Friday, October 10, 2008

Emergency measures


Brendan Kiley in "The Stranger" posts "Ten Things Theaters Need To Do Right Now To Save Themselves."
Bobo thinks child care, more booze and audience participation (#5, 7 and 8) are useful and do-able. Even if you don't agree: Is your theater doing everything it can to make people feel welcome? (And canned curtain speeches don't count. I just want to look away.) *Cheers* the TV show was popular for a reason: People want to feel that they belong.
Bobo would add tired old musicals to no more Shakespeare (#1).
#2, 3 and 6 (premiering new plays, problems with actors' unions, actors' living areas) simply don't apply in a town of Spokane's size and attitude (cf. the end of #1, "surprises not pacifiers").
#10 is just snooty, telling other people what to do.
Brendan has the tweed coats and self-satisfied smirk that you would expect, but he's also very bright and thoughtful.

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3 Comments:

At October 10, 2008 5:56 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Bobo, thanks for posting interesting articles and opinions that affect theatre, but for this one, did you forget to actually list the "Ten Things" Brendan Kiley writes about? Could you do that now? Again, these discussions are much appreciated.

 
At October 12, 2008 9:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If theaters didn't do "tired, old musicals" which the audiences seem to like (based on ticket sales at all the area theaters) those theaters wouldn't exist. And then who would you have to make snide comments about? Quit biting the hands that feed you. Or at least be better about reminding readers that your comments are merely one man's somewhat jaded and often badly informed opinions. For your apparent taste in shows, you really need to live in a much bigger city that can sustain theaters who can afford to do "edgy" and new, untried shows.

 
At October 12, 2008 12:03 PM , Blogger Bobo the Theater Ho said...

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=691862&c=hp
but the hyperlink works for me; click on "Brendan Kiley" (above)

 

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