Re: RAT, The dramaturgy of...

[jonoh1@juno.com]

On Wed, 17 Jan 2001 21:14:43 -0600 "Laura Winton"
<fluffysingler@prodigy.net> writes:

> 
> I also, however, teeter between my intense desire to be "liked" as 
> an artist vs. my desire to provoke the audience somehow.  I'm not 
> sure you can really do both--not if they're taking you seriously, 
> anyway.

I would venture the guess that it all depends on how you define "liked".
But I certainly believe that one can provoke one's audience and still be
respected, feared, admired, listened to and have a certain faction of
their audience approve of their work. (Assuming that approve=like). I
would even go so far as to say that it is the artists responsibility to
provoke and audience. As long as it isn't gratuitous. 

> 
> The attitude I mentioned in my previous post and that I'm reacting 
> against is that people somehow need to be protected from or have 
> their hands held in coming to work that is outside of the 
> mainstream.  

I view audiences as children in need of guidance. I see no difference
here. That is not to say that they are immature. It is to say they are in
our care and must, by the nature of our art form, be led, sometimes
quietly, sometimes harshly, into the light of theme and emotion. Should a
parent worry about being liked by their child. Yes, of course.  But not
if it gets in the way of the rearing. Not if you ask me anyway.


That it has to be sugar coated so that like icky 
> medicine, it can be tolerated--because "art" is good for you. 

But again. Why is this so horrible? I hate medicine. If I want a spot of
Julie Andrews to go with my cod liver oil then damnit, get me some momma.
This does not mean that the ingredients in the medicine should be changed
(ie: the text of a play, etc) but I'm all for marketing and if society
needs me to soften the sell, I'll soften it. I won't soften the medicine,
though. Not a chance. 

  
> Also, living in the Minneapolis everything here seems to be geared 
> towards the suburbanites.  I think I might have brought this up 
> before.  Most of the downtown virtually shuts down once corporations 
> close for the day and everyone heads home.  There is no culture, it 
> seems--mainstream or alternative--that doesn't eventually seek out 
> the people who treat the city as their playground and then head home 
> somewhere else.  There's very little that is here for the people who 
> live in the city and make it their home.  So it almost feels like 
> we're the "zoo" and they're coming to look at the exotic city 
> dwellers--the artists and people of color and the homeless people 
> and whoever else they might encounter on their trip to Oz and we 
> have to make sure the neighborhood isn't scary and the art isn't 
> scary and the homeless people are just scary enough to make them 
> grateful.  

I love Minneapolis. I think it's a vibrant, exciting city that's had a
strong historical effect on the American theatre scene. (Though why you
would hang through one winter baffles me.) Artists, unless they are
working in a vacuum, <must> seek an audience. So it's in the suburbs in
Minneapolis. Again, why is that so bad? I'm sorry you feel like a "zoo"
creature, but that isn't necessarily how you're being viewed. I'd be
curious why you live there if there's that little in your neighborhood
for you to experience.

Sometimes I resent it.  The work I do reflects where I 
> have chosen to live and the people that I live among and in many 
> cases, celebrates that.  

More power to you for that very thing. But remember, you've <chosen> to
live there.

And when I am told that we have to package 
> it just right and make it acceptable to the people who would just as 
> soon go to Cats, it makes me want to be as confrontational and "fuck 
> the audience" as I can possibly muster.  

Who tells you that? The Fringe Festival? They're pushing a Festival, not,
directly, your show. You can push your show any way you choose. But all
Festivals, by their very sycophantic nature, MUST pander to the lowest
common denominator to try and gain success. Or die. Really that simple.

> 
> Are those probably the people I most want to reach with my work? 
> Absolutely!  Will I?  Even if I do welcome them and fan them and 
> feed them grapes????  If I build it, will they come?  So yes, I know 
> that my reaction and my irritation leaves me in danger of always 
> playing to the choir.  Maybe I should be grateful that people are 
> willing to "market" us.  But you know what--the people that are 
> drawn in by that marketing don't come to our shows--and they don't 
> go to the shows that I think are the best ones in the Fringe.  
> They're still drawn to musicals and sex and certain types of shows, 
> and more and more room will be made to accomodate those shows--

Hold on a second. Is this an adjudicated Festival? Or is it first come
first serve? And don't discount for a second the plusses that a
successful generic theatre squat in the middle of your neighborhood could
do to address the very problems you stated earlier. It's all economy. The
bar next to the theatre feeds the restaurant next to the bar sitting next
to the thrift store that's been there for years but suddenly has new
customers, etc. Let's not kid ourselves too much here. Art in a
capitalist society is art in a capitalist society. Our
struggle/goal/agenda is to keep it as pure as possible while not turning
our backs on its need to be seen.

Loving this conversation.
Jonathan



the 
> ones that bring in the crowds so schmoes like me can do what I do to 
> a small house and be grateful.
> 
> Sigh.  Sorry.  This took an ugly depressing turn.
> 
> 
> Laura Winton
> fluffysingler@prodigy.net
> www.karawane.org
> 
>  
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: jonoh1@juno.com 
>   To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com 
>   Cc: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com 
>   Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2001 10:27 AM
>   Subject: Re: RAT, The dramaturgy of...
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   > 
>   > Obviously, anyone who chooses to come to one of our shows 
> instead of
>   > Showboat--we rush up and hug them and I fan them and feed them 
>   > grapes
>   > throughout the entire performance (occasionally slapping them 
> with 
>   > spare
>   > ribs and yelling FUCK).
> 
>   But, you see, this confuses me. On the one hand you say you'll 
> embrace
>   those brave soldiers who find their way to your doorstep, while on 
> the
>   other you find it distasteful to market specifically to that group 
> who
>   would never come see your meat show otherwise. So, are you saying 
> that
>   it's the actual <marketing> of your show that you don't like? The
>   packaging? The hard (or soft for that matter) sell? Do you feel 
> this
>   cheapens the experience somehow? 
>   Need to know.
>   Must needs know.
>   Jonathan
>   >

www.ezrabuzzington.com