| re: The Friday Kicker: is the American theatre helping or harming cultural polarization? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 02:54 am EST 11/16/24 | |
| In reply to: The Friday Kicker: is the American theatre helping or harming cultural polarization? - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:36 pm EST 11/15/24 | |
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| I applaud you for resurrecting the notion of a weekly discussion that sits as an overlay to the underlying discussions. About a third of the way down your post, you say "In an effort to keep this convo from splintering into a million bits...." I don't think that is possible because I think that even in your focus, there is a LOT to be unpacked, and that is far more than any one week can even make a dent in. In some respects, I think that by compressing we jump to conclusions. And there are elements on which no basic consensus is likely achievable. I think you are on the right track in some areas, but others result in over-generalizations or conclusions that lack a rigorous discussion that deserves its own week. I encourage you to slow this down but continue to push to make this survive here. A few random thought on yours words: 1. I think theatre is such a small component of our culture and I don't think its influence can be measured meaningfully in a culture largely driven by things like TV, streaming, social media, etc. Perhaps the best way to think of theatre is as the academy. 2. I think the bubble we call theatre is viewed as progressive, although in reality it is pretty conservative. That is an enormous challenge. We struggle to make theatre more inclusive (itself suddenly a dirty word) because we still have not succeeded in significantly broadening the populations attending theatre, the content we present. This is true not just on Broadway but all the way down to high schools. 3. We are not making enough good theatre at the highest levels with which to influence anybody, even ourselves. That has to change before any influence can be seriously described. There is only so long that we can rely on Hamilton to prove what this art form can achieve. 4. I don't think most of the people who voted for Trump are influenced by theatre because they barely know it exists. I would not describe them as conservative; I think the more apt term is oblivious. Personally I think the thing that will influence them to come back into the fold is will be (a) a realization that Trump is very bad for the country (that they would have understood if they had been paying attention), and the nurturing of people of influence need to come from the political sector within the communities that shocked us by how they voted (people like Gallego, Jeffries, and young men and women who aren't crackpot conservatives (a word I use with caution because what they just bought with their eyes closed isn't conservative at all). 5. I have a lot more, but I will stop. I do believe the experience of theatre is vitally important but I don't believe we are ready for that discussion. Finally, I resist the effort to separate culture and politics as if they are not the same thing. Of all elections, this one was about culture. I hope you are able to steer this discussion ship. I'll try to do my best to participate. I hope there is a critical mass. |
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| Previous: | The Friday Kicker: is the American theatre helping or harming cultural polarization? - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:36 pm EST 11/15/24 |
| Next: | So I don't think the American theatre is 'niche.' It's a thought laboratory. - GrumpyMorningBoy 03:02 am EST 11/17/24 |
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