Abstract

In the 39 years it had been in existence The Omaha Magic Theatre proved to be one of the few working alternative theatres in the United States. Founded in 1968 by Jo Ann Schmidman the Theatre produced original musicals focused on societal problems such as Goona Goona by Megan Terry that focused on domestic violence in the family. Terry’s 1978 play American King’s English for Queens poses the question “Do you think like you talk or talk like you think?” How powerful is language at defining designated roles of family members especially young girls. It examines the potential for both thought and language to become tools of abuse, and the use of gender as a weapon rather then a distinction. What verbal messages does a young girl receive at home? Is she made to feel worthwhile like her older brother is? The play’s main focus is to explore the sexist nature of language by male members of the family and how the young daughter fights for equality. The research for this paper is based on an in depth interview with Ms.Terry.

Presenters

Judith Babnich
Professor of Theatre, School of Performing Arts, Wichita State University, Kansas, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Identity and Belonging

KEYWORDS

SEXIST LANGUAGE, VERBAL ABUSE,THEATRE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

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