“It’s Destructive but Seductive”: Camp Aesthetics in Reefer Madness
Disciplines
Theatre and Performance Studies
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The presentation investigates camp style and its relationship to Dan Studney and Kevin Murphy’s stage musical Reefer Madness (1998). Camp is commonly associated today with the 2019 Met Gala with the theme “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” however, the term was popularized by Sontag’s Notes on “Camp” from 1964 and originally coined by Chrisopher Isherwood in 1954. The presentation will draw upon the history and theories of camp aesthetic, how the term joined the social lexicon, and how it applies in practice to musical theatre performance. Specifically, it will examine how camp techniques were incorporated into my portrayal of Mae, the harlot hostess of the infamous reefer den, in KSU’s spring 2024 production of Reefer Madness. Ultimately, by evaluating production moments and audience responses at talkbacks and in the classroom, it finds camp to be an important way to open audiences up to challenging themes surrounding abuse, addiction, and moral panic, allowing parody and pastiche to lead the conversation.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
COTA - Theatre and Performance Studies
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Thomas Fish
“It’s Destructive but Seductive”: Camp Aesthetics in Reefer Madness
The presentation investigates camp style and its relationship to Dan Studney and Kevin Murphy’s stage musical Reefer Madness (1998). Camp is commonly associated today with the 2019 Met Gala with the theme “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” however, the term was popularized by Sontag’s Notes on “Camp” from 1964 and originally coined by Chrisopher Isherwood in 1954. The presentation will draw upon the history and theories of camp aesthetic, how the term joined the social lexicon, and how it applies in practice to musical theatre performance. Specifically, it will examine how camp techniques were incorporated into my portrayal of Mae, the harlot hostess of the infamous reefer den, in KSU’s spring 2024 production of Reefer Madness. Ultimately, by evaluating production moments and audience responses at talkbacks and in the classroom, it finds camp to be an important way to open audiences up to challenging themes surrounding abuse, addiction, and moral panic, allowing parody and pastiche to lead the conversation.