The Distance Between the Private and the Political

: A Dramaturgical and Historical Exploration

Abstract

This commentary discusses my submissions for this PhD by Publication, situating my play publications within the context of theory and practice, highlighting my contributions to American political theatre. At the time of my entrance in professional theatre in the late 1970s, there were evolving inroads of politically focused playwriting from the experimental works within Off-Off Broadway – a movement which began forcefully in the 1960s and provided a roadmap from stultifying, formulaic commercial theatre.
Concurrent with this renaissance from New York’s theatre scene, America’s regional theatre network took hold. These theatres fostered new literary voices representative of their geographies. I was one of the emerging playwrights from this era. As an author and professor, I promulgated the genre of political playwriting in anthologies celebrating provocative plays. While many of my produced plays adhered to realism, I made forays into subtle, experimental styles that subvert conventions of commercial narratives. These incremental deviations from American realism exhibit aspects of Hyperrealism (silences, voyeurism, indifference to audience gratification) and Neo-Naturalism (grittier, fragmented plots, with minimalist language, violence, and psychic alienation). My dramas avoid entertaining, apolitical writing while skirting polemics. I undertake playwriting to present evidence rather than jury verdicts. Many of my dramas question assumptions of governmental powers and ethics within an imperfect society. These works address examples of racism and antisemitism globally, examining flawed U.S. tropes from American Exceptionalism to Pax Americana — both concepts have inherent problems on empirical truths impacting geopolitical boundaries. The former conveys self-serving praise based on American privilege while the latter suggests a tenuous global peace reliant on U.S. dominance after WWII.
In my corpus, I scrutinize assumptions on societal values, hierarchy, and corruption. I raise concerns how the forces of good inadvertently enables evil. This fascination echoes Hannah Arendt's analysis of the 'banality of evil'. Arendt’s phrase suggests both the functional evil of bureaucratic murderers like Adolf Eichmann and the nonchalant, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Less sensationally, my plays frequently explore how dominant power structures, as illuminated by Michel Foucault's studies of discipline and governmentality, can subtly coerce individuals and institutions. These narratives challenge audiences to confront their ethical responsibility towards the 'Other,' a core tenet of Emmanuel Levinas's relational philosophy. My publications field these concerns while broadening the discourse for a more just, tolerant, and egalitarian society saddled by troubled impulses. The submissions pertaining to this PhD by Publication comprise the following plays: Morocco (1985), Mink Sonata (1989), Haut Goût (1987) Hospitality (1989), Lilith (1991), The Haunting of Jim Crow (2015) and Three Nights in Prague (2010). The period for these selected stage works represents twenty-five years beginning in the early 1980s.

Date of Award	16 Feb 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	Matt Smith (Supervisor) & Oliver Gruner (Supervisor)