College has been a divine experience. I have received much of the independence I have craved for years and I have run with it. I am over committed (which is both my greatest joy and burden) and I am doing what I love nearly all the time. However, I have found myself supremely frustrated by my peers and colleagues in this new environment.
Art does not have to be experimental. Art does not have to be angsty. Art does not have to beat you over the head with a "shocking/thought provoking" message.
What is it about college students (and even the college environment) that makes them think something isn't art unless it's shocking? While they may find my appreciation for classical musicals and music dull and close-minded, I argue that they are equally if not more close minded in automatically rejecting the more traditionally performed pieces of art.
A Dallas friend sent me a package of reviews and playbills of many performances occurring in Dallas right now. I traveled to Dallas this weekend to attend an Arts Symposium (which was phenomenal--but more on that later...), and she intended for me to receive the package before our trip so that the CODA kids could see some great Dallas theatre. Sadly, I did not receive the package until I returned to Memphis. Happily, it has made my day and renewed my faith in traditional theatre. A recurring theme I found in the reviews was that many productions of modern shows were simply trying to hard. Contrarily, two of the more classical pieces (Pride and Prejudice and the musical Carousel) received rave reviews and wide acclaim from the city’s harshest critic.
The McCoy theatre at Rhodes College prides itself on doing more experimental pieces of theatre. I have not had the privilege of seeing any shows performed by the theatre (my first trip will be with Rocky Horror on Halloween), but it seems that there is the misconception that just because something is artsy and experimental, it is great art. This is a popular belief among my peers.
I adore classical musical theatre. Give me Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Jeanine Tresori—I love it all. Just because their musicals aren’t set in modern times discussing abortion, the war on Iraq, or transvestites doesn’t mean that they aren’t getting a message out at all. Carousel, for instance, discusses domestic abuse. The Sound of Music raises issues of remarriage and loyalty to your nation and your beliefs even in the most difficult circumstances. Oklahoma is the classic story of jealousy and rage completely out of control. West Side Story centers around kids with varying economic and racial backgrounds and illustrates the subsequent clashing dynamics of these kids. These musicals were written decades ago, but their themes are prevalent today (possibly even moreso than they were when they were written.)
Besides this, there is such beauty in the performances of these musicals. They must be put together well or not done at all. When done properly, these shows are simply glorious. What is wrong with theatre that simply makes you happy?
Is this why arts audiences in the 18-24 range are so small? Do my peers feel so strongly about the “shock factor” that they can’t appreciate anything else? Just because theatre is classic doesn’t mean it’s not getting out a message. Just because modern theatre is edgy doesn’t mean it’s effectively getting out any message at all.
This past spring I directed The Sound of Music. I put it together in just a few weeks and I was working with 40 high school kids. It was not the perfect show—the 7 von Trapp children had to be in high school so they were (maximum) four years apart rather than eleven. The sets could not be elaborate. New costumes could not be made. Nonetheless, I have never been prouder of anything in my life. The essence of the show was beautiful, and even in its rawness, the actors believed the characters they portrayed—something phenomenal for high schoolers. The Sound of Music is undoubtedly my favorite show of all time. I had boys in my show who had never seen the musical or cared for it at all, and they left loving it. If the actors you see portraying this family truly believe their characters, it’s impossible not to love the sincerity of the performance.
The kids in my show bonded more quickly and intensely than any I’ve ever seen in any show. They all remain friends and support each other in all endeavors. Seniors are friends with sophomores, Juniors with freshmen. And regardless of the outcome, as my theatre teacher/mentor expressed, “although great theatre is certainly what we all strive for, sometimes what happens off-stage between the real-life humans is what really brings everything together.”My dance teacher/advisor/friend Beth Wortley from Hockaday emailed me after I described how one of my Von Trapp kids cried for nearly an hour after the last performance:
“People are hungry to do something that makes them feel good about themselves and they love connecting with others...something that doesn't happen often enough in today's world.”
I couldn’t have put it any more eloquently.
My friends, I dare you to appreciate, perform, or enjoy classic theatre. Go see Pride and Prejudice. Go see Carousel. Dare to be traditional—you just might enjoy your experience.
2 comments:
Hear! Hear! Well done.
Katharine,
As the director of Rocky Horror AND Memphis' harshest critic I'm glad you're coming, and I'm glad you're thinking about these things. But aren't you also establishing some strange set of restrictions?
I once raved over CATS--- an awful show, in my opinion. But the production was exciting, full of energy and good old fashioned razzle dazzle. Even I couldn't hate it--- and God knows I probably wanted to.
I've likewise torn several experimental works to shreds, while praising others.
Forward thinking critics (and artists, for that matter)tend to value craftsmanship and risk in equal measures, even if they tend to show an affinity for one over the other.
But
A metaphor/riddle.
Some people go on vacation and explore unmapped caves; some people have Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts from all across the world. Who are the artists? They're the ones who observe something incredible that nobody's ever seen before (in quite the same way, anyway) in either place.
But there are distinctions to be made between what is art and what is simply wrote commerce. Often this is understood as a bias against traditional or popular craft/entertainments.
It's not about crunchy or smooth. It's all about a quality nut.
I hope you have fun at our little horrorshow.
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