RAT thought from iowa

[dan@salvagevanguard.org (Dan Dietz)]

Just now starting to piece together some thoughts on the conference this
weekend.  Have to say I was blown away by the atmosphere of genuine
goodwill and hospitality.  We all got together and paid strong attention to
ideas and issues larger than ourselves.  Squabbling was at a minimum
(except in bars after 6 or more pitchers).  Some amazing ideas on art and
politics were shared.  Here are some things I carried back with me to
Austin.

Take it to the streets.
Theater reclaims spaces for the masses by equalizing the people within
them.  It removes hierarchy and focuses them on a common experience.  Take
it to the sidewalk.  Take it to the coffee bar.  Take it to the sickly-lit
cubicle, the board room, the parking garage.  Take it to the steps of the
capitol.  Do it right next to a lexus, make that nervous alarm chirp.

Theater is subversive by nature.
In fact, you have to WORK to make theater non-subversive.  Anything that
gathers people together and asks them to focus on a single (non state
sanctioned) idea together is revolutionary.  Art at its purest will make
secure people uneasy, and uneasy people empowered.  Stop trying to please.
It's just not what the art form does.

The political comes naturally from the personal.
Any act performed with true passion is political.  Instead of trying to
figure out intellectually where you fit into the overall political scheme,
do your art for a while--with truth and passion--and you'll see pretty
clearly where your social heart is.  Erik said at one point:  "Instead of
searching for the Enemy, maybe we should be searching for the Artist."

America isn't free of terror.
Don't make the mistake of viewing this country as a giant mass of privilege
and safety.  An African-American artist named Lee (sorry, I never wrote
down last names) reminded our group that in this country of supposed
internal stability, he does NOT feel safe.  Joe, who put me up for the
conference (many, many thanks), told me about two of his friends who were
considering moving from the old house they had painstakingly and lovingly
restored because they were receiving threats on a regular basis because of
their sexual preference.  Don't let thinking internationally blind you to
the terror right here at home.

To everyone who shared in Iowa:  You all rock.

--Dan

Salvage Vanguard Theater
www.salvagevanguard.org
1705 Guadalupe Street, Suite 301
Austin, Texas  78701
PH: 512.474-SVT-6, FAX: 512.474.SVT-0
"I hate theater."