Whatever
That seems to be the overall tone of the theatropsherians of late, at least when it comes to theatre. "Whatever." But then, much of the theatrosphere isn't writing about anything as boring as theatre anymore, it's all about the presidential campaign. Why actually think up ideas when you can bash McCain and fret about whether Obama is being mean enough?
Even when someone like Teresa Rebeck raises the issue of the dearth of female playwrights, the best we can come up with is a stifled yawn, a shrug, and a relativist mumble? Tony Adams: "If audiences don't seem to care how does one expect a commercial/institutional producer to care? Not saying that's right, but that's how it is." Yawn. Whatever. Matt Freeman: " There may be an unconscious male bias in the decision making...but from where does that bias spring? Any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them." Ho-hum. I can't actually be bothered to come up with any ideas of my own. I'll just throw up a subject heading -- "Sexism in Play Selection," maybe? -- and see if anyone has anything to say.
Is there anybody actually thinking out there anymore? George Hunka and I have never seen eye to eye as far as theatre values, but damn it, he makes an effort to actually put some ideas out there. I click around my RSS feeds, and the only blogs I see addressing anything approaching ideas are the management and marketing blogs. Otherwise, it is a alternation between self-promotion, political musings, and open threads on general topics.
Bloggers, people read us because we have ideas, not because we figured out how to sign up at Blogger and Typepad. If we don't actually care about the theatre, if we don't actually have any ideas about theatre, then let's just shut down. It's been like naptime for weeks!
Even when someone like Teresa Rebeck raises the issue of the dearth of female playwrights, the best we can come up with is a stifled yawn, a shrug, and a relativist mumble? Tony Adams: "If audiences don't seem to care how does one expect a commercial/institutional producer to care? Not saying that's right, but that's how it is." Yawn. Whatever. Matt Freeman: " There may be an unconscious male bias in the decision making...but from where does that bias spring? Any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them." Ho-hum. I can't actually be bothered to come up with any ideas of my own. I'll just throw up a subject heading -- "Sexism in Play Selection," maybe? -- and see if anyone has anything to say.
Is there anybody actually thinking out there anymore? George Hunka and I have never seen eye to eye as far as theatre values, but damn it, he makes an effort to actually put some ideas out there. I click around my RSS feeds, and the only blogs I see addressing anything approaching ideas are the management and marketing blogs. Otherwise, it is a alternation between self-promotion, political musings, and open threads on general topics.
Bloggers, people read us because we have ideas, not because we figured out how to sign up at Blogger and Typepad. If we don't actually care about the theatre, if we don't actually have any ideas about theatre, then let's just shut down. It's been like naptime for weeks!
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Comments
Paul -- No, too shallow and boring.
As for Rebeck, yes, the dearth of productions of plays by women is a problem, and I for one have written about it several times this year alone, in print and on my blog. But consider too that Rebeck's screed (and frankly her tone isn't helping her any more than yours is you) is specifically about Broadway, which you've reminded us over and over again is not, in fact, the pot of gold at the end of the theatrical rainbow.
Scott, I cant say I disagree about the theatrosphere being quiet as of late on matters theatrical. You are right, it has been. I intrepret it to be many things not just some folks being so busy with theater that they cant post.
Would it be remiss of me to suggest that your site is alos alittle lighter post wise than it used to be?
Between fatigue, crazy schedules, and other pre-occupations, rehearsals, classes, etc things happen.
There are some I do think have decided to slow down. That is how I intrepret their absence. For whatever reason they have decided it better to just hang out and not stick their neck out too much cause either they lack interest in restarting specific debates or... who knows a ton of reasons.
This doesnt mean they should shut down their sites or some such non-sense.
Please do continue to encourage and create the sort of theatrosphere you desire, but realize that not everyone is going to so boldly shout out that they are taking a break as a certain someone has a various occasions.
A litle cojoling? Why not...but the sort of scolding...hmmmm... perhaps honey instead of vinegar?
Bob -- Good, slow down. I've slowed down -- I'm in rehearsal. So I don't post. I don't post a bunch of superficial junk and shrugs just to keep people coming to the site.
Too much honey in the theatre. We need some vinegar.
You want vinegar? Here's my run down:
Decentralization and ruralism: mostly don't give a shit, unless you're fucking with my home.
Lack of women playwrights: give the mildest of shits.
Anything in American Theatre magazine: absolutely don't give a shit.
Artist as a viable profession: give so little of a shit that I might almost fight against the idea.
Copyright: give a shit.
The work taking place in the Chicago art scene: give a big shit.
Politics: couldn't give less of a shit.
Making sure that my fellow bloggers remain entertained: not my fucking concern.
Things that interest me: my fucking concern.
If the last one doesn't play into the penultimate one, I guess you're just fresh outta luck, aren't you, Scott? Shallow and boring as I may be, I'm keeping myself and at least a certain amount of others (shock! awe!) interested and engaged. Because the things I do give a shit about, and they are legion, are the things that I will find myself coming back to as I free associate.
If you can't hear that relativist mumble over your disinterest, then yeah, whatever is right. It's coming through full volume on my end.
And in case you haven't noticed, I don't really give a damn about "going over well." We're talking about responsibility. A retreat into "it's my blog and I can write what I want" is a lame excuse for not taking responsibility for the state of the art form.
It's a solipsistic world and it always has been. I'm trying to find connections between my solipsism and others. I see myself as succeeding. You're trying to break others free of their solipsism. You're throwing up your hands in frustration because you find hall monitor of the blogosphere not going as planned.
Another nadir, I assume? Do your thing, man, it seems to be working for you in that 'hey, look at me, i'll show you the right way, but trust me when i say i'm not self-centered, i just happen to have been gifted with the only answers that matter' way. I'll sit over in my cave where apparently apathy and lack of awareness are synonymous.
I mean, I'm looking at my blog, my last big theatre post was two weeks ago. It's been very politics heavy since then, I'll fully admit that, and today I was like "well, I've got some stuff to say about how playwrights are represented on stage from what groups etc. in response to that Rebeck thing" and so I'll probably have another one today or tomorrow. Okay, so that'll be like two weeks. In that time, I've been following both conventions closely, exploring an American city and meeting with people in theatre there all day while spending time on vacation at night, and dealing with some serious writers block on projects that i'm getting paid to do, and all the day-to-day of being a director.
I'm not trying to be defensive here, I'm just explaining the gap in theatre-related content. It also came after a very long period of focusing on theatre, including the 10 part re:HTFA series etc.
I first saw the Rebeck article yesterday, and it's talking about very sensitive issues I don't want to post too hastily about, which is why I haven't posted about it... yet.
I wonder why a couple-week gap is enough to make you think we should all shut down our blogs? I think about theatre constnatly, I read about it all the time, I'm in conversation with my fellow artists and professionals both online and in real life. I fI don't feel like I can articulate something into a good blog post, I hold off on it.
Why don't you invite some guest bloggers to post at Theatre Ideas? Maybe you can find four guests for four weeks or something.
Even if you don't agree with what they say, it'll give those bloggers an opportunity to write something substantial that they'll be able to share at your very prominent venue.
I'd love to see guest posts by Matt Freeman, Mike Lawler, Karen Evans and maybe another member of the University of North Carolina's drama faculty. Or maybe even a post by one of your students . . .
When Simon Ogden asked me to write a guest post at The Next Stage, it became one of the most rewarding writing experience of the year for me. I'm sure there are hundreds or writers out there who would be thrilled to appear in the Theatre Ideas space.
Just a thought for keeping the ideas flowing.