Tag Archives: theatre

It has been a very interesting week for me.

My review and thoughts on “Providence Gap” created quite a lot of discussion, both here, on FaceBook and in conversations I’ve had around town.  That post received the most “hits” of any blog post I have posted.

I thank all of you who read it, whether you agree with me or not.  So far, almost everyone I’ve talked to has agreed with me.  But I’m sure almost everyone tells the folks at Triad Stage they loved “Providence Gap”.  People don’t like to be impolite.  Neither do I.

I will start by saying I have re-read my blog post several times and I stand by my comments completely.

With one exception:  I think I was unintentionally a little too harsh on Preston Lane.  While I stand by my comments on “Providence Gap”, the Appalachian series and “Julie’s Dance”, as I reviewed his credits last night, I realized how much I had enjoyed some of Mr. Lane’s other adaptations.

Like most consumers, theatrical or otherwise, the bad usually stands out at the expense of the good in our memories as time passes.

I want to give praise, where it is due, just as I will give criticism where I think it is due.

Mr. Lane did a great job in his adaptations of “Ghosts”, “Hedda Gabler” and “Dracula”.  I thank him for those works and those enjoyable evenings at Triad Stage.  He has also shown great talent as a director.  However, when you are the Artistic Director of a professional theatre company, you have to be ready to accept good feedback as well as bad.

That brings me to some thoughts on blogging…

I read blogs for a long time before I started one.  I’ve only been blogging since December and I’m constantly amazed that more and more people are reading this blog.  I decided to throw my thoughts out into cyberspace as an outlet and for fun.  I never really thought whether someone else, outside a few friends, might want to read them.  They do.  I’m surprised when I run into people around town and mention my name, for some reason, and they say:  “Are you the blogger?”  It’s been an adjustment to think of myself that way.  But yes, I am a blogger.  I’m proud to say so.

I think bloggers are essential to communication today.  With most of the traditional media outlets owned my big corporations and news mixed up with entertainment, I’ve long depended on political blogs for my news and information.  With the local traditional media being swallowed up by corporations and conglomerates, you don’t see as much local news coverage as you once did.

And you see almost no Arts coverage.  No one in the local media reviews local Theatre or other Performing Arts anymore.  That’s why blogging is essential.  We have to create our own information sharing process.  That’s why I intend to continue to provide my thoughts on the local Arts scene when I attend performances.  I hope you will, too.

I’ll also say that what few traditional critics still remain don’t carry the weight they once did.  Shows can survive horrible reviews in the New York Times and still run.  Example:  “The Adams Family.”  Shows can also get great reviews and be derivative, boring and deeply flawed.  Ex:  “The Shining City” and “Pillowman”.

Word of mouth is much more important now than it used to be.  But it doesn’t always get to the producers.  That’s why we need blogs in the Triad.  I’m really not sure the folks at Triad Stage were hearing what I and others were saying about “Providence Gap” until I posted on my blog.  And quite a lot of people were saying it.

Now if you Google Triad Stage and “Providence Gap” you not only get the Triad Stage press releases, you get our blog posts.  This is an important change due to the internet age.  We can all comment and express our opinions.  And others can read them.   Then they can make up their own minds.  It’s really free speech at it’s most basic level.  No one controls the dialogue.

It’s too easy for us to be caught up in our own bubbles, silo’s or echo chambers today.  With Triad Stage and other organizations, I worry that so many people want something from them- parts in plays, jobs, productions- that it is getting harder for them and other Arts organizations to get real feedback from their audiences.  Standing ovations mean nothing in the theatre now.  Audiences think they are expected.  Hell, in New York, they even applaud the scenery changes.

I don’t want anything but good theatre that expands the heart and mind.

So I’m going to continue to blog.  I hope you will continue to read it.  I also hope you will continue to give me your comments and your feedback.  I no longer do this just for my amusement.  I’m finding a sense of community and a dialogue that I am enjoying immensely.

We live in an increasingly polarized and isolated society and blogs can help us rebuild our fractured communities.  They allow we busy people to communicate at our own time and speed.  They let us share ideas, thoughts and opinions in ways that daily interaction in a Politically Correct world often prohibits.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me and I welcome comments, both good and bad, on this blog.  As long as they are civil.  This is an open forum and I plan to keep it that way.

I also encourage others to start their own blogs.  I’ve enjoyed many other great blogs here in Greensboro, the Triad and the state of North Carolina as much as I enjoy some of the national blogs I read daily.  It’s really easy to start a blog.  I recommend WordPress.com.  You can start your basic blog for free and be up and running in a matter of minutes.

So again, my thanks to all of you who bother to read this blog and apologies to Preston Lane for overlooking the good works he does due to the impact of one really bad night in the theatre.

Let’s keep the dialogue going…