Been out Cruizin'
Dunkirk, NY – I have been out cruizin’ the web to try to catch up on as much theatre blog reading as I can over the past six months I have been inactive. One thing is for sure: the blogosphere is certainly an experience of the “now.” Disappear for six months and stuff simply moves on by you. But another observation, if I may: very little changes. Controversies arise, ideas (and words) are exchanged, events are promoted, opinions are expressed, but theatre, on the whole, largely remains unchanged – and unimportant culturally. All the blogs in the world seem to make very little difference in terms of any positive movement towards a greater cultural acceptance for theatre and the arts in general.
So what did I run across so far that I found of interest? Here is a quick run-down of some of the interesting things I’ve come across so far:
- This is the text of the speech delivered by Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, at Stanford’s commencement. I originally saw it on the LitDept blog. My favorite quote from it is: …I must risk offending many friends and colleagues by saying that surely artists and intellectuals are partly to blame. Most American artists, intellectuals, and academics have lost their ability to converse with the rest of society. We have become wonderfully expert in talking to one another, but we have become almost invisible and inaudible in the general culture. Blogs, it seems, may be responsible for exacerbating the problem.
- Some buzz also occured again about the New York City-centrism of both blogging and theatre in general. Been there, done that. Seems that Scott Walters over at Theatre Ideas took the heat this time based on some comments about centralization in theatre.
- Speaking of Scott, he has also been talking about the concept of tribalism in theatre organizations. I like reading Scott, because we’re generational contemporaries faced with many of the same issues and problems in our careers. But in reading this post, I couldn’t help but think that if one thought of theatre as a tribal enterprise, then it’s no wonder that, like the American Indians, we’ve been relegated to the “reservations” of our culture. We attempt to maintain a “traditional” form of art as the culture around us becomes more of a technological behemoth. Of course, the American Indians did not lose the so-called “Indian Wars” because they were stupid or lacked great tactical leadership; they lost because they were faced with overwhelming technology and a cultural mindset which passionately believed in their annihilation. Theatre vrs. TV/Movies/Disney Broadway? Same fight.
- Finally, there was this piece from Simi Horowitz in Backstage via Rob Kendt, who writes The Wicked Stage. Absolutely real, absolutely engaging.
It leaves me wondering where does real change begin? This is a very critical question for me, because as someone engaged in public education, it seem I really need to re-think in some manner how I will continue to approach the classroom. I like writing, to be sure, and I am in some ways glad to get back to this blog. But I cannot hold any illusions that writing will be a catalyst for change. it helps me clarify thought, but thought must be put into action. I need to figure out, and quickly, what form that action will take. -twl
