Smoking onstage, the Russian obsession with ballet, and theatre on theatre
News
We are entering my second month as writer for the News and Notes blog, and I thought it would be a good idea to get a better idea of the man I'm currently working under, Minnesota Playlist editor Ira Brooker. To do so, I invited him over to my home and we recorded a podcast that ranged from awful film and theatre to what Ira wants to accomplish with his tenure as editor.
As we mention in the podcast, Ira is looking for ideas and pitches for articles at Minnesota Playlist, and you can e-mail him at [email protected]. He's also looking for theatre reviewers with an introspective bent. If you feel strongly about a show you've seen and want to write about it, he's the man to contact! He may be willing to give your theatrical musings an audience for wider discussion.
Onward!
Local
Minnesota State senator Barbara Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, has proposed a bill that would ban smoking onstage. I was surprised when I read about it--I'd thought, as an issue, this was buried and I needn't worry about it ever again. I was apparently wrong.
This likely isn't a surprise, but my bias is on the side of theaters and directors that want to use real cigarettes if they feel the choice would aid the production. I have to assume that there was some push for Goodwin to introduce the bill, but the article does not make it clear if Goodwin has more than one constituent clamoring for a ban of onstage tobacco use.
Besides the heath concerns of cigarette smoke exposure, Goodwin also cites concern for children influenced by a "glamorization" of smoking onstage. Any show that I can think of that might have smoking (like Venus in Fur) are typically adult themed and I wouldn't be inclined to bring a child anyway. Can anyone name me a play for children, one you would take a child 12 years and under to, that has ANY smoking onstage? I'm genuinely curious.
Humorous aside: first Google results for "Barbara Goodwin" came up with this page. If you want "Sexy Romantic Adventures," by all means click. SFW, unless your workplace is vehemently against romance novels.
International
As Brian Palmer explains at Slate, Russians love ballet. I'm linking to this because it was helpful in my conception of what's going on with the Russian ballet scene, though I will confess that you'd probably have to live in Russia to truly understand it. And maybe not even then.
But I don't think you want to go that far: in January, Sergei Filin, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, had sulfuric acid thrown in his face. The man responsible was revealed as Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who confessed to hiring men to carry out the attack. Though the motives aren't entirely clear, the attack seemed to be precipitated by Dmitrichenko's insistence that his girlfriend, ballerina Anzhelina Vorontsova, dance the lead role in Swan Lake. I don't know why the artistic director saying no led to the attack, but it tragically did and Filin is currently recovering.
As if that weren't depressing enough, a delving deeper into these articles reveals that conflicts, attacks, and sabotage are almost commonplace in Russian ballet culture, and it seems to stem from an pervasive obsession with the art form.
There's No Business Like Show Business
Theatre about theatre is sometimes hit-or-miss for me. This article encapsulates why in its closing paragraph:
"Personally, I always feel more comfortable at plays that acknowledge the weaknesses of theatre and its people than those that imply their superiority to other jobs and bods. Enjoyable though A Chorus Line and Trelawny of the Wells are, their boasting about the joy of show business occasionally feels like one of those Christmas letters about how wonderfully someone's offspring have done."
The weaknesses of the business, I think, also make for far more interesting material. A Life in the Theatre and Noises Off! come to mind as effective plays that mine the idiosyncrasies of the stage for dramatic and comedic effect, and the Theater People web series would appear to be doing the same.
Bachelor of Comedic Arts
Want a degree in comedy writing and performance? Columbia College has you covered. When you graduate, you can go to the Upright Citizen's Brigade grad school!
That's what we call a "callback," folks. You get that one for free. Columbia College likely won't be as generous.
How do you think scholarships will be awarded?
Updates!
Speaking of UCB, here are a few other updates from previous weeks in the blog:
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In response to John Lahr's article "The Illumination Business", blogger Diep Tran advocates for more people writing on theatre, which means more people will see and talk about theatre.
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Further gossipy developments on the Baldwin/LaBeouf Feud of 2013 continue, with a rather good quote from Baldwin on differences between stage and film actors and LaBeouf responding with more pictures of his e-mails. I will continue to update on this kefluffle as long as my gossiping heart gets the better of my sense of shame.
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More on Rick Shiomi's history and impact as playwright, director, and artistic director of Mu Performing Arts can be found at the Star Tribune and in his own voice here at Minnesota Playlist.
Buck Up You Melancholy Danes
I'm certain many of you are familiar with Slings & Arrows, the Canadian series centered around a Canadian Shakespeare festival. If not, it's available for streaming on Netflix. I mention it now that it might be a good time to revisit the show with the AV Club's rewatch. I had an idea to do that and now wish I'd followed through.
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That's it for me this week--it's my 30th birthday today and I'm going to enjoy myself. Let me know what you think about this week's notes in the comments!
