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castMe
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bullet Posted: 5/20/06 at 12:57pm
Our local paper, although willing to feature our productions occasionally on the cover of their weekend "what's happening" publication, made an editorial decision years ago to not review local plays.  Their reasoning was that at a community theater level it wasn't fair to critique amateur actors with, what amounts to, an amateur critic.  It would be terrific free publicity for us, but it frees us from having to soothe battered egos.  For some reason, a few years ago they allowed the local movie critic to review shows for the (amateur) summer stock theater twenty-some miles away.  His review of 'Lil Abner left Daisy Mae a quivering wreck when he mentioned who in the cast he thought should have been playing the role.  (Sorry, I can not explain why they won't review shows intown, yet would review those out of town.  Many of the actors and directors work at both venues. )

I don't know if the "no review" policy is, on the whole, good or bad, but I like what Playwright says about e-mailing the critic and engaging them in theater discussions.  Critic are (mostly) human and it certianly helps to keep THEIR egos assuaged.
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bullet Posted: 5/20/06 at 4:30pm

My comment "never talk to the press" was tounge-in-cheek.  But apparently some folks just didn't get it.   Anyway I agree that one must be carefull if you're going be interviewed about a show and conoting anything negative about the play or the production is only going to hurt you in the end.   You have use the press to your advantage.

I only wish the local papers would do real reviews at my ct rather a version of our press release of what it's about and who's in it.

BD

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bullet Posted: 5/20/06 at 7:51pm
Originally posted by castMe

Our local paper, although willing to feature our productions occasionally on the cover of their weekend "what's happening" publication, made an editorial decision years ago to not review local plays.  Their reasoning was that at a community theater level it wasn't fair to critique amateur actors with, what amounts to, an amateur critic.  It would be terrific free publicity for us, but it frees us from having to soothe battered egos.
   OK so I need to jump back in here.  This is exactly the policy in the town in which I lived.  I had a working relationship with the reporter I was talking to.  We were always featured on the front cover of the "what's happening" publication.  She didn't even print what the specifics of the outdated language in the play was.  I guess my point is that when you talk to the press it's nice to have a relationship with them so you know what they are going to print and what they aren't.  I could hae just sent her a press release but it's never as personal.  I have always talked to the press and I will continue to do so.  PERHAPS I should have spoken to her in total private but I never really gave it a thought at the time. 
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bullet Posted: 5/24/06 at 7:56am
Jumping back in the topic a bit.....the painter needs to get a grip....it's THEATER for pete's sake.  She should be able to handle a few outdated words.  It's not as if someone said something mean directly to her or her daughter.  As someone who also has a daughter with a serious mental illness I feel that I can speak from experience.  I don't fall to pieces every time someone says loony or mental or nuts.  As a matter of fact the whole "political correct" thing about mental illness bugs me. 
"behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede"
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bullet Posted: 5/24/06 at 10:09am

Joan54,

   I totally agree with you.  Plays, when written, reflected what life was like at that time.  The playwrights then never imagned how life would change in the future.  The plays weren't written with the intent of doing harm.  They are like a history lesson. A slice of what life was like, what issues were improtant, what beauty there was and what injustices there were.  There are many awesome plays written years ago that I'm sure aren't done because of the storyline.  I'm mom to two sons with autism.  I watch plays, movies etc that are about autism.  This whole PC things drives me nuts, too.  If we allow it to happen and go too far then many of the treasures that reflect life and times in the past will be lost forever.  And not just plays, but books,music, art etc.

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bullet Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:20pm

Yeah.   Someone can find something to be offended by in every play...we're working on Taming of the Shrew and you wouldn't believe how many frowns we're getting from the feminist ( and I consider myself one) group.  Get over it!  We're going to bend a bit by having Kate give a broad wink as the curtain goes down but actually (as the director and I both quietly say) Kate was broken and subdued by the end of that play as Shakespeare wrote it.  It's just not funny to "tame" women in our society....although for some reason we are allowed to "tame" men.

And I send a hug across the ether to you as a sister mom of "disordered" kids.  Keep the humor in the situation...that's how we make it through every day. 

"behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede"
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bullet Posted: 5/24/06 at 5:18pm

That's right.  If you can't approach life with a optomisticpoint of view, than you'll always be sad and dreading the worst.

     My CT did 'Taming of the Shrew' years ago.  The crew always wrote a short parody of the play to perform at the closing night party.  The parody for this play was called 'Screwing of the Tame'.

     A hug right back at you.  I had a drywall guy in last week to repair 12 holes in drywall throughout the house that my oldest autistci son did when having his meltdowns.  Now, that he's got past puberty, he's settled down and off all meds.  Yeah!!!!  They were a blessing when we needed them.  He still has a huge hole in the bottom half of his bedroom door.  The cats like it so as they come and go in and out of his room at will.  M-m-m-m.  New way a making cat/dog doors.  It's sort of become part of the landscape upstairs.

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bullet Posted: 5/24/06 at 6:54pm

Small world!

My eldest son (age 16) also has autism.  We just got him out of the hospital a couple days ago because we discovered he was ingesting things that weren't food.  (Small objects, coins, etc etc.)  This was a behavior that we thought he'd outgrown at age 8.  It was a rude awakening for all of us.

He also has a neat, fist-sized hole in his bedroom drywall from a frustration outburst.  My background in building sets and props has help me learn how to repair just about everything in my house.  I haven't had the time to fix that hole just yet.

My wife is a writer and her first full-length play is about the joys and frustrations of raising a child with this disorder.  It had a staged reading last year and there is a possibility it will go into a full production this fall.  The language in her script is extremely raw and honest and sure to offend those with delicate sensibilities.

PS:  When our CT did "Shrew" our take was that Petruchio was enamored with the firey, obstinate Kate and -- when he realizes she is tamed at the play's end -- discovers he's ruined the part of her personality that made their relationship so fun and exciting.  It was a bittersweet ending and it still pi**ed people off.

"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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bullet Posted: 5/25/06 at 7:50am

What an interesting twist...we never thought of that one.  By the way have any of you "Shrew" people ever seen the DVD performance of the Shrew from the Broadway Theater Archives..1976.?  It has got to be the best.....particularly the staging and use of music.....check it out.

I would love to read her play.....hope it gets produced.  My daughter has so many funny stories from the psyc. wards I wish we could work them into a play.  I know it sounds strange to people unfamilar with daily contact with affective disorders and mental illness but you really do laugh almost as often as you cry....

"behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede"
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bullet Posted: 5/25/06 at 7:52am
Oh....I forgot....give us an outline of the "Screwing of the Tame"....sounds like a laugh.....
"behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede"
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