All tagged Donald J. Trump
The inauguration of President Donald Trump is at hand and for many of us in the world of theatre (and the arts in general) we are already feeling the storm of oppression that will most certainly engulf us. The announcement of Trump’s plan to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts has already given us a mighty blow. There is an uncertainty that sits in our hearts with the weight of a lump of steel as we wait to see how his policies and his parade of unqualified cronies continue to infiltrate our lives and affect how we live, love, and create. We, however, as theatre people shall remain undaunted, because we are the hopers, the dreamers, the visionaries, the voices that speak with confidence against oppression, the greatest optimists in the world. Theatre has taught us, through its challenges and against-all-odds circumstances, an optimism and drive to succeed that should frighten the powers that be. Theatre people are not afraid to use their voice, and I think our time has come to show this country both our resolve and our inherent value.
You would have to be living under a rock if you are not aware that our Vice President Elect, the monstrously bigoted Michael Pence of Indiana, the man who has done everything to mock minorities and spit in the face of gay rights, attended the Broadway musical Hamilton recently. THE Hamilton that tells the story of our forefathers in an artistic stroke of revisionist history that employs diversity in its casting to underline the disparity in crediting everyone who helped to shape America. Kudos to the cast of the production who gently and respectfully schooled His Royal Highness on his hypocrisy by actually welcoming him for coming and suggesting he might learn something. Once again the power of musical theatre had the potential to change minds and open eyes. As Vice President Elect Pence left the theatre, he was booed by people who didn’t like the way he thinks and it had to be a hard pill swallow for this poor, misunderstood wolf in Christian clothing.
The 2016 Presidential Election is just a few days away and we will soon learn whether Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. With that, I thought it might be fun to look at the songs that celebrate elections, leaders and the office of POTUS. Here is an Election Day playlist to help you get through the results as they trickle in.
