced [[Good Morning Gitmo]]: a one-act play by [[Mishu Hilmy]] and Eric Simon which lampoons the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|US Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay]].<ref name="Hayford">Hayford, Justin [http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/good-morning-gitmo/Event?oid=15029124 Review: ''Good Morning Gitmo'']. [[Chicago Reader]]. Retrieved on November 24, 2014.</ref>

===English political theatre===
[[Kitchen sink realism]] or kitchen sink drama was a movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film, and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "[[angry young men]]" who were disillusioned with modern society. It used a style of [[social realism]] to depict the lives of [[working class]] Britons, and to explore controversial social and political issues ranging from abortion to homelessness. The film ''[[It Always Rains on Sunday]]'' (1947) is a precursor of the genre, and [[John Osborne]]'s play ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' (1956) is an example of an early play in this genre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/an-introduction-to-look-back-in-anger|title=An introduction to Look Back in Anger|website=The British Library}}</ref>

The [[Iraq War]] is the focus of some recent British political drama; for example, ''[[Stuff Happens]]'', by [[David Hare (dramatist)|David Hare]]. [[David Edgar (playwright)|David Edgar]] and [[Mark Ravenhill]] also satirize contemporary socio-political realities in their recent dramatic works.

[[Banner Theatre]] in [[Birmingham]], England, in the [[United Kingdom]], is an example of a specific kind of political theatre called [[Documentary theatre]].

===Scottish political theatre===
[[John McGrath (playwright)|John McGrath]], founder of the Scottish popular theatre company [[7:84]], argued that "the theatre can never 'cause' a social change. It can articulate pressure towards one, help people celebrate their strengths and maybe build their self-confidence… Above all, it can be the way people find their voice, their solidarity and their collective determination."<ref name="McGrath">[[John McGrath (playwright)|John McGrath]], ''A Good Night Out, Popular Theatre: Audience, Class, Form'' (London: Nick Hern Books, 1991), {{ISBN|1-85459-370-6}}; ''The Bone Won't Break: On Theatre and Hope in Hard Times'' (London: Methuen, 1990), {{ISBN|0-413-63260-1}}.</ref>

==Television==
[[Television series]] that have been classified as political dramas include ''[[The West Wing (TV series)|The West Wing]]'', ''[[Borgen (TV series)|Borgen]]'', ''[[Boss (TV series)|Boss]]'', ''[[Jack and Bobby]]'', ''[[The Bold Ones: The Senator]]'', ''[[Commander in Chief (TV series)|Commander in Chief]]'', ''House of Cards'' ([[House of Cards (British TV series)|UK]] and [[House of Cards (American TV series)|US]] versions), ''[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|Madam Secretary]]'', ''[[Designated Survivor (TV series)|Designated Survivor]]'', ''[[Spin (TV series)|Spin]]'', ''[[Ingobernable]]'', ''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[Billions (TV series)|Billions]]'', ''[[The Looming Tower (miniseries)|The Looming Tower]]'', and ''[[The Mechanism (TV series)|The Mechanism]]''.

''[[The Good Wife]]'' can also be considered a political drama, especially in its critically acclaimed [[The Good Wife (season 2)|second season]] and [[The Good Wife (season 5)|fifth season]]. Races for political office, including [[state's attorney]], [[Governor (United States)|governor]], and even a Presidential run, move in and out of the show's narrative and the story of its main character, Alicia Florrick. However, Alicia's primary profession as a litigator for the most part takes precedence in the narrative, and so the show more often focuses on her cases and related office politics, making it primarily a [[legal drama]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}

==Film==
There have been notables films that have been labeled as political dramas such as ''[[Thirteen Days (film)|Thirteen Days]]''. A famous literary political drama which later made the transition to film was Robert Penn Warren's ''[[All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men]]''.

==See also==
*[[Howard Brenton]]
*[[Dario Fo]]
*[[Jean Genet]]
*[[Jerzy Grotowski]] (Art as Vehicle)
*[[Harold Pinter]]
*[[Erwin Piscator]]
*[[Political thriller]]
*[[Political cinema]]
*[[Proletarian literature]]
*[[Theatre state]]
*[[Social criticism]]
*[[Teatro Campesino]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==


*Bottaro, J. ''El Teatro Politico de Protesta Social en Venezuela, 1969-1979''. [[Lewiston, New York]]: [[Edwin Mellen Press]], 2008.
*Broyles-Conzalez, Yolanda. ''El Teatro Campesino: Theater in the Chicano Movement''. Austin: U of Texas P, 1994.
*Fischer-Lichte. ''Theatre, Sacrifice, Ritual: Exploring Forms of Political Theatre''. London: [[Routledge]], 2005.
*Filewod, Alan, and David Watt. ''Workers' Playtime: Theatre and the Labour Movement Since 1970''. Currency Press, 2001.
*Godiwala, Dimple. ''Breaking the Bounds : British Feminist Dramatists Writing in the Mainstream Since c. 1980''. New York: [[Peter Lang (publishing company)|Peter Lang]], 2003.
*Jezer, Marty. "Abbie Hoffman: American Rebel" (p.xiv, Introduction). Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 1993 {{ISBN|978-0-8135-1850-3}} {{ISBN|978-0-8135-2017-9}}
*Meier, Christian. ''The Political Art of Greek Tragedy''. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1993.
*Patterson, Michael. ''Strategies of Political Theatre''. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge UP, 2003.
*Piscator, Erwin. ''The Political Theatre: A History 1914-1929''. New York: Avon, 1978.
*O'Corra, Simon, Taking the Medicine, A Play, Duality Books 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-291-07600-4}}

{{Dramatic television series}}

[[Category:Political drama| ]]
[[Category:Works about politics|Drama]]
[[Category:Television genres]]

Political drama - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article