Audience Experience

Of all the big plays of the moment, no play does a better homage to the spirit of the tale than Network-currently starring Bryan Cranston.  It’s a perfect American story-created in England. The surrounding immersive media is just the beginning.  The line “I’m Mad as Hell” is presented perfectly the first time, and then highlighted as a regular battle cry-you wonder if this is made from a movie from the 1970’s (it was) or if it was written tomorrow. It takes too much of the insanity of the media-centric world to too many logical conclusions. It plays with your mind over and over, as if media is just an extended magic trick-constantly diverting your attention. For this play, it’s worth it to pay attention.

TCM is showing That's Entertainment and its subsequent successes for New Year's Eve.  The hosts are sitting around the TCM set (a fake home-like atmosphere) with champagne, in suits. As if they are watching along with us. An illusion upon an illusion, and lots of us (okay, me!) just eat it up. These are like the old fashioned TV clip shows, when the show wanted to show off all the hits of the previous season. These tribute movies were like extended commercials, just like others-especially those commemorating the Beatles and other glories of the 60's. Somehow, I missed that the glorious stars of yesteryear were walking through decrepit and decayed sets of MGM, right before they were turn down. I understood Sunset Boulevard (1950) instinctively.  I knew there was a sad quality to this time gone by-but yet, it was captured.  Those people LIVED and lasted through time, even though most were probably dead by the time I first saw them. My favorite movie is/was Perils of ...

Other than the distribution channels, what are the REAL distinctions between Film, TV and on line media?  Other than economics, prestige and tradition, there is no difference. For instance, if you are a writer with a brilliant script, you want to maximize the exposure and influence of your work.  If you are approached by producers of various media, you’d hope to get to the “top of the food chain”. Naturally, you’d choose a Film contract-assuming that the budget would be high, as it always is-each film requiring a unique production crew, sets, even a unique accountant.  Plus, you’d hope, that each scene would have intense focus and blood, sweat and tears poured into each shot for ultimately 90 minutes of story. TV has scales of efficiencies, presumably a production company already in place, cranking out “Made for TV Movies”, or better yet-they’d allow your idea to grow and breathe, beyond the scope of 90 minutes. Maybe a miniseries? Online media (i.e. Youtube, or...

Three Giant Women of theater have passed away in the space of just a few days. An influential director. A playwright of African American women and expanded territories, opening her arms to inclusion of multiple communities. (For Black Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf, a Choreopoem) A playwright of Hispanic women, opening the theater walls to audiences to Fefu and her Friends.  Staging was nontraditional, taking people beyond a stage to different areas -seeing scenes in various order. The world is better for them all. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/24/elyse-dodgson-royal-court-theatres-international-director-dies https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/obituaries/ntozake-shange-is-dead-at-70.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/obituaries/maria-irene-fornes-dead.html Ntozake Shange at the Dodge Poetry Festival, Sunday, October 21, 2018

This weekend, there is a Writer's Conference in Hartford, CT at the Mark Twain House and Museum.  2 days of authors, talks, workshops, discussions and just plain "trouble starting" (apparently in the Twain world, that's a regular in-joke) https://marktwainhouse.org/event/writers-weekend/ I've already THOREAU-LY enjoyed one day of it (half) and am making note of a few things so far: A) The sessions are wonderful, but the weekend seems especially small-like the size of a decent first-year attempt, but I believe this is not their first rodeo.  Personally, I LOVE that it is so small, bc I feel that I can get to know each participant, and there are not too many overlapping sessions. However, I'd rather make contact with MORE people and attend as many sessions as possible-noting the possibility of sneaking out of a dull one and into something better (the grass is always greener on the other side of the classroom wall-especially when you can hear them laughing...

Dreaming of Villa. There is a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, part of Atlantis, or maybe part of Portugal.  It has everything a modern day content creator would want.  Beautiful weather, wifi, amazing food. Oh, yes-and solitude.  The Villa is the main town (population 250+ residents?), the entire island maybe has a few thousand people.  Where does one need to LIVE to create content? And more to the point of this post in particular-where do I need to live? Most of the time, I exist in either NYC and Boston, and have my escapes during the summers when and where I can. My current roommate (and family member) is with the rest of the family on the island_i have all the time I need to write.  But what about the time spent offline? Can dreams provide enough of a vacation for me? How much of what we SEE online helps to shape our perceptions of our own lives? (And am I rationalizing, or can I get away with dreaming?) ;)

Invisible Magic IS Love. And "Love made visible" is the deeper mission of the Barter Theater.  When farmers couldn't offer money, they could offer things to pay for tickets. And then the actors got fed.  A way of living as close to the bone as you can, and being happy, truly happy, in a circle of friends who are in the same situation.  Much like the Fringe Theater, or all theater.