Why blog?

I chose to devote my life to the theatre because of my thirst for knowledge and polymathic nature. One of the most beautiful elements of our art form is the research that is required in order to pursue it. Each production we stage brings a new understanding of psychology, history, geography, politics, literature, and much more. Being a theatre artist puts me in the position of a permanent predator of information. An action as monotonous as walking down a residential street in Brooklyn becomes an educational experience for me as my senses absorb summer humidity, Spanish music, and weathered wrought iron. I have a habit of collecting interesting pictures and reference books on any subject and I carry an electronic dictionary with me where ever I go. An unquenchable curiosity about the world in which I exist is not only a part of my job; it is a part of my nature.

With this blog, I hope to apply this innate need for observation and learning directly to my art. While studying theatre history with Amy Hughes, I was introduced to historically ground breaking dramatic literature, passionately conflicting theories, and the great and powerful Oscar Brockett, theatre historian extraordinaire. I discovered that the more I learned about the past, the more I was able to understand the present state of the theatre and the more informed my own theories became. The literature we were assigned sparked late night discussions and intellectual debates, which often resulted in a personal solidified opinion based on an understanding of facts. The two required semesters of theatre history only wet my appetite for more. I want to keep reading, analyzing and discussing, but this time in a more public forum. Working on this blog will allow me to submerge myself even further into the sea of dramatic literature and theory. In addition to friendly conversations over Ben and Jerry’s and animated subway speculations, I will compile an online record of these realizations and opinions that I continue to form as I continue to become informed.

There is also a correlation between knowledge and confidence that interests me. I need to exercise my ability to articulate and research in order to solidify an image of myself as a scholar and theorist. My humility is what is keeping me from beginning this blog as a drastic call to arms even though there are evident problems with today’s theatre. Instead, I am going to begin as a speculator, making suggestions here and there, but mostly defining the world I am talking about. From that point, I will feel comfortable enough to begin to offer opinions and criticism in a responsible manner. Eventually, I would like this blog to grow into a dynamic forum that is both making and answering the call to a progressive theatre.

So here’s to art, knowledge, and scholarship…you might as well pour yourself a glass of wine now.

A Start

For the past few days, weeks, months, I have been trying so hard to formulate what would make a good essay to describe my opinions and where I am coming from theatrically, creating a personal opening statement for me here at the blog. I thought it necessary to put out what I want, specifically, from our theater community as a sort of grounding thesis. But no such luck. When thinking of such difficult subject matter, my thoughts would scatter, leaving me unable to articulate things that were, and are, indeed in my head, yet suddenly unable to be formulated into some articulate dialogue of sorts; I was frustrated, for I was certain I had strong and coherent viewpoints while debating in my Theater History course this whole past year that, apparently, I was incapable of hanging on to.

In my time this summer away from intense and enlightening lectures from Professor Hughes, drunken Oscar Brockett reading, and wide-eyed late-night revolutionary talk spawned from reading the likes of Victor Hugo and the infamous Antonin Artaud, had I slipped my way down into the dregs of the ever-generalizing Post-Modernism, where self consciousness and a blatant disregard for gestalt rules all? I had come, as my Theater History course came to a close, to hold “Post-Modernism” in revulsion because I saw it as the lazy choice at a critical moment in the history of theater; Theater was growing, expanding its bounds, and so instead of remaining specific and being responsible for this highest of arts (as Artaud states in his The Theatre and Its Double), the theater world at large - particularly here in America, the King of Capitalism - somehow cracked and flooded with – literally – absolutely anything.

This morning, my consciousness shook me, reminded me that I am not creating this forum out of fear of being or becoming “Post-Modern”, but that I am upset and offended at the theory (or lack thereof) behind Post-Modernism. I do not think it is fair to lump the likes of Caryl Churchill, John Jesurun, Richard Foreman, and Robert Wilson (among all other practicing artists) into the same category – two of these individuals mentioned are bending back their bow, arching that arrow through the air with such diligence, care, and awareness toward an achievement greater than the confines of just the box in which their art is presented, that I cannot begin to fathom how the others seem to lack even suspicion as to what it is they clumsily clutch in their over-sized and under-achieving hands.

I want change – Growth – in the art of Theater, and to achieve this evolution I do not think coming outright with some outlandish, potentially asinine theory is the answer – that would be me succumbing to the need to be portentous that I see so much within Post-Modernism. Healthy Growth is gradual, and successful Revolution comes from strong ideas fueled by passion and a need to consistently know more about who we are, where we come from, and what is happening around us. So as of now, I have no “answers”, per se, but I know what I’ve seen, of which all I feel passionately about, some conforming very nicely to the non-conformity of Post-Modernism, earning more credit than they deserve, and others that are… hmm… something else, deserving far more credit than they earn.

Mission Statement

Reason

Our thirst for knowledge and scholarship is unquenchable and we dwell deeply in our curiosity of the world in which we exist. By producing a constructive outlet for our ideas, we hope to spark discussion and creative thought, and demand a more enlightened theatre. In the course of our research and writing, we hope to be improving awareness of ourselves as artists, theorists and critics. Through our publications we will endeavor to stir that same awareness in others. Although there is greatness within our theatre today, we feel most of it is masked by popular productions or averted by renowned critics. Through our discourse, we shall strive to awaken and capture that spirit of greatness in order to revolutionize our contemporary theatre.

Influences

Our need to create the Manifesto emerged from a continually renewed excitement and inspiration from studying theatre history with Professor Hughes at Brooklyn College. As we studied the progression of theatre, we became familiar with theorists and playwrights who called for a reevaluation of their art. We learned about Aristotle [1], whose ideas are always a great basis of comparison for later theories, Victor Hugo [2], who was willing to go against the rules by establishing the controversial genre of Romanticism, and Antonin Artaud [3], who asserted that theatre artists are responsible to deliver a higher awareness to the public. With the academic year coming to a close, and with our burgeoning excitement to discover the role in which we play at present, we were introduced to the post-modern muddle. Through history, theatre has sought to continually redefine itself based on ideals, either refuting or embracing theories of the past, so we were disappointed to learn that the post modernists are choosing to put an end to this growth, and propose the notion that there is no such thing as an original idea; everything that will be has already been. Further, its structure is so vague, that it encompasses all practicing artists. It is this pretension and lack of responsibility to the art that spurred the need for us to voice our opinions publicly.

Approach

We will take on this responsibility. We are observant artists with good ideas, and are confident in stepping up to the task of scrutinizing today’s theatre with the aid of historical texts. Tracing our contemporary theatre through its own history will consequently develop a deeper understanding for the art to which we chose to devote our lives. It is our intention that this understanding will foster growth and inspire new directions in our theatre.

1: Aristotle, Poetics, c. 335 BC

2: Victor Hugo, Preface to Cromwell, 1827

3: Antonin Artaud, The Theatre and Its Double, 1938