Politics, anyone?

Hey, look at this cool stuff

There's plenty of stupid stuff to despair over this week, so let's first get a quick rundown of things that aren't so bad. That way we can have happy thoughts to hold on to as we slog through deeply uncomfortable political conversations that only leave people feeling angry and hurt. It'll be like getting dessert at Thanksgiving before your racist uncle and your cousin in college who just read Das Kapital for the first time open their big mouths.

(1) Remember all that angry, confusing stuff about Equity's change to the 99 seat plan in LA? You know, the one you don't think you should be concerned about, because you're not in LA? Well, let's talk about something else instead: Equity members just voted out their old president and voted in a new slate of officers. You Minnesota types might recognize one of the new Eastern Region councillors: Sid Solomon.

(2) Have you ever been so self-centered that you thought a play should be performed for you and you alone? Now you can act on that urge, with the new "world's smallest theater" in New York.

(3) Did you ever look through casting calls at Backstage.com and think that the gender choices were too limiting? Thanks to casting for an upcoming production of Taylor Mac's Hir, that website has added a transgender option to its actor profiles.

(4) Did you ever hear someone make a joke about writing a musical for deaf people? If so, you have just learned how to identify an awful person. And now there really is such a thing, so that joke is pointless anyway.

(5) Have you ever looked around the Twin Cities and thought, "Damn, why are there so many playwrights around here?" Well, here's why. And, as an added bonus, here's why many of them turn to self-production instead of waiting to be discovered.

(6) Do you like the Twin Cities Horror Fest? It's still alive. It just announced its lineup for this year. And it's standing right behind you.

(7) And, finally, have you ever wished that all record of the Guthrie ever producing anything would be shoved into a hole deep underground? Congratulations! You're getting your absurdly specific wish! And it will only cost $100,000.

OK, happy fun times are over. Let's talk politics…

Wacky legislative shenanigans

Last week on News and Notes, we talked about the crazy last minute wrangling at the state capitol to get budget bills on to the governor's desk before the deadline. This session's budget fights, replete with closed door deals, poison pills, last-minute addendums that no one had time to read, and calculated procedural chicanery made for the worst budget session we've ever seen in this state, except for literally every other one that has occurred to date.

Lost in the scuffles over education, transportation and medical spending were two items that might make you theater types out there actually pay attention.

Firstly, the hotly-debated funding for the Minnesota Film and TV Board and its Snowbate program, to which House Republicans offered a friendly boost by completely zeroing out its budget. Just like teaching a kid to ride a bike by slashing its tires and throwing it into a dumpster, I suppose this was one of those "strength through adversity" things that conservatives like to preach about so much (unless it's being applied to a major donor). Fortunately, the compromise jobs bill in which the Board's money was contained ended up passing the House and Senate with funding restored. Unfortunately, Governor Dayton vetoed the bill due to various other reasons. So, as this poor bill will get kicked around some more in a special session, feel free to remind your legislators why we need a film and TV board.

Or you could escape back to your little Legacy Amendment-funded artsy world, where all that free government money just rains down on you all day every day. This biennium's Legacy bill passed the House with the 47% funding promise intact. However, the House didn't get this done in time for the Senate to vote on it, which means the Legacy bill will also get its nose bloodied in a special session.

Now, if these were the only two budget bills in special session this year, I would say that it wouldn't be much of a problem. Our elected representatives could bask in a tent under pleasant summer weather and hash this out in time for the state fair, probably drinking lemonade and speaking in laid back folsky aphorisms the whole time. As it happens, though, the Governor has come to chew bubble gum veto bills, and he's all out of bubble gum.

It's all about the little gold statues

Hooray! It's time to hate the Tony awards again! It's my favorite "least favorite" time of the year.

Since I said earlier that this week's News and Notes was mostly political, you might be thinking to yourself, "But this is the Tonys! It's not about politics!" and I just need to stop you before you start gushing about dresses and musical numbers, because you're just so, so wrong.

We've talked in the past about how the nominations for these awards are decided by a shadowy cabal of barely 30 people But did you know that only 844 people get to vote for the winners? Or that as many as 150 of those each year don't even bother to cast their ballots? 

This small group of insiders (which is overrepresented by Broadway producers and investors) apparently has some bug up its collective butt about not giving female playwrights, lyricists and directors much of a shot at glory on the great white way. You don't have to just take Lynne Nottage's word for it, either. The actual statistics are pretty embarrassing.

So, here's where the politics come in, and here's where you can get involved. The Tonys do not typically broadcast their Creative Arts awards, which includes awards for design, book and score. With Fun Home—a musical whose writers and director are all women—as a favorite to win Best Original Score and Best Original Book this year, some activists have started a campaign to put these awards into the regular broadcast so that people can see women win Tonys for something other than Actress and Supporting Actress. (Even though some old-school musical types argue bitterly that today's scores aren't nearly as good as they were in the good ol' days.) There's even a petition you can sign.

Actually, there's a whole other petition you can sign to demand that the Tonys air the Lifetime Achievement award as well. So, sign one, or sign both. I don't really care. All I care about is that someone is trying to stick a thumb in the eye of the Tony awards. Whether it works or not, that's all I need to be happy.

And that, friends, is truly how politics works: through bitter resentment and meaningless acts of sabotage.