Watch this first and then read my little rant and feel free to comment.
Any time anyone says, “I want to do something new and modern with theater — people think theater is long and boring, and we want new and cool” that’s red flag for me — because Directors have been saying this since the late 50s, arguably the 20s, and have been making asses out of themselves and alienating even more people ever since. Modern theater pieces are generally the result of Directors who have not learned from the past or are trying to fix something that is either not broken or too broken to fix.
The “so new it’s been done a million times” production is called “The Moon is to Live On,” a Meow Wolf Production. Thanks to Amanda Congdon for the fodder for thought.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
So did you see the play? It was fun and awesome. I’m not so fond of theatre, but I liked it. It managed to be funny and engaging and moving.
@AoT: No, I have not seen the play, I was just responding to the language of the director. Directors have been saying the same thing for close to 100 years now, and it is just funny that each one seems to want to innovate in the same way. It probably a hoot and a holler and I am not judging the play, I am simply saying it was nothing new. But every community should have one and the fact that there were no experienced actors means it was probably awesome and it was a bonding experience and really, truly, community theater.