Expert: John T. Aney - 2/22/2009

Question
Hi John
I'm looking to choose a suitable area of study for my MA in Performance.  One of the areas I'm interested in is the role of the servant in theatre as a narrative device and what has replaced the role of the servant in more recent playwriting.  I expected to find a lot of material already covering this topic but have found it difficult to locate useful resources as a starting point.  Are you able to point me in the right direction?
Many thanks.

Answer
Interesting idea!

I think in the US today you could argue that the role of the servant is now represented by foreign domestic help.  There are some very recent plays that deal with questions and issues around this situation - for instance, Sarah Ruhl's play "Clean House" looks into the issues of immigrant housekeepers in wealthy American households, and Lisa Loomer's play "Living Out" similarly investigates foreign nannies.  It would definitely be a good idea to start there and see where that leads you.

jta