Defying Gravity, Silence, and Societal Expectations: Social Movement Leadership And
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Defying Gravity, Silence, and Societal Expectations: Social Movement Leadership and Hegemony in the Musical Wicked A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Valerie Lynn Schrader June 2010 © 2010 Valerie Lynn Schrader. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled Defying Gravity, Silence, and Societal Expectations: Social Movement Leadership and Hegemony in the Musical Wicked by VALERIE LYNN SCHRADER has been approved for the School of Communication Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by Jerry L. Miller Associate Professor of Communication Studies Gregory J. Shepherd Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT SCHRADER, VALERIE LYNN, Ph.D., June 2010, Communication Studies Defying Gravity, Silence, and Societal Expectations: Social Movement Leadership and Hegemony in the Musical Wicked (280 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Jerry L. Miller This dissertation examines the rhetoric of social movement leadership and hegemony in the musical Wicked, suggesting that the musical offers “equipment for living” to its audience members. Constructing a rhetorical text using the New York performance script, sheet music, cast recording, and three performances of Wicked, I analyzed the musical through an extended version of cluster criticism, clustering themes rather than terms to form meanings. Chapter 1 of this dissertation provides an introduction to the study, a rationale, and a preview to the rest of the dissertation. Chapter 2 presents a literature review that informs the rest of the study. This chapter includes literature on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its many offspring, as well as a brief history of American musical theatre and its use as a method of societal critique. Chapter 2 also presents a discussion of the concepts of leadership, hegemony, and social movement characteristics and rhetoric. Chapter 3 discusses my extension of cluster criticism in detail, as well as explains how I am using cluster criticism, a method of rhetorical criticism, in conjunction with performance studies. Chapter 4 discusses strategies and tools used by the hegemonic regime in Wicked and the role that apathy plays in the effectiveness of these strategies and tools. It also offers two types of hegemonic leaders through the characters of Madame Morrible and iii the Wizard of Oz. Chapter 5 defines the fictional Animal Rights Movement in Wicked as a social movement, with Elphaba as the movement’s militant leader. This chapter explores Elphaba’s journey as a social movement leader, ending with her downfall and the legacy she left behind. In Chapter 6, using the character of Glinda as an example, I argue that the line between social movement leadership and institutional leadership is not as strict as scholars have previously argued. This chapter explores Glinda’s transition from apolitical referent leader to the confident, social-conscious leader of Oz at the end of the musical. The final chapter of this dissertation offers various “equipments for living” for audience members and readers to consider, as well as suggestions for future research. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Jerry L. Miller Associate Professor of Communication Studies iv DEDICATION To my late grandfather, Lloyd Plunkett, who always supported me in all of my musical and theatrical endeavors. To my grandmother, Ruth Plunkett, who showed me from an early age that women can do anything they put their minds to. To my sister, Michelle Schrader, who was always willing to take a leading role in my childhood theatrical productions, no matter how silly. To my parents, Andrew and Kathleen Schrader, who instilled in me a sense of social justice and taught me to fight for what I believe in. And most of all, to my husband, Michael Ritter, who always saw the Elphaba in me when the rest of the world saw only Galinda. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee for all of their help and advice throughout this process. To Drs. Ben Bates, J.W. Smith, Bill Rawlins, and Jordan Schildcrout – Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. Your suggestions have been immensely helpful. It has been such a joy to work with such wonderful, kind, and talented scholars. I would especially like to thank my advisor, Dr. Jerry Miller, for reading my work, editing it, and offering numerous suggestions for how it could be improved. I can’t tell you how incredibly helpful your advice has been throughout this process. I could not have finished this project without you! Thank you for taking me under your wing three years ago and challenging me to become the teacher-scholar that you knew I could be. To my “family” and friends in COMS, at the Athens First United Methodist Church, in Athenian Berean Community Players, and outside of Athens – Thank you for your support and interest in my dissertation! I love you all! To my parents, sister, and grandmother – It is because of you that I am who I am today. Thank you for your love and support throughout this process…and for not teasing me too much about studying “wicked witches and flying monkeys!” And a thank you to Fiyero, my cat, for keeping me company during all of those late nights of writing! And most of all, a very special thank you to my wonderful husband, Mike, who has been there for me every step of the way. I could not have completed graduate school without your support, much less write a dissertation. Thank you for your love and never- ending patience! You mean everything to me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Dissertation ......................................................................... 1 Personal Rationale and Researcher Positionality ............................................................ 7 Rationale ....................................................................................................................... 11 Definition of Terms ...................................................................................................... 17 Preview of Dissertation ................................................................................................. 19 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework ................................................................................... 24 Previous Research on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film The Wizard of Oz, and Wicked ............................................................................................. 24 American Musical Theatre and Social Critique ............................................................ 35 Leadership as a Communication Concept .................................................................... 47 Hegemony ..................................................................................................................... 53 Characteristics and Strategies of Social Movements and Social Movement Rhetoric . 56 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................... 64 Cluster Criticism and Rhetorical Criticism ................................................................... 66 Performance Studies ..................................................................................................... 75 Three Performances ...................................................................................................... 78 Broadening Cluster Criticism ....................................................................................... 79 Rationale ................................................................................................................... 80 vii A Step-By-Step Description of my Extension of Cluster Criticism ......................... 83 Chapter 4: Silencing the Animals – Hegemony in Wicked ............................................... 89 Apathy in Ozian Society ............................................................................................... 92 Strategies and Tools of Hegemonic Rule ..................................................................... 94 Naming ...................................................................................................................... 96 Contextualization ...................................................................................................... 98 Legal Sanctions ......................................................................................................... 99 Bargaining ............................................................................................................... 105 Identification and the Use of Public Admiration .................................................... 106 Hiding Weaknesses ................................................................................................. 110 Aligning Oneself with Those in Power ................................................................... 111 Scapegoating ........................................................................................................... 115 Creating