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Re: RAT thought from iowa
thanks for the post dan (and was it catherine yesterday?) and eric before
that? i for one am enjoying hearing what you guys came away with since i
wasn't there to share it. would love to read others too.
matthew
Dan Dietz wrote:
> 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."