Political Works
-
A 1988 postcard sent to 7 Stages patrons advertising "Bananaland: A Central American Theme Park."
Courtesy of Georgia State University. Special Libraries, 7 Stages Theatre (Atlanta, Ga.) Records (M219).
-
George Nikas as General Somoza in Bananaland. Behind him on the wall is the "grey area" between the "BEACON OF TRUTH" and "PACK OF LIES."
Courtesy of Georgia State University. Libraries, 7 Stages Theatre (Atlanta, Ga.) Records (M219).
-
Poster for Wasted, produced by 7 Stages in 1984. The play critiques the violence of the Vietnam War.
Courtesy of Georgia State University. Libraries, 7 Stages Theatre (Atlanta, Ga.) Records (M219).
Committed to producing activist art, many 7 Stages’ productions take on issues of political, social, and ethical significance. Quite a few of these plays premiered for the first time at 7 Stages. The theater company has worked with playwrights, composers, and choreographers to produce vivid new material, exploring subjects as widespread as the experience of soldiers during the Vietnam War (1964-73) in Wasted or the effects of global neo-colonialism on the Latin American economy in Bananaland. 7 Stages has been a dedicated ally to the LGBTQ community and was a proponent of the Black Arts Movement in Atlanta. Two plays examining race relations (Bang Bang Über Alles and Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical) gained widespread attention in the city, prompting counterprotests from the Ku Klux Klan and conservative officials, respectively.