Privileged Spectatorship

“Through a rich set of case studies, Privileged Spectatorship explores the power of American theatrical performance to interrupt the enduring strength of white supremacy. Dani Snyder-Young insightfully examines how such productions about race actively engage white spectators in ways that are at times transformative. Seeking to decolonize the white gaze, this book foregrounds the existence of white privilege and racism as it considers theatrical practices that might disrupt them. Accordingly, this is a work not only of theater criticism but also of theater activism that should appeal to theater scholars, practitioners, and spectators across the color lines.” —Harry J. Elam Jr., author of The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson
 

“ . . . timely and necessary . . . The useful conclusion offers reflections for practical intervention.” —R. Remshardt, University of Florida, CHOICE

“Although the violence of white supremacy is a cautionary theme woven throughout the United States’ theatrical canon, the Black Lives Matter movement has helped to propel a new wave of antiracist dramatic literature. Many mainstream white theatres in the United States have been, of late, steadily producing pedagogically oriented antiracist plays to call attention to systemic racism, communicate antiracist discourses to spectators, and make good on institutional commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dani Snyder-Young’s newest book, Privileged Spectatorship: Theatrical Interventions in White Supremacy, puts this contemporary theatrical phenomenon, and its requisite companion, the talkback, under scrutiny. Because the book convincingly argues that antiracist theatrical events can both propel and undermine spectators’ critical thought and potential action, this book is essential reading.” —Claire Syler, Theatre Topics