I’m always startled by echoes of what ails academe in your cultural commentary. But since theater is part of the arts and humanities, this overlap is not surprising: “There are, actually, all kinds of ‘poor theaters’ all over the U.S., but they don’t believe in themselves, and audiences, who have imbibed the Broadway pyramid-scheme, don’t believe in them either. It’s time for them to start.”
My only exposure to proper theater was going to a production of Little Shop of Horrors. As such, my impression of the medium has been Movies without all the magic. But thirty years alter...I'm intrigued by the poor theater concept. The live-wire connection between audience and actors.
To tenously tie into your next item, it sounds very avante-garde, but not in the completely off-putting way that I've lost taste (and paitence) for as I've grown into a comfy middle class bureaucrat with slightly artistic leanings.
This essay is smooth, worthy of glass and framing on the wall. Because you stay with the light touch Wallace worked on and stay there, so that those of us with the influence angst can simply hang, there, for a few more, getting to know you, glad to meet you DFW, seconds, before he is gone and everybody can breathe normally again. Appreciate this for the absolute seconds, that absolute adjective , we see it around substack, absolute dollars and etcetera...
I’m always startled by echoes of what ails academe in your cultural commentary. But since theater is part of the arts and humanities, this overlap is not surprising: “There are, actually, all kinds of ‘poor theaters’ all over the U.S., but they don’t believe in themselves, and audiences, who have imbibed the Broadway pyramid-scheme, don’t believe in them either. It’s time for them to start.”
My only exposure to proper theater was going to a production of Little Shop of Horrors. As such, my impression of the medium has been Movies without all the magic. But thirty years alter...I'm intrigued by the poor theater concept. The live-wire connection between audience and actors.
To tenously tie into your next item, it sounds very avante-garde, but not in the completely off-putting way that I've lost taste (and paitence) for as I've grown into a comfy middle class bureaucrat with slightly artistic leanings.
This essay is smooth, worthy of glass and framing on the wall. Because you stay with the light touch Wallace worked on and stay there, so that those of us with the influence angst can simply hang, there, for a few more, getting to know you, glad to meet you DFW, seconds, before he is gone and everybody can breathe normally again. Appreciate this for the absolute seconds, that absolute adjective , we see it around substack, absolute dollars and etcetera...
Thanks for this. A reminder: All Theatre needs are words and actor to say them. And that ain’t easy.