Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America

New
Paperback
1999
$25.13

In Stagestruck noted novelist and outspoken critic Sarah Schulman offers an account of her growing awareness of the startling similarities between her novel People in Trouble and the smash Broadway hit Rent. Written with a powerful and personal voice, Schulman's book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theater culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of marginal artists to give an air of diversity and authenticity to their own work. Rising above the details of her own case, Schulman boldly uses her suspicions of copyright infringement as an opportunity to initiate a larger conversation on how AIDS and gay experience are being represented in American art and commerce.
Closely recounting her discovery of the ways in which Rent took materials from her own novel, Schulman takes us on her riveting and infuriating journey through the power structures of New York theater and media, a journey she pursued to seek legal restitution and make her voice heard. Then, to provide a cultural context for the emergence of Rent-which Schulman experienced first-hand as a weekly theater critic for the New York Press at the time of Rent's premiere-she reveals in rich detail the off- and off-off-Broadway theater scene of the time. She argues that these often neglected works and performances provide more nuanced and accurate depictions of the lives of gay men, Latinos, blacks, lesbians and people with AIDS than popular works seen in full houses on Broadway stages. Schulman brings her discussion full circle with an incisive look at how gay and lesbian culture has become rapidly commodified, not only by mainstream theater productions such as Rent but also by its reduction into a mere demographic made palatable for niche marketing. Ultimately, Schulman argues, American art and culture has made acceptable a representation of the homosexual that undermines, if not completely erases, the actual experiences of people who continue to suffer from discrimination or disease. Stagestruck's message is sure to incite discussion and raise the level of debate about cultural politics in America today.

Synopsis

In Stagestruck noted novelist and outspoken critic Sarah Schulman offers an account of her growing awareness of the startling similarities between her novel People in Trouble and the smash Broadway hit Rent. Written with a powerful and personal voice, Schulman's book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theater culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of marginal artists to give an air of diversity and authenticity to their own work. Rising above the details of her own case, Schulman boldly uses her suspicions of copyright infringement as an opportunity to initiate a larger conversation on how AIDS and gay experience are being represented in American art and commerce.
Closely recounting her discovery of the ways in which Rent took materials from her own novel, Schulman takes us on her riveting and infuriating journey through the power structures of New York theater and media, a journey she pursued to seek legal restitution and make her voice heard. Then, to provide a cultural context for the emergence of Rent-which Schulman experienced first-hand as a weekly theater critic for the New York Press at the time of Rent's premiere-she reveals in rich detail the off- and off-off-Broadway theater scene of the time. She argues that these often neglected works and performances provide more nuanced and accurate depictions of the lives of gay men, Latinos, blacks, lesbians and people with AIDS than popular works seen in full houses on Broadway stages. Schulman brings her discussion full circle with an incisive look at how gay and lesbian culture has become rapidly commodified, not only by mainstream theater productions such as Rent but also by its reduction into a mere demographic made palatable for niche marketing. Ultimately, Schulman argues, American art and culture has made acceptable a representation of the homosexual that undermines, if not completely erases, the actual experiences of people who continue to suffer from discrimination or disease. Stagestruck's message is sure to incite discussion and raise the level of debate about cultural politics in America today.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Publisher: Duke University Press Books
Published: 01 Jan 1999
ISBN 10: 0822322641
ISBN 13: 9780822322641

Media Reviews

Sarah Schulman is one of this country's best cultural critics and novelists, and what she has to say in this book needs to be heard. -Alexander Doty, author of Making Things Perfectly Queer: Interpreting Mass Culture
Sarah Schulman writes from a highly-scorned community whose members are generally cast as anonymous freaks in someone else's play. As Stagestruck makes clear, the titillating history and ideas of these 'freaks' are consistently stolen and then corrupted by uptown 'art' marketeers out to make a quick buck. But you cannot change the story without changing the moral of the story. 'Soul stealing' is punishable in older societies. It is time we caught up. -Diamanda Galas, performer and composer
Utterly engrossing. . . startling and scary. . . . I have never read a more persuasive account-a wonderfully written one too-of the commodification that has overtaken us, and the disparity of power between the haves and the have-nots. . . . Stagestruck establishes beyond cavil the gross colonization by yuppie straight America of all that is special about gay life. Sarah Schulman remains what she has been: a rare, fearless teller of unpleasant truths. -Martin Duberman, author of In White America and Stonewall
Stagestruck showcases Schulman's persuasive voice in all its energy and eloquence. . . . Schulman is persuasive and passionate as she guides the reader to her final indictment of our entire consumer culture, one that has reduced the gay community to a marketing niche. * Girlfriends *
If Schulman was unable to rescue her rights from the underworld of corporate entertainment, she has not returned from that inferno empty-handed. Stagestruck is a stunning act of courage and political truth-telling. * Lambda Book Report *
Take the stardust out of your eyes and clear the deck for Stagestruck. . . . Finally, an inside account of how the original novel People in Trouble, written by Schulman, was misappropriated for the musical Rent. More importantly, Schulman uses her ensuing struggle for acknowledgment of that fact as the basis for analyzing the subterfuge of erasing or stereotyping lesbian and gay identity in the larger context of mass media response and perception. It raises the question of how recent visibility is being manipulated and sold short all at the cost of searching for a wider, more accepting audience not only in theaters but in magazines, movies, and style. -- Peter Cramer * Lesbian and Gay New York *
What Schulman asks is simple: Must we continue sacrificing the memories of those who have died in this epidemic to hawk another album, a T-shirt, and a bottle of Absolut? Her answer in this powerful, provocative work is equally direct: Don't lie about our lives. * The Village Voice *
Whether you are familiar with People in Trouble, Rent, or recent gay and AIDS plays on Broadway, Stagestruck is worth reading. The politics are progressive, the jokes give chuckles, and Schulman's creative spirit flourishes throughout. * Bay Area Reporter *

Author Bio

Sarah Schulman is an award-winning playwright, novelist, and non-fiction writer. She is the author of seven novels, including After Delores, People in Trouble, Rat Bohemia, and, most recently, Shimmer, and the nonfiction work My American History: Lesbian and Gay Life during the Reagan/Bush Years. A longtime activist, Schulman was one of the first members of ACT UP in New York and a co-founder of the Lesbian Avengers. Over the past twenty years she has contributed to numerous publications, including the Village Voice, the Nation, the New York Times, Gay Community News, and Interview. A recipient of the 1997 Stonewall Award, Schulman lives in New York City.