The History Project for Baby with the Bathwater

A mobile phone from 1983

This place to find out everything you never wanted to know about parenting in the 80's and Christopher Durrang's Baby and the Bathwater.

Durang himself has written about the nature of keeping the play as a period piece. It was staged in the very early 80's and first produced in 1983.

Here is Durang's specific take on producing and updating his plays - Baby is the only one he is open to slight rewrites on

http://www.christopherdurang.com/EssaysUpdating.htm

Here are some pictures of the original cast

these are from the ChristopherDurang.com website

Here is the link to Baby and the Bathwater

Here's a brief look at some of the things that were going on in 1983

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983

An overview of society in the 1980s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s#Society

Here are the things we should be considering in researching the time period

· The time and place of the scene (i.e.: New Orleans, 1936)

The writer himself says that the piece is slightly out of time but still references the 80's pop culture and a general northeastern urban type of playground with particular types of parents and buses.

The play itself is about the anxieties of parenting and the types of changes the generation was facing in a post 60's and 70's world.

Here is some sociological information about parenting during the societal transitions of the 80's

http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Bumpass/Bumpass.html

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200309/the-permaparent-trap

There was just starting to be legal movements recognizing children as independent legal entities entitled to special protections under the law while there was simultaneously a move to hold children who committed crimes accountable in the same manner as adults

Parenting for the 80s: Key Elements of a Parent Support Program

· The world and life of the playwright (i.e.: Tennessee Williams)

http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc59.html

http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsD/durang-christopher.html

· The physical world of the play (i.e.: What would a tenement apartment have looked like at the time? Costuming?)

What women in 1983 looked like

Here are some urban playgrounds from 1983

Popular Culture

The cult of family and the beginning of gender role backlash was starting in the early 80's

Mr. Mom was released at the same time as Baby and the Bathwater

The top grossing films of 1983 show that entertainment was focused on a number of anxieties much like those expressed by Angela, economic insecurity, terminal illnesses, the nuclear threat is still very present, fear of technology all were excellent moneymakers for Hollywood in 1983.

1983

1. Return of the Jedi ($309.1m*) - Luke finally becomes a full-fledged Jedi, but the dark side is stronger than ever. (#8 all-time)
2. Terms of Endearment ($108.4m) - Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger live life to its fullest.
3. Flashdance ($94.9m) - Alex, a welder and exotic dancer, wants to become a ballet dancer.
4. Trading Places ($90.4m) - Dan Akyroyd and Eddie Murphy find out how the other half lives.
5. WarGames ($79.6m) - Young Matthew Broderick unwittingly hacks NORAD's computers and poises the world on the brink of WW III.
6. Octopussy ($67.9m) - Bond tracks a fake Faberge egg and a dead 00 agent to a plot to instigate world war.
7. Sudden Impact ($67.6m) - Dirty Harry on the trail of a vicious serial killer (is there any other kind?)
8. Mr. Mom ($64.8m) - Michael Keaton loses his job and becomes an utterly clueless stay-at-home dad.
9. Staying Alive ($63.8m) - Saturday Night Fever's Tony returns in this sequel directed by Sylvester Stallone!
10. Risky Business ($63.5m) - Stressed about college and trashing his father's Porsche, Joel does the logical thing... turns his house into a brothel!

This list is from www.80s.com

Grammy Awards for 1983

Album of the Year: Thriller by Michael Jackson Record of the Year: "Beat It," by Michael Jackson Song of the Year: "Every Breath You Take," by Sting Pop Vocal - Male: MIchael Jackson, Thriller Pop Vocal - Female: Irene Cara, "Flashdance...What A Feeling" Pop Performance - Duo or Group with Vocal: The Police, "Every Breath You Take" Rock Vocal - Male: Michael Jackson, "Beat It" Rock Vocal - Female: Pat Benatar, "Love Is A Battlefield" Rock Performance - Duo or Group with Vocal: The Police, Synchronicity New Artist: Culture Club

This is the prezzi presentation

Baby With the Bathwater on Prezi

How well do YOU know the 80's?