The Broadway League's Demographic Stats

So this update is actually brought to you via Thomas Cott of You've Cott Mail. I heartily recommend that you subscribe to his newsletter if you are interested in a huge range of theatrical ideas.

This particular edition of Cott Mail deals with the Broadway Leagues Demographic Study of the racial breakdown of their audiences and some interesting reactions to that study.
It makes for some fascinating reading and leaves some room for intensive thought.

So read away and ponder.


Tyler Coates, BlackBook magazine,   Shocker: Old White People Love Broadway


Marcia's Black Theater Blog         How come Lynn Nottage is not on Broadway?


Tom Loughlin, A Poor Player blog,   Is it so bad to admit that theatre is for white people?

Harry J. Lennix at ASU

Here is a pretty interesting clip of Harry Lennix and some of his thoughts on being a black actor. It is interesting, provocative and compelling because this is not the kind of conversation that we in Canada have. If you have thoughts on his thoughts then comment away. If you have lots of thoughts then send them to me and I will post them.


"Acting While Black" A Conversation with Harry J. Lennix. from ASU English on Vimeo.

You Need This

Shamelessly stolen from the Angry White Guy in Chicago blog a truly great article by Stephen Downes.

Things you really need to learn.

Dear Don Rubin

Further to the last post regarding  Non-Traditional Casting and Criticism I have received permission from Tony Nardi to post this email.

Dear Don Rubin,

I just heard about your  event at Tarragon Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 21, to debate the subject of “Non-Traditional Casting and Criticism.”  I hope I can make it. I hope Rocco Galati (Constitutional lawyer and producer of the filmed version of "Two Letters... And Counting!") can make it, as well.
It's too bad I wasn't informed earlier about this panel. Given the subject of Letter Two, which specifically takes issue with cultural stereotyping by critics, directors, actors (even those from non-Anglo and non-Franco
backgrounds), and from a centuries-old infestation of colonial mindsetting, it would have been interesting to be a part of it.
I confess, I find "Non-Traditional Casting and Criticism" problematic. It presumes that there exists a normal, standard position, set by a casting God, and another standard that deviates form the norm, and, that there are
people who are "like this", 'this tight' with the casting God and could define normal for all the others. Is casting a white Canadian male as Treplev or Trigorin with a phony affected English accent considered traditional (normal) casting in Canada? The answer is ‘yes’. Has been ‘yes’ for many years.

Oh...That Old Thing

So I got this today:   Event: Non-Traditional Casting and Criticism, Canadian Theatre Critics Association



and I thought...How nice. Another discussion about the relative merits of the Spider Phaeton 

vs



the Cocking Cart 

That's Gonna Leave a Bruise

So as I was reading Kelly Nestruck in the Globe and Mail this morning I followed the links and ended up an hour later shaking my head. Thanks Kelly.

  The link is this: So much drama!

  Really, go, follow, be astounded and lose an hour of your life.

So a couple of thoughts. One great comment asked why this exchange would get national and international coverage but nary a word in the local papers. Just one of those crazy things I guess.

But this does give me the perfect opportunity to trot out a spectacularly new personal theory of mine. One that, alas, has no basis in scientific fact but one that I am positive about.

Like the deadly and dangerous effects of landfill gas or marsh gas I posit that modern society has left such a huge amount of rotting hubris laying about that as it decays it exudes clouds of low hanging stupid gas. When a usually rational person walks through a cloud of this gas they are instantly afflicted with Stupid Gas Syndrome that causes them to open their mouths {or write a comment, blog post etc} in the classic Ready, Fire, Aim manner.

The only way to actually redeem oneself in such a situation is to go someplace quiet, take deep cleansing breaths of fresh air, admit that you were stupid, apologize and move on.

Alas for many that never seems to happen.


P.S. Kelly closes his article with this. "In the meantime, Haslam’s delivered a lesson to all thin-skinned artists out there: Don’t Google yourself."

Back in the day that was called an "ego search" I have done a few of those myself albeit only when well fortified with suitable alcoholic beverages. Kelly has good advice. Just don't do it.

Update

Well it has been a somewhat crazy six weeks. What with all the ongoing prep for next year, finding an office space, losing said office space, finding another better space, moving in and the creme de la creme, a cervical laminectomy. You can look at the link if you want. For myself I had it done and I am just trying to forget.

Thus the long winded lamentation regarding lack of posting. I will be attempting to remedy that over the next few days as I have actually had time to think about things instead of just be reactive.

Thanks for hanging in.

Writing About Africans

When writing about Africans:

"Broad brushstrokes throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than life—but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause."

Read more of How to Write about Africa

h/t 99 & Ta-Nehisi Coates

First post for the New Year

So a new year.
What with the Canada Council moving up its multi-year applications to Feb.1 it has been a time of head down and keep running on the wheel.
While I have been doing all this long range planning it came to me that there must have been a time when theatre was actually a more immediate art form. There must have been a time when something would come up, a play would be created and then bingo...on the deck.
Not so much anymore. Everything is a year or a year and a half away. It feels too much like living in the future and somehow letting the present slip by. I think it sucks.
I am starting rehearsals tomorrow for the remount of Intimate Apparel and frankly, instead of working on that I am working on the 2011-2012 season.
So until something comes up to change this particular paradigm I will leave you with a couple of links to fully buy into long range planning.

Here is a a recipe for egg nog that you can make right now so that it is ready for Christmas 2010. And here is the blog that got me thinking of doing this.

Happiness is......

After two days of talking about PACT issues I submit the following without comment.

B stands for...?

Now I know we all like to complain about critics/reviewers. I know that some have been taken off the comp list and another has a washroom named after them but I have never seen, in print, this:

The Bitch of Broad Street.


And we think we have it bad.

Then What?

It's funny that I should stumble over this today. I had an enjoyable conversation with one of the SLIP participants over at the Summerworks Festival and we were discussing whether or not there was actually a large enough theatre going audience to sustain all of the theatre in Toronto. This kind of noodled away at me and somehow I got into thinking how many opportunities seem to be now available and focused on emerging theatre creators.

Then this article popped up.

This is not a great cycle to be creating.

Not Quite Right

Ok I hate to start a new month off with a snark but well take a look and see what I mean




For me this image doesn't quite reflect what fight directors are trying to project.

Bad Dream Material

There are so many things that could be said about this.

I don't think I'll say much but really...I usually only get squicked by needles. This hit me in a place that I just don't want to think about.

Genealogical Reviewer Issues

Ok I am so not ready to understand the point of this post on the Arts Journal blog. I mean I have had suspicions about certain reviewers but this is perhaps a small toke over the line.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm?

First there is this Cultural Olympiad plans unveiled

and then there is this Art VIPs plot election strategy