Theatre is useful.

"We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights, and impulses possible within the particular historical field of human relations in which the action takes place, but employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself."

--Bertolt Brecht

Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote a post today in her Theatre Blog about theatre's role in world politics and events. I tend to believe all good theatre is "useful," and even some of the not-so-good theatre, regardless of how far-removed it may be from the event to which it speaks. I'm not sure there are any new stories, either on stage or in history. I think, for the most part, we are repeating ourselves. We are not inventing new tales but instead finding new ways of telling them. And we are constantly reflecting, trying to better understand ourselves and each other (or, at least, we should be). Given this, as long as a piece of theatre was once relevant, isn't there a good chance it will be relevant again in the future? There must be a reason Shakespeare is still produced 400 odd years later. I think theatre serves a greater purpose to humanity than we may ever understand...after all, we've been debating the art of theatre since the dawn of time.