Comments

1
Who could've predicted such drama?

European Music in the Twentieth Century
Howard Hartog - 1957 - Page 29
Questions of 'morality' have interfered in the past with the performance of Bartok's one-act pantomime, The Miraculous Mandarin (19 19). On more than one occasion the censors have balked at the fantastic story.

I wish I had seen it.
2
That SRL show was something I'll never forget, ever. The railgun shooting plasma at the viaduct where the cops were standing...
3
Maybe watch a run-through, Matt?
4
It's a spectacular piece of music; how were the people in the park supposed to hear it?
5
@3

While it was Richter's job to review the performance, and there's no excusing a lax vetting process, on a personal level I don't think I could fault a typical human being for maybe not giving full and undivided attention to 45 minutes of modern dance on DVD.

Or for maybe not carefully considering, all the way through, how the context of a public park might give rise to a different response in the observer than the context of a proscenium arch in a darkened theater.

Also: What percentage of families with kids do you figure are reading the notices of upcoming public park modern dance events in your community newspaper?

I'm about 99.all percent sure that this thing was cancelled not because someone was misleading about the nature of the piece, nor because someone else wasn't paying attention to warnings from the producers, but rather because an ordinary community resident or two witnessed the thing without having heard a blessed thing about it beforehand, and then put a humongous bug in the ear of the first community leader within reach.
6
In the end, this is just a costly pissing match, pitting Spectrum's financial and programmatic losses against Storefront's financial and reputational losses, because no one's going to accept any responsibility, admit failure and, in public, talk about what went wrong so that it doesn't happen again.

At this point it doesn't matter who falls on their sword, I'd just like to see some dialogue instead of a bunch of finger-pointing.
7
Oh Seattle.
8
@ 4. They rigged up some speakers (and figured out some permission to amplify in the park, which I think is normally prohibited).
9
It would seem that “appropriate” has become an ambiguous word and to Spectrum in means dry humping is OK and to Storefronts it means it’s not.
Seems that anyone who takes their children to a modern dance performance after 8pm would run the risk of exposing their child to nudity and overt sexuality.
10
What @7 said.
11
@9:

I don't believe the issue has anything to do with the response of people who knew about the piece and actively sought it out, as presumably they would already have seen information regarding the sexual content and been given an opportunity to make an informed decision regarding its appropriateness.

Where all this seems to break down is with regards to the response (or potential response) of people who may have encountered the piece inadvertently, while in the act of simply passing through the neighborhood, and having had no prior advisement at to the content. Spectrum seems to believe these concerns were addressed; Storefronts, apparently does not.
12
So fully clothed fake sex is the worst thing ever but a fake murder is nothing. Wow. Also, get the stick out of your ass Seattle
13
First, sex is the root of dance, which is why it is so often censored and proscribed, most notably (recently) in places like revolutionary Iran and the Taliban's Afghanistan (but let’s not forget "Footloose"). Second, one of the major roles of art is to provoke ("Art is not a mirror to reflect reality; it is a hammer to shape it" [or something like that] -- somebody or other). Third, the role of the impresario is to know, understand, and defend the artist’s vision, not pander and cave (immediately!) to the lowest common sensibility; otherwise you’re a hack, a ticket-taker, a fucking popcorn salesman. Finally, I didn't see it, but it doesn’t sound like there is anything in Miraculous Mandarin that people couldn’t expose themselves to by watching TV commercials.

If Richter doesn't understand any of this, he has no business in public art (he likely does understand it but probably still has no place in public art). What an asshole.
14
I was most concerned by how it affected my Service Orca.

Those naval tests mean that he still has flashbacks, and he ended up eating about 20 small puppies as a result.
15
A correction to Spectrum’s statement: The piece in the International Examiner previewing the Miraculous Mandarin performance and showcasing the work of Storefronts Seattle is written by a SCIDPDA staff member, and does not represent the agency.

An addendum to the statement: Spectrum’s goal in issuing the statement was to respond to the implication that we were not honest to Storefronts in our partnership. The personal attacks on Matt Richter are not productive and not called for. Whatever mistake was made does not mean that the public or the arts community should demonize Mr. Richter or the Storefronts Program. They have both done extraordinary things for local artists and the business districts that need revitalization, and should continue to do so. Spectrum’s ultimate goal is to secure a venue for The Miraculous Mandarin that stays true to the original vision for the audience to have a voyeuristic experience from a public space.
16
Someone of influence probably got mad at Richter during the 11th hour and out of fealty he did the spineless thing: He built up a head of steam, passed the buck and changed/forgot whatever details he needed to in order to make it seem like Spectrum, not he, were the bad guys.

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