Playwrights often use plot tropes, stereotypes, and other theatrical shortcuts to engage the viewer. If you would like to see the plays that contain a specific trope or device, you may click on the item in the cloud. These tropes were identified in the reading/discussion process and determined through analyzing the text. The word cloud shows these clickable terms; the larger the word or phrase, the greater the frequency in the plays. A list of these words and phrases, as well as clarifying definitions for those that may be less clear, are offered below.
Adoption Anti-Queer Family Anti-Queer School Staff Anti-Queer Society Body Image Bullying Closeted Coming Out Conversion Therapy Cyberbullying Drag Queen Drama kids Flamboyant Gay Male Found Family Gay Best Friend Gay Straight Alliance Gender Roles and Stereotypes Gossip Hate Crimes HIV/AIDS Homophobia Internalized Homophobia Kicked Out Locker Room Outing Physical Violence Queer Family Queer Friendship Queer Murder Religion-Christianity Religion-Islam Religion-Judaism Religion-Spirituality Romantic Relationship Same Sex Marriage School Dance School Newspaper Sports Spray Painted Hate Speech Suicide Teacher Student Relationship Transphobia Unrequited Hetero Love
Selected Definitions:
Anti-Queer Family: These plays have a character whose family members are unsupportive of the LGBTQ+ community or discriminatory towards a specific character’s queerness
Anti-Queer School Staff: These plays have a character whose school staff (including teachers, administrators, and coaches) are unsupportive of the LGBTQ+ community or discriminatory towards a specific character’s queerness
Anti-Queer Society: These plays are set in an environment where the society at large (going beyond school/family) is unsupportive of the LGBTQ+ community or discriminatory towards a specific character’s queerness
Conversion Therapy: These plays contain characters who discuss or have to go to conversion therapy, which is a type of therapy that attempts to change someone from the LGBTQ+ community to a person who is heterosexual and/or cisgender.
Drama Kids: These plays contain characters who are part of a theatre or drama program, either at school or in their community.
Spray-Painted Slurs: These plays contain a moment where slurs/other discriminatory language are spray-painted somewhere, targeting an LGBTQ+ character.
Found Family: These plays contain characters who have formed a non-biological family bond and are a support system for each other. They often have shared experiences, such as being kicked out for their queerness.
Gay Straight Alliance: These plays contain characters who are members of a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) or scenes that take place in a GSA meeting.
Hate Crimes: These plays contain acts of violence (physical, verbal, or emotional) that come from a place of hatred or prejudice towards a specific demographic, usually a person of a marginalized identity group.
Internalized Homophobia: These plays contain a character who struggles with the acceptance of their own LGBTQ+ identity because of homophobic ideas that have been instilled into them, whether it is a conscious choice or not.
Locker Room: These plays contain scenes that are set in a locker room, usually at a school or sports facility.
Outing: These plays contain a character being outed, which is when someone deliberately exposes/reveals that an LGBTQ+ character is LGBTQ+ without having their permission, taking away their chance to come out on their own time.
Queer Family: These plays have characters who have queer/LGBTQ+ members of their family, such as siblings, cousins, parents, etc.
Queer Murder: These plays have a queer character who is murdered, either on or offstage.
Queer Investigation: These plays have a group of people that are searching for an LGBTQ+ person or are trying to figure out if they are queer.
School Dance: These plays have the characters going to and discussing prom, Homecoming, or a school dance.
School Newspaper: These plays have the characters reading, discussing, or writing for a school newspaper.
Sports: These plays have characters who are involved in a sports team, discuss sports frequently, or go to sporting events/games during the show.
Unrequited Hetero Love: These plays have queer characters who fall for a straight character, and their love cannot be reciprocated.
