“Putting Fear and Prejudice on Trial”: New Narratives for Queer Documentary Theatre in Dustin Lance Black’s 8

• Author / Creator

  St-Aubin, Emily H

• This thesis explores contemporary documentary theatre within the context of queer studies. While there are many plays that fall into the category of queer documentary theatre including The Laramie Project, Another American, and Execution of Justice, this research examines Dustin Lance Black’s new play, 8. After identifying regimes of representation present in queer documentary theatre, I highlight how 8 breaks new ground in the genre as it stages a moment in which queer people overcome adversity as opposed to staging queer people as victims of violence and hate (The Laramie Project, Execution of Justice). I examine the role of empathy in 8 through a close reading of Black’s construction of family. Finally, I use memory theory, specifically Pierre Nora, to investigate why queer people create documentary theatre and the role documentary plays have in preserving collective memories.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Theatre
  • Drama
  • Documentary theatre
  • Dustin Lance Black
  • 8
  • Queer

• Graduation date

  Fall 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3Z892N3H

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.