People in Cages
Encyclopedia
People in Cages is a short play
by British
writer, David Henry Wilson
, first performed in 2000. The play consists of four short vignettes
, each of which revolves around different individuals or groups of people locked inside a cage
for the entertainment
of paying visitors, reminiscent of a sideshow
.
, and how people can become trapped by society
. Although some of these issues are weighty, and each play is ultimately quite tragic
, the plays themselves are laced with humour
and comedy
. The humour is typically very surreal
in view of the unusual premise
of having people locked inside cages for the viewing pleasure of others and that some of these people are out of the ordinary in unexpected ways.
The four plays are independent of one another, apart from the linking character of the cage-keeper, Mr Jacob, and can therefore be performed separately or in any order. However, when performed together, the author recommends that they should be performed in the following order.
paces in his cages as Mr Jacob brings in Mr and Mrs Smith. After warning them to keep clear of the cage, Jacob leaves the couple to enjoy the show. The Killer proceeds to deny that he has ever killed anyone and gradually draws Mr and Mrs Smith in, trying to persuade them that he stays in his cage so that people can come to him for help.
When Mr Smith expresses doubt that the Killer is in his cage by choice, the Killer removes one of the bars from his cage and steps out, scaring the couple intensely for fear of what he might do to them. The Killer continues to insist that he has been misrepresented and does not wish to do the couple harm, while nevertheless acting in a threatening manner.
After stroking Mrs Smith's hair to sooth her, an act which annoys Mr Smith, but about which he does nothing, she admits that she does not think the Killer is a killer. The Killer then challenges Mr Smith to put the bar back into the cage to show his strength, a challenge which Mr Smith fails. The Killer puts the bar back himself, shutting a panicked Mr Smith in the cage who starts shouting for help. The Killer then expresses to Mrs Smith that her husband appears to be a failure and has, in particular, failed to protect her from this killer. She subsequently rejects her husband for his failure.
Jacob returns and orders the Killer back into the cage at gunpoint
. The Killer then proclaims to have succeeded in killing Mr and Mrs Smith and to boast that he can kill anybody, but still denying to have killed his family. After Jacob and the Smiths have left, the Killer's mood changes and he speaks to the audience
, claiming that he is just doing his job
and that both he and the audience are killers in cages
.
in a cage, although the cage is referred to as a playpen
by Jacob. The babies, named Pinkie, Yellow and Bluey, are clearly fully grown and quite different from each other, yet Jacob insists that they are just babies and are identical triplets
. The fact that they do not look identical is one of the points of interest of the babies. Jacob also reveals that the babies parents were killed, one being stabbed and the other shot.
After Jacob has left Miss Jones with the babies, she tries to engage them in conversation. Increasingly fractious arguments between the babies and Miss Jones culminate in Bluey and Yellow pulling a knife
and a gun, respectively, from their underpants
, although the babies refer to these weapons as a "kernife" and a "gum". Yellow says that he has his bum
in his pants and then proceeds to pull out a bomb
. Concerned for her safety, and believing she now knows how the parents were killed, she calls Mr Jacob who insists that the weapons are just toys but is then shot by Pinkie.
While Miss Jones is offstage retrieving a policeman
, Jacob gets up, scolding Pinkie for firing the gun, but then realises that the resulting scandal
might help to get the punters
in.
When the policeman arrives, he questions the babies but they respond to him only with gibberish
, causing the policeman to arrest
Miss Jones for wasting police time.
. Mrs Grey is fed up with living in a cage and entertaining the visitors brought by Mr Jacob, while Mr Grey is concerned that, if they leave the cage, he will not be able to find a better job. Mrs Grey issues a stream of insults against her nervous husband for failing to fulfil the promises of a good life he made to her before they were married.
Jacob enters to warn the couple that they need to look cheerful for the visitors or they will lose their job. He also orders Mr Grey to have a wash since he smells. While Mr Grey is washing, Jacob propositions Mrs Grey, offering her a better life if she will have sexual intercourse
with him. Once Mr Grey has finished washing, Mrs Grey challenges her husband to defend her honour, but he instead seeks to appease Mr Jacob in an effort to keep his job.
Jacob leaves to bring in the latest visitors and, in his absence, Mrs Grey further insults her husband, finally labelling him as pathetic. When Jacob returns with Mr and Mrs Brown, Mrs Grey ignores them while Mr Grey attempts to engage them in mindless banter
. When questioned directly by the Browns, Mrs Grey launches into a tirade
about how she is sick of her life, upsetting the Browns and leading Jacob to fire
Mr and Mrs Grey. Mrs Grey leaves the cage with pleasure, while Mr Grey fights to maintain his position, to no avail.
Once the Greys have left, Jacob puts on an act of being in a desperate situation now his cage is empty. The Browns, currently unemployed
, offer to step into the cage, with Mr Brown believing this to be their lucky day, while Mrs Brown is somewhat less certain. Jacob locks them into the cage and goes off to bring in the next visitor.
to see a green man who is locked in the cage with his hands tied. Helen Lovely, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Lovely, is immediately taken with this sad-looking green man and strikes up a silent rapport with him. Jacob explains how the green man is not really human, although he may appear so, and is unable to speak or understand anything except basic commands. When ordered to perform tricks such as scratching his head and beating his chest, Mr and Mrs Lovely are hugely impressed and leave as very satisfied customers having witnessed this animal
performing.
Once the Lovelys have left, the green man sings about his captivity
and his desire for release, through death
, in a form reminiscent of a spiritual
. Jacob catches him singing and beats him viciously for disobeying his orders never to speak or communicate.
As Jacob leaves, Helen Lovely returns to bring the green man some food
and is happy to learn that he is able to speak. She unties his hands and tries to set him free using a hairpin
to pick the lock of the cage. She touches him to see if the green comes off, but the green man explains that he is green as a result of genetics
. After loosely tying his hands again, Helen leaves, promising to come back and visit.
The following morning, Jacob enters with a policeman who orders the green man to confess to the rape
and murder
of Helen Lovely. Helen had been found in Jacob's bedroom
, having been shot with Jacob's gun. The green man is the only suspect, despite having been locked in a cage with his hands tied. Finding that the green man's hands are only loosely tied and that there are scratch marks from a hairpin around the lock on the cage door, the policman concludes that this is suffient evidence
of the green man's guilt and leads him away.
in 2002 by Hope Corner. The published play includes two other short plays by Wilson, Reflections and The Biscuit. Reflections is a collection of short monologue
s while The Biscuit, in common with People in Cages, features a character locked in a cage where he is tormented and finally killed by his captors.
, England
in February 2000. This production was subsequently performed at Union Theatre
, London
in March 2000.
A further production of the play was produced by Progress Theatre
, Reading
, England
in April 2007 to mixed reviews.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
writer, David Henry Wilson
David Henry Wilson
David Henry Wilson is an English writer. As an author he is best known for his children's stories such as the Jeremy James series. Wilson has also had a number of plays produced in the United Kingdom, both for children and adults....
, first performed in 2000. The play consists of four short vignettes
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
, each of which revolves around different individuals or groups of people locked inside a cage
Cage (enclosure)
A cage is an enclosure made of mesh, bars or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal in captivity, capturing, and being used for display of an animal at a zoo.-History:...
for the entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
of paying visitors, reminiscent of a sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
.
Synopsis
Each of the four plays that make up People in Cages addresses different social issues, such as racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, and how people can become trapped by society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. Although some of these issues are weighty, and each play is ultimately quite tragic
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, the plays themselves are laced with humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
and comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
. The humour is typically very surreal
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
in view of the unusual premise
Premise (film)
The premise of a film or screenplay is the fundamental concept that drives the plot.Most premises can be expressed very simply. For example: Othello - Unchecked jealousy leads to death; Titanic - Love conquers all, physically and spiritually; The Silence of the Lambs - Courage destroys evil. ...
of having people locked inside cages for the viewing pleasure of others and that some of these people are out of the ordinary in unexpected ways.
The four plays are independent of one another, apart from the linking character of the cage-keeper, Mr Jacob, and can therefore be performed separately or in any order. However, when performed together, the author recommends that they should be performed in the following order.
Killer in a Cage
The KillerMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
paces in his cages as Mr Jacob brings in Mr and Mrs Smith. After warning them to keep clear of the cage, Jacob leaves the couple to enjoy the show. The Killer proceeds to deny that he has ever killed anyone and gradually draws Mr and Mrs Smith in, trying to persuade them that he stays in his cage so that people can come to him for help.
When Mr Smith expresses doubt that the Killer is in his cage by choice, the Killer removes one of the bars from his cage and steps out, scaring the couple intensely for fear of what he might do to them. The Killer continues to insist that he has been misrepresented and does not wish to do the couple harm, while nevertheless acting in a threatening manner.
After stroking Mrs Smith's hair to sooth her, an act which annoys Mr Smith, but about which he does nothing, she admits that she does not think the Killer is a killer. The Killer then challenges Mr Smith to put the bar back into the cage to show his strength, a challenge which Mr Smith fails. The Killer puts the bar back himself, shutting a panicked Mr Smith in the cage who starts shouting for help. The Killer then expresses to Mrs Smith that her husband appears to be a failure and has, in particular, failed to protect her from this killer. She subsequently rejects her husband for his failure.
Jacob returns and orders the Killer back into the cage at gunpoint
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
. The Killer then proclaims to have succeeded in killing Mr and Mrs Smith and to boast that he can kill anybody, but still denying to have killed his family. After Jacob and the Smiths have left, the Killer's mood changes and he speaks to the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
, claiming that he is just doing his job
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
and that both he and the audience are killers in cages
Iron cage
Iron cage, a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber, refers to the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies. The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on teleological efficiency, rational calculation and control...
.
Babes in a Cage
Miss Jones is brought by Mr Jacob to view three babiesInfant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
in a cage, although the cage is referred to as a playpen
Playpen
A playpen is a piece of furniture in which an infant or young toddler is placed to prevent self-harm when her/his parent or guardian is occupied or away. The earliest use of the word playpen cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is 1902...
by Jacob. The babies, named Pinkie, Yellow and Bluey, are clearly fully grown and quite different from each other, yet Jacob insists that they are just babies and are identical triplets
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
. The fact that they do not look identical is one of the points of interest of the babies. Jacob also reveals that the babies parents were killed, one being stabbed and the other shot.
After Jacob has left Miss Jones with the babies, she tries to engage them in conversation. Increasingly fractious arguments between the babies and Miss Jones culminate in Bluey and Yellow pulling a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
and a gun, respectively, from their underpants
Underpants
-Boxer shorts:Boxer shorts, or simply boxers, have an elasticated waistband that is at or near the wearer's waist, while the leg sections are fairly loose and extend to the mid-thigh. There is usually a fly, either with or without buttons...
, although the babies refer to these weapons as a "kernife" and a "gum". Yellow says that he has his bum
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
in his pants and then proceeds to pull out a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
. Concerned for her safety, and believing she now knows how the parents were killed, she calls Mr Jacob who insists that the weapons are just toys but is then shot by Pinkie.
While Miss Jones is offstage retrieving a policeman
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, Jacob gets up, scolding Pinkie for firing the gun, but then realises that the resulting scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
might help to get the punters
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
in.
When the policeman arrives, he questions the babies but they respond to him only with gibberish
Gibberish
Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense...
, causing the policeman to arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
Miss Jones for wasting police time.
Couple in a Cage
Mr and Mrs Grey are locked in a cage which they treat as their homeHome
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
. Mrs Grey is fed up with living in a cage and entertaining the visitors brought by Mr Jacob, while Mr Grey is concerned that, if they leave the cage, he will not be able to find a better job. Mrs Grey issues a stream of insults against her nervous husband for failing to fulfil the promises of a good life he made to her before they were married.
Jacob enters to warn the couple that they need to look cheerful for the visitors or they will lose their job. He also orders Mr Grey to have a wash since he smells. While Mr Grey is washing, Jacob propositions Mrs Grey, offering her a better life if she will have sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with him. Once Mr Grey has finished washing, Mrs Grey challenges her husband to defend her honour, but he instead seeks to appease Mr Jacob in an effort to keep his job.
Jacob leaves to bring in the latest visitors and, in his absence, Mrs Grey further insults her husband, finally labelling him as pathetic. When Jacob returns with Mr and Mrs Brown, Mrs Grey ignores them while Mr Grey attempts to engage them in mindless banter
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
. When questioned directly by the Browns, Mrs Grey launches into a tirade
Tantrum
A tantrum is an emotional outburst, usually associated with children or those in emotional distress, that is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, yelling, shrieking, defiance, angry ranting, a resistance to attempts at pacification and, in some cases, violence...
about how she is sick of her life, upsetting the Browns and leading Jacob to fire
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
Mr and Mrs Grey. Mrs Grey leaves the cage with pleasure, while Mr Grey fights to maintain his position, to no avail.
Once the Greys have left, Jacob puts on an act of being in a desperate situation now his cage is empty. The Browns, currently unemployed
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
, offer to step into the cage, with Mr Brown believing this to be their lucky day, while Mrs Brown is somewhat less certain. Jacob locks them into the cage and goes off to bring in the next visitor.
Green Man in a Cage
In the final, and most poignant play, Mr Jacob brings the Lovely familyFamily
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
to see a green man who is locked in the cage with his hands tied. Helen Lovely, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Lovely, is immediately taken with this sad-looking green man and strikes up a silent rapport with him. Jacob explains how the green man is not really human, although he may appear so, and is unable to speak or understand anything except basic commands. When ordered to perform tricks such as scratching his head and beating his chest, Mr and Mrs Lovely are hugely impressed and leave as very satisfied customers having witnessed this animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
performing.
Once the Lovelys have left, the green man sings about his captivity
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
and his desire for release, through death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, in a form reminiscent of a spiritual
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
. Jacob catches him singing and beats him viciously for disobeying his orders never to speak or communicate.
As Jacob leaves, Helen Lovely returns to bring the green man some food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and is happy to learn that he is able to speak. She unties his hands and tries to set him free using a hairpin
Hairpin
A hair pin or hairpin is a long device used to hold a person's hair in place.Hairpins made of metal, ivory, bronze, carved wood, etc. were used in ancient Assyria and Egypt for securing decorated hairstyles. Such hairpins suggest, as graves show, that many were luxury objects among the Egyptians...
to pick the lock of the cage. She touches him to see if the green comes off, but the green man explains that he is green as a result of genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
. After loosely tying his hands again, Helen leaves, promising to come back and visit.
The following morning, Jacob enters with a policeman who orders the green man to confess to the rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Helen Lovely. Helen had been found in Jacob's bedroom
Bedroom
A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
, having been shot with Jacob's gun. The green man is the only suspect, despite having been locked in a cage with his hands tied. Finding that the green man's hands are only loosely tied and that there are scratch marks from a hairpin around the lock on the cage door, the policman concludes that this is suffient evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
of the green man's guilt and leads him away.
Publication
People in Cages was first published in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 2002 by Hope Corner. The published play includes two other short plays by Wilson, Reflections and The Biscuit. Reflections is a collection of short monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s while The Biscuit, in common with People in Cages, features a character locked in a cage where he is tormented and finally killed by his captors.
Production history
People in Cages was first produced by Michael Friend Productions at the Mill Studio, GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in February 2000. This production was subsequently performed at Union Theatre
Union Theatre (London)
The Union Theatre is a small fringe theatre situated in the borough of Southwark in London, England. It was established in 1998 by Sasha Regan who took the initiative to convert a disused paper warehouse near Southwark station into a functioning theatre...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in March 2000.
A further production of the play was produced by Progress Theatre
Progress Theatre
Progress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount, in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University. The theatre is the oldest one operating in Reading and the only venue in the town dedicated entirely to theatrical productions.The company was formed...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in April 2007 to mixed reviews.
Critical reception
The entry for People in Cages in the March 2000 edition of in SE1 described the play as hilarious.See also
- David Henry WilsonDavid Henry WilsonDavid Henry Wilson is an English writer. As an author he is best known for his children's stories such as the Jeremy James series. Wilson has also had a number of plays produced in the United Kingdom, both for children and adults....
- Iron cageIron cageIron cage, a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber, refers to the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies. The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on teleological efficiency, rational calculation and control...
- Progress TheatreProgress TheatreProgress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount, in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University. The theatre is the oldest one operating in Reading and the only venue in the town dedicated entirely to theatrical productions.The company was formed...
- RacismRacismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
- SideshowSideshowIn America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
- Surreal humourSurreal humourSurreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
- TragedyTragedyTragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...