The Children's Hour

     There are plenty of plays that might be considered culturally sensitive material to display publicly. The Children's Hour could very well potentially be that sort of play if you are not careful about the context of the play. In today's culture it is becoming increasingly more acceptable to be a lesbian, but fifty years ago our culture was much different. In major psychological theory of the time it was thought that gayness was a mental illness that could be cured. They were viewed as mentally ill. In modern culture the psychological viewpoint has shifted to saying that if a mindset differs from the individuals worldview and causes stress, then it is a mental disorder. The play dates itself by having the mindset that being a lesbian is an unnatural happening and that anyone who is, or could possibly be a lesbian, was dangerous. It also lends the trope of the "tragic lesbian." That is the lesbian character who ends up dying, usually by killing herself, because she can't reconcile her feelings in society. I think that this play would not be as well accepted as it was in the past due to its treatment of lesbians. However I do not believe that this play would have any significant negative effect as long as it does not signify that the values of the play are still carried out in society today.
     There are plenty of plays that we probably shouldn't reproduce today, for instance the Octoroon. Although it was a good play, it would hold no cultural satisfaction and would probably be ridiculed and cursed upon if played in today's society due to the blatant racism inherent throughout the play. It had its time and place, but it would not be handled well today on stage.