We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Cooperman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Robert thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
In a world concerned with marginalization, it is ironic to me that the conservative voice is not given the opportunities and respect that so many other groups feel is their rightful due. This makes my company, Stage Right Theatrics, all the more vital to the goal of true inclusivity and acceptance in the arts. We have been in existence for seven years and for all those seven years we have been misunderstood and mischaracterized by the very people who claim to be opposed to such treatment. These are people who do not attend our productions but rather have come to conclusions about what we offer based on stereotypical yet pervasive notions of what a conservative is and believes. We have been called fascists, white supremacists, misogynists, racists, and that all-purpose generality: haters. For example, when we put on civil rights show, celebrating the bravery of Black artists who stood up to RFK in 1963 and demanded justice, we were mocked. We’ve been rejected for grants because our application reviewers called us a non-inclusive religious group (!). We have had fellow theatre practitioners openly wish that our audiences remain small. This is why we open our doors to everybody, both as theatre artists and audience members: so they can get a true sense of who we are and what we stand for. Only then can they make the determination if we are truly haters or simply another point of view in the open marketplace of ideas.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I have been involved with theatre, both in Ohio (where I now reside) and New York City (where I hail from) for many years. My BA, MA, and Ph.D. are in English with a concentration in Drama. I have taught English and Theatre at the college level at The Ohio State University and Ohio University.
About seven years ago, I realized how frustrating it was to attend play after play (something a theatre lover will do!) and finding my values and beliefs trashed or ridiculed. Through many of the plays I witnessed, I was told the United States was a miserable place, that there was no objective meaning in the universe, and that people who looked like me (a White male heterosexual) were irretrievably racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and guilty of offenses we didn’t even know we committed. The conservative/traditional character was presented as either a bumpkin in need of education or an evil corporate devil, looking to exploit, pollute, and wreck lives of allegedly marginalized people. At that point, I decided to create my own theatre company to present plays from the opposite point-of-view. My goal was simply to support writers who themselves have been marginalized by our keepers of the arts and to present a true alternative to the general theatre scene in the name of diversity and inclusion. Thus, Stage Right Theatrics was born.
We started with the first Conservative Theatre Festival® in January 2017, a one-night production (it was all I could afford). Today, that festival (now simply called the Stage Right Theatre Festival) is an annual event, with audience member participating both in the theater itself and via live-stream all over the country. We produce plays by unknown playwrights just itching to get a chance to have their plays read as well as plays by writers such as David Mamet (who “converted” to Conservatism in 2008 and Andrew Klavan, whose world premiere piece was staged by us in May 2022 (and Klavan attended!). We are embarking on musicals this year and children’s theatre next year.
By now it should be obvious what sets Stage Right Theatrics apart from other theatre companies: we promote plays that adhere to what we call “The Natural Theatre.” The Natural Theatre presents plays that celebrate the individual who triumphs over adversity and does not see him or herself as a victim; presents conflict as a natural consequence of human nature (as our founders surely knew); is the antidote to the “Theatre of Misery” we see not only on stage but on television and in film; characterizes the traditions of eras past as providing guidance for our future, not to be dismissed out of hand as antiquated; recognizes the existence of evil; and offers hope and redemption, even within conditions of misery, pain, or death. No other theatre company in the country follows this prescription.
In addition, we are most proud of our company motto, “Disagreement Does Not Equal Hate!”®. We practice true diversity and inclusion by welcoming anyone and everyone to work with us (all one needs is a love of theatre) and to attend our performances. Our goal is help people see that the conservative point-of-view is communication with our audiences so that we can have ideas discussed in a civil and respectful manner; this is why we hold talkbacks with the audience after every performance.
Please give Stage Right Theatrics a try. We do not seek to make converts (although that would be nice). Rather, we seek the respect of our audiences and a place at the cultural table along with the many other voices that are heard more frequently and are celebrated more consistently.
Aside from my work in theatre, I am a podcaster for Right America Media and a theatre contributor for “The Epoch Times.”
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
There is a particular goal that drives me and that is to reintroduce the principles and philosophy of our nation’s founding through the arts. I have been sick and tired of the attempt by our cultural and artistic “leaders” to denigrate and destroy the institutions that for two centuries served as places of refuge, hope, and community. They represented a common legacy that we all could fundamentally support while disagreeing about certain aspects of that legacy’s past, present, and future. Today, we are too quick to dispense with that legacy and the result is lawlessness, a devaluing of life, a lack of humility, the exultation of mediocrity. So, my goal is to present to theatre audiences an alternative to this disparaging turn of events and remind people that America–for all its past mistakes, which we should of course confront–is still. as Lincoln put it, the last best hope of Earth. Of course, in Lincoln’s day, people believed it and it’s a shame that now the idea of America as a great land has to be re-introduced to adults and presented to schoolchildren all across the nation. That goal is what I strive for.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I wonder about the term “non-creatives” because I truly believe we all have the ability to be creative. My way of addressing this issue is to point out what an uphill battle it is for conservatives to embrace the arts because we traditionally think of art as an evening’s entertainment at, say, a tried-and -true performance of Shakespeare or a Rogers and Hammerstein musical. If it’s “safe,” conservatives will attend; if it’s won accolades, we will go see it because we have to (thus the popularity of “Hamilton”). I actually think this cheapens the value of art to our culture and by conservatives not participating in the development of art (although, of course, there are those who do) or who are cast aside because their values and beliefs don’t match the prevailing narrative, we lose a voice that deserves to be heard. So for those who wonder how I can be a “creative” with as staunch a conservative set of values as might be found anywhere, I say that art is vital to the existence of society, It can create controversy, debate, or enlightenment. It can create community. Most importantly, it shines a light on our times and reflects our values (false or otherwise) for future audiences to grapple with. Therefore, the voice of the conservative must be presented on an equal playing field with that of the progressive so that we–and future generations–can make sense of who we are or were.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stagert.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.cooperman.142/
Image Credits
Steve Sessions Jerri Shafer