Reflections on Yesterday

As Erica said: Less Stress, CSmith, Less Stress.

I am so trying.

I'm kind of disturbed with just how angry I get during the day here. Just how much hate I have for people. Once or twice I've accidentally answered the phone, "ST Box Office, how can I hate you?" No one noticed, but it disturbs me how my brain does that.
Now, I know I have a little bit of an "anger issue." Andrew's pointed out to me numerous times that I allow anger to dictate how I behave, and usually misdirect it. Yup. I think what this is is me HATING the STC Machine so much that I take it out on patrons...
Nope, that's not true. I might hate the money-loving STC, but I hate it's self-aggrandizing audience base more.


I also realized in re-reading yesterday's post that I come off very badly in my side of the "Updated Shakespeare debate." I recall now that I have at least one friend that believes in classic-dress Shakespeare. None of this Swing-era, pop-culture, hippie-banjo-playing crappola. And I can see their point, too. So excuse me for not explaining myself better or less righteously.

I believe in contemporizing the classics because I believe in theatre being accessible to masses. I think that theatre should not be only for those with the money to blow ona 5th row center seat for spectacle. I think that theatre could be found wherever there were players. You could perform Romeo and Juliet on a fire escape in an alley, and I would consider it theatre. This is not to say that anyone can call something "theatre" and make it so. The intent to access, to inform, to perform, to tell a story, to make a point: these are the marks of THEATRE (to me).

Shakespeare's work is as wonderful and prolific as it is because, as I said, the texts lend themselves to being reconcieved again and again in new places, new time periods, new ways. There are certain restrictions in time or place SOMETIMES: an outdated law, a place that is clearly defined, the fact that the HISTORIES are HISTORIES... but even then, accept it as part of the world you are creating and it will JUST WORK.

This is also not to say that ANY AND ALL contemporizations will work. Sometimes ideas are bad, or only worked half-way, or just concieved for the novelty of it. But why not try? If you're going to try, though, see it the frick through! You've got to go all the frickin way with the idea, and not pussy out when something textually doesn't support you. Cut it or MAKE IT WORK!

So go, be free, have GOOD ideas! Fuck, have BAD ideas, too! Wheeeeee!