The Hypocrisy of ‘Political Theatre’

Politically charged plots and subversive undercurrents are par for the course in much of the modern theatre world. But isn’t there a distinct lack of authenticity to a bunch of actors putting on a play about suffering that they themselves have never known? For that matter, where do playwrights reared in the comfortable classes get off writing from the perspective of those who have never known comfort? “There is something improper about the well-heeled seeking to represent the disadvantaged; it is an unacceptable invasion of territory.”