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Karen Finley
Karen Finley provoked many people with her shows and even prompted a court case in 1990 that made it all the way to the supreme court. At her shows you could expect nudity, sexual politics, and crudity. "She’s best known for smearing her naked body in chocolate and coupling a potato and a bodily orifice, not her mouth" (Steven Oxman). -
Oleanna by David Mamet
Oleanne is a three act play that tells the story of a Professor and his student. Begging with her asking for help and a touch on the shoulder. This is her first sexual harassment claim against him. Eventually her reports grew into attempted rape claims against him. Eventually she angers him so much he beats her in his office, ending the play. "The play was written in response to sexual harassment allegations of Department of Education employee against her boss" (SuperSummary). -
Rent
Rent by Jonathan Larson heavily focuses on poverty and illness. It focuses on a group of friends who survive the year during an AIDS breakout, with no money, and through the struggle of drugs. " The group’s dreams, losses, and love stories weave through the musical’s narration to paint a stunningly raw and emotional portrait of the gritty bohemian world of New York City in the late 1980s, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS" (stage agent). -
The Black Adam
The story discusses the struggle a student in London faces when torn between liberalism in England and the draw of religion. It provides thought provoking questions surrounding family and the role of religion. "A book that sets out to explore human nature and the powers of imagination, love and religion" (Ale on goodreads). -
Kathy Acker
Kathy left home at the early age of 18 to become a stripper, and continued to experiment with different modes of sexuality through her books, plays, and art. " Her work is experimental, playful, and provocative, engagingly alienating, narratively non sequitur" (goodreads). She is known for her themes in punk, childhood trauma, rebellion, and sexuality. She even performed in pornographic films and defined sexuality in postmodern works. -
Hairspray
Produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, Hairspray is about a quirky, plus sized girl who achieves her dreams of being on a dance show. Overnight she goes from nobody, to a star. Due to her looks she experiences bullying, but pushes past it all and accomplishes her dreams. "The bright, energetic story of Tracy Turnblad teaches us all to look past the color of one’s skin and fight for every human being’s equal rights" (Ogunquit Playhouse). -
Six
Six the musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss turns history into a dramatic comedy. It focuses on the six wives of Henry VIII. Each wife gets their own song, telling their side of the story that Henry tried to have hidden. Taking the horrible decision of a man and making it an empowering story surrounding the themes of feminism. "The overall takeaway from the show is one of female empowerment, with the queens rewriting 'his-story' into 'her-story' ” (The Mac Weekly). -
Moulin Rouge
Based on the 2001 movie, Moulin Rouge hit the stage. Produced by Carmen Pavlovic and Gerry Ryan, the musical is set in France and is about a writer looking for inspiration. He finds it in a woman, Satine, who works in the Moulin Rouge nightclub. Their romance becomes a secret love affair. The clubs owner "claims" Satine as a deal challenging the fate of love. "It is a celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and love the Moulin Rouge" (Broadway in Cincinnati). -
David Rabe
David Rabe is a playwright known for creating horrors associated with the battlefield. More specifically in Sticks and Bones he focuses on a guilt-ridden veteran who faces so much war trauma he has basically become a stranger in his own home. David Rabe "exposes violence, racism, social hypocrisy, and the superficiality of the middle-class values" (Brill). -
Stephan Sondheim
Sondheim is arguably one of the most popular composers and has written incredibly unique shows. "If you think of Hamilton or Fun Home, these are musicals about very, very unusual topics,” he said. “Could this have happened before Sondheim? I don’t think it could" (Robert McLaughlin). Sondheim writes about unusual topics, such as a murderous barber. He also rarely includes happy endings for any of his shows.