Out of Town Thursday through Monday

Tomorrow morning, I am heading to Illinois to see my stepson, Jake, play the role of Danilo in The Merry Widow at Illinois State University, where he is working on his degree in acting. I am looking forward to it with great anticipation not only because it's Jake (although that's a big part of it), but because it is Jake performing in an operetta I know nothing at all about. It is a real pleasure to see a play I know nothing about and so will be surprised about. My wife and I leave Thursday morning and will arrive Friday. The opening night is Friday, and we'll see him again on Sunday (the leads are double cast, so he doesn't perform on Saturday). Then back to Asheville by Monday evening. So no blogging Thursday through Monday.

However, there will be a link to my post on Richard Florida on the "Regional Communities: Think Local Planet, Act Regionally" blog. This is a very interesting site for people interested in the idea of a theatre tribe.

I think on of the pleasures and challenges of thinking about a theatre tribe model is that it requires a great deal of interdisciplinary learning. You can't simply focus on theatre, because essentially you are re-imagining the role of theatre and the artist within society, the economy, the community, and the individual. That means getting acquainted with so many more areas.

And I just love that! I love learning new things, and I love making connections between an idea that was originally conceived within a specific context and a new context.