ABSTRACT
Political theatre doesn't necessarily involve battles between parties or other adversaries; thus when the Tower Committee held a press conference and announced its findings that were political theatre. The event was dramatic because the public would learn, for the first time, what the committee discovered. But this event was mild compared to the joint Senate and House hearings that are popularly known as the Iran-Contra Hearings. The most important setting for the hearings was the Senate Hearing Room, a huge chamber that had been the site of many other historic hearings. It is difficult to say what the long-range impact of the hearings will be. During the testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North there was a brief outburst of what has been described as "Ollie-Mania", and public opinion polls revealed mounting support for the Contra cause.
