institutional blindness - in the sun, i feel as one, staring at the sea, the sun, i'm dumb - institutional journalism - bring on the dancing horses' ass - i did time, 2000 days in Pgh, heard Wilson speak at a Pitt function, wrote a college paper on 'fences' - introduced myself to him at Minnie's on Broadway a year fore his death - which institutional race card directed the Afro-American version of King Lear below seattle Center - (Every Scene knows who is 'right) - i had free tickets! .. thank you *MJM & Associates*!! RIP!! may Bailey Boushay, Virginia Mason, Fred Hutch, etc. grow because of our efforts -
Guess that means no black directors can tackle Shakespeare. 'Cause, you know, they just wouldn't interpret the material with the right amount of cultural sensitivity. And how could Alvin Ailey manage to mount a production of any classical ballet?
ARGGHHHH.
Society must ignore color, unless it means that your color isn't being seen as special and unique enough. The filtration of culture through differing viewpoints is what makes art in the first place.
This is an interesting post... On the one hand, I agree with what Brendan said about Bartâs abilities and August Wilsonâs work (I also agree that itâs tough to pronounce on this without sounding like a âcallous honkeyâ).
But, Iâm thinking, how would I feel about a man directing something like The Vagina Monologues or Top Girls? I donât know⊠I guess I would think it was a little weird, but Iâm not sure I would get up in arms about it. I certainly wouldnât think that thereâs no way that a man could possibly direct this play or have anything new to say about it.
And, isnât âworking out of their socio-cultural-historical contextâ something that actors do all the time? Why would we expect different from directors?
And one other thought â maybe these individuals are not pissed about Sherâs ability to direct the play, but that in choosing him, talented African-American directors were passed up.
I love J. Williams. I've been to guest-teacher classes of his. Also, I took a dance class from his wife. She's hot and smart as well.
I'm not sure. I think I mostly agree with Williams- Big, white corporate directors and theater boards get to "use" plays like Wilsons very conveniently- automatically giving them some diversity and social-issue credibility. But- theaters like Penumbra and the Pillsbury House and Mixed Blood are doing this work /all the time/, with smaller audiences and not as much visibility. And the Guthrie has no problem inviting smaller companies into its studio space to produce shows, but the Guthrie would never sponsor a show /at/ Penumbra.
On the other hand, largely white audiences should see August Wilson as much as possible, especially if they're not familiar with his work. So if theaters are producing him, even with a white director, then, great.
Directors should be able to identify with the material they are directing. It does NOT mean being colorblind, it just means seeing and wanting to investigate the play's issues for the unique problems they present. If the playwright has done a good job of making the issues and emotions universal and accessible (as Wilson does), then a wider range of artists and audiences can involve themselves.
Also, Twin Cities theater community represent. That is my 'hood.
I think Williams' point is more germane to the issue at-hand. It's not that white directors shouldn't be doing "black plays", but that the institutional racism of which he refers presents itself in the dearth of opportunities (perceived at least - I cannot speak to the veracity of his assertion) for black directors to direct anything BUT black plays.
All blacks know how to do anymore is complain, complain, complain, and most of their complaints are, on their face, great arguments for voluntary re-segregation.
@12 Most of the time when a director chooses the Indian Dorothy, it is a conscious "I want an Indian to play this part" rather than an unconscious "she's the most talented." or "she fits best into what I want this play to be."
This can be a great thing if the concept is original and well thought out but usually that is not the case. All a director will do is make a simple color tweak, without a clear specific vision (What Suzan Lori-Parks calls "simple math") and the results can be kind of insulting.
ARGGHHHH.
Society must ignore color, unless it means that your color isn't being seen as special and unique enough. The filtration of culture through differing viewpoints is what makes art in the first place.
But, Iâm thinking, how would I feel about a man directing something like The Vagina Monologues or Top Girls? I donât know⊠I guess I would think it was a little weird, but Iâm not sure I would get up in arms about it. I certainly wouldnât think that thereâs no way that a man could possibly direct this play or have anything new to say about it.
And, isnât âworking out of their socio-cultural-historical contextâ something that actors do all the time? Why would we expect different from directors?
And one other thought â maybe these individuals are not pissed about Sherâs ability to direct the play, but that in choosing him, talented African-American directors were passed up.
(But a man directing Top Girls? Awesome. An ALL-MALE production of same? Even awesomer.)
I'm not sure. I think I mostly agree with Williams- Big, white corporate directors and theater boards get to "use" plays like Wilsons very conveniently- automatically giving them some diversity and social-issue credibility. But- theaters like Penumbra and the Pillsbury House and Mixed Blood are doing this work /all the time/, with smaller audiences and not as much visibility. And the Guthrie has no problem inviting smaller companies into its studio space to produce shows, but the Guthrie would never sponsor a show /at/ Penumbra.
On the other hand, largely white audiences should see August Wilson as much as possible, especially if they're not familiar with his work. So if theaters are producing him, even with a white director, then, great.
Directors should be able to identify with the material they are directing. It does NOT mean being colorblind, it just means seeing and wanting to investigate the play's issues for the unique problems they present. If the playwright has done a good job of making the issues and emotions universal and accessible (as Wilson does), then a wider range of artists and audiences can involve themselves.
Also, Twin Cities theater community represent. That is my 'hood.
We're all Americans now.
And, news flash, white is the new minority, baby.
You know, like Showboat with a white lead, or The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is Indian and the Scarecrow is mixed race.
But, maybe that's just me.
This can be a great thing if the concept is original and well thought out but usually that is not the case. All a director will do is make a simple color tweak, without a clear specific vision (What Suzan Lori-Parks calls "simple math") and the results can be kind of insulting.