Comment of the Week

Here are this week's contenders:

Comment #1: a new comment on your post "Kids at Burning Man: Good or Bad Idea?":

I have a couple friends who are part of "Burn families", and I also know a couple of people who grew up living in hippie festival culture because their parents worked there. From the people I know it can be both a good and bad thing. I know people who have been pretty emotionally scared from being exposed to things too early and people who love burning man now that they are in their twenty's and have grown up with the culture of burning man as their predominate culture. One girl I know dresses like she is going to burning man all the time wearing hair extensions and tie die pants everyday. I think it's just the hippie in me but I really believe that letting your kids grow up in a culture that is so free is pretty amazing. And bad stuff happens, but it also happens to kids who aren't attending burning man. Kids can flip on the tv or go to the wrong website and they will be inundated with sex and drugs. The world is a dangerous adult place and now that we have such easy access to view it anyone really can get their hands on it. I think that burning man should not have limits and it really saddens me that they are enforcing more PC rules. Although I doubt they are really that rigorous, I mean come on, it's burning man. Lastly, I leave you with this, it my favorite depiction of burning man, and really quite childish as I think about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahv_1IS7SiE

Comment #2: a new comment on your post "Not to be passed by":

This article attempts to draw a connection between color-blind casting and plays that treat alternate sexual lifestyles as normal. To my understanding, these are two completely separate issues.
I do not believe in color-blind casting that disrupts that production, like the production of King Lear that Mr. Shenton describes at the beginning of this piece. How could only 1 of the daughters be a different race? How could they possibly be related? That kind of casting doesn't present a person of color "without comment or surprise" as this article suggests. Rather, it makes the audience question if that daughter is adopter or conceived out of wedlock.
Alternately, a production where the entire family was cast with people of color, where the focus of the production stayed away from issues surrounding people of color, would make progress. In that scenario, the person(s) of color really are being introduced "without comment or surprise." That is making progress. Disrupting the suspension of disbelief that the actors on stage are actually related to include a person of color in the cast is the exact type of "special pleading" Mr. Shenton speaks negatively about.

Comment #3: a new comment on your post "'Trek' star's own history inspires new musical":

I think this play is a wonderful idea. I'm a big history buff and I'm very interested in American history as well as genocide studies. Americans don't usually talk about our own wrongdoings, such as the Japanese Internment Camps, or the Native American genocides, or the mistreatments of the Irish, Italians, Jews, etc. I'm happy to hear that a play about social justice is coming to light. I think it's about time theatre welcomes more historical pieces that would open people's eyes. Art itself is one of the most powerful things in the world, because it can shape a person's mind and encourage that person to action. I believe if there are more historical pieces, the world would be more educated and aware of its surroundings. I doubt many think about the genocides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Invisible Children. Theatre has the opportunity to bring these events into the light and hopefully help change the world. I applaud George Takei and Jay Kuo for their work. I looked up pictures of the production, and the set looks quite interesting with its projections. I'm hoping this does make it to Broadway, because I would love to have as many people as possible see the production

Comment #4: a new comment on your post "British producer faces 2 years in prison for play ...":

I commented on another article about this last week, but this one brings new facts to light. Every country has their own laws and beliefs and they are clearly written and known. I assume that the extent of attention that the play and the producer are getting now was the main intention of producing the play in the first place. I think that this was done to draw attention to the lack or non existent gay rights in Uganda with an intention on creating/ starting a change or at least pulling the curtain from over the Government's less mentioned laws to the rest of the world.
Also do not believe that they thought the Media Council stating that they should not stage the play in any public theater in Uganda meant that they could do in private in a bar via invitations. This was a situation where all parties involved knew the consequences and decided to push forward no matter what.
While I do commend his attempts, like I said last week, I hope that he is prepared for what is to come. I also hope that while on bail that he protects himself, because there are many locals who would not agree with the play, or his cause or take likely to the further negativity which is thrown onto Uganda!
However, this is probably .10% of the steps that will be needed to create a change in that law, which should not be implemented!!

Comment #5: a new comment on your post "Cultural Exchange: Budapest's New Theater is at ce...":

"A degenerate, sickly liberal hegemony." That's my new email signature for sure! "Coming to you live, from a degenerate, sickly liberal hegemony near you!" But seriously, the lesson here, in my totally unsolicited and unprofessional opinion, is not that a theatre proposed to stage a controversial play, but that they did it for the wrong reasons. Personally I think nothing should be off the table when it comes to art, and just because you choose to put on a play that may be construed to be or may even overtly be ignorant or ugly or downright messed up, doesn't mean you are those things too. There may be very good reasons for a group to look honestly into their past and re-envision some of the ugliness their culture has produced. It's a whole lot better than imagining the ugliness never existed. It seems to me that as long as the staging is neutral and exploratory in nature, not hegemenous like the kind decried by Mr. Dorner, then it should be an avenue for people to understand and learn from their own history. As long as there's honest, open dialogue available and no one is getting it shoved down their throats, it's still a way for us to express our ambivalence about ourselves and our place in time, and what isn't art about that?

Voting closes at noon Friday.

My Debate Would Have Been Better

I spent the day trying to come up with questions I would have liked to hear answered.  They didn't get to many of them.  Maybe in a subsequent debate.

1. Mr President, once you said many people cling to guns or religion to explain their frustration. Why should those people vote for you? #DDQS
2. Gov. Romney, you've said 47% of Americans won't vote for you. There is no mandate without them. Why should they change their minds? #DDQS
3. President Obama, arguably one of your biggest challenges has been working with Congress. Why will that be better in a 2nd term? #DDQS
4. Gov Romney, With each administration working w/ Congress has become more difficult, why would this be different in a Romney admin? #DDQS
5. For both of you, you've previously mentioned "the rich", "working poor", and "middle class". What income levels do those represent? #DDQS
6. Again for both. Many entry level jobs require a college degree. Should high school students be better prepared for the workplace? #DDQS
7. Mr. President, Why have we still not closed our detention camp at Guantanamo Bay? #DDQS
8. Governor Romney, why isn't the electorate entitled to see your complete tax history? #DDQS
9. Make the other guy's case: Mr. President, why should everyone get a tax cut? Mr. Romney, why limit the cut to earners under $250K #DDQS
10. Governor Romney, what did the federal government do wrong in response to hurricane Katrina? How can we do better in the future? #DDQS
11. Mr. President, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act seems to be flawed. Did the government cause the banking crisis and how can it be fixed? #DDQS
12. Question for both, what role if any should the federal government play in a national scientific research agenda? Where would you lead? #DDQS
13. Question for both: What is Congress' role in today's much faster - more undeclared, less geographically fixed - military actions? #DDQS
14. President Obama, is the President responsible for statements and actions of government agencies? What should be done when they fail? #DDQS
15. Question for both: Which TV or movie President would you hope your Presidency most resembles and why? #DDQS (fluffy but substantive)
16. Mr. President is there racial intolerance in this country and if so what is government's role in combatting it? #DDQS
17. Governor, is there religious intolerance in this country and what, if any, is government's role in combatting it? #DDQS
18. Governor, there's been little discourse, let alone prosecutions, in the aftermath of the bank bailout. Should there have been arrests? #DDQS
19. Mr. President, we've had little talk, let alone prosecutions after 9/11 era civil liberty violations. Should there have been arrests? #DDQS
20. Question for both: What sport most closely portrays the American Dream, and why? #DDQS
21. Governor, the platform cuts programs many Americans need to get through rough times in their life. What happens to them? #DDQS
22. Mr. President, regulations cause many businesses to suffer as compared to foreign competition. How will you help these job creators? #DDQS

For the record I forgot to ask: US military spending is nearly 5 times the spending of the next highest nation (China).  Is there a scenario where we can be secure as a country spending only 3 times as much as the next nation?

My debate would have been better.

Worth A Look

Here are five articles from last weeks Greenpage that might be worth your time...

'Trek' star's own history inspires new musical

The Denver Post: George Takei has plenty of practice exploring strange new worlds on TV and film, but delving into a painful time in his family's life onstage is something even he never imagined. Takei and his family were among thousands of Japanese-Americans put in internment camps during World War II. The 75-year-old "Star Trek" actor's memories inspired composer/lyricist Jay Kuo to write "Allegiance—A New American Musical," which has high hopes of making it to Broadway.

Posted by David at 10/01/2012 04:55:00 PM  

Just A Song (Fully Cleared For Public Performance) At Twilight...

livedesignonline.com: Obtaining rights for the use of copyright music in theatre productions, both in the US and in the UK, can be a tortuous task. Increasingly, major labels want to negotiate on a per-show basis, but their frame of reference is often limited to film or television, and their awareness of the state of most theatre companies’ financial affairs is virtually nil.

Posted by David at 10/01/2012 04:11:00 PM  

Updated Edition: Show Networks and Control Systems by John Huntington

Briefingroom on LiveDesignOnline: Author, educator, and industry veteran John Huntington has released Show Networks and Control Systems, the completely updated and revised edition of his industry standard reference text, which was previously titled, Control Systems for Live Entertainment. The book includes an in-depth examination of the control and networking technology used in lighting, lasers, sound, stage machinery, animatronics, special effects, and pyrotechnics used in concerts, theme parks, theatre, themed retail, cruise ships, museums, interactive performing arts, and special events.

Posted by David at 9/30/2012 04:10:00 PM  

Not to be passed by

The Stage: The true path towards acceptance and integration of minorities isn’t made, of course, when special pleading is made for them but they’re happily, healthily and naturally integrated into the way of things. It’s why colour-blind casting in the theatre is so brilliant; both Derek Jacobi and currently Jonathan Pryce, playing the title role in King Lear at the Donmar Warehouse and Almeida Theatres respectively, had one of their three daughters played a black actress — respectively Pippa Bennett-Warner (as Cordelia) and Jenny Jules (as Regan), without comment or surprise.

Posted by David at 9/29/2012 04:34:00 PM  

Live Sound: The Old Soundman: Dealing With Getting Walked On

Pro Sound Web: “Getting ahead without being a jerk” is actually what our young friend said he wanted to discuss. I will use the pseudonym “Oz Man” for him due to the volatile nature of his dilemma! Notice that he is so distraught that he offers no salutation!

Posted by David at 9/28/2012 04:41:00 PM

Haiku Deck

I did these slides for a guest appearance today in Tech Management. The content isn't so spectacular, but of interest might be the platform. These were composed on my tablet using an app called Haiku Deck.

Ellipses...

Sometimes being away for a week feels like forever, and then other times it feels like I was never away at all... Of course the moment I return to Pittsburgh from Las Vegas I find I have another reason to be in Las Vegas in like two weeks... Remarkably little appears to have changed on the Chosky stage since I left... It takes more than 20 minutes to recap what the Nav class did in four days... Got myself 32 ETCP renewal credits for going to class... Last couple of times I have done things under the heading of "it can't hurt to ask" I've done pretty well, probably due for a miss... The TV I bought more than a decade ago decided it was through last night. We're going to try to rehab it but I am not all that confident... How much is too much to spend dressing up the back of your house? Not much, right? That's what I thought... The whole out of town trip I used the IOS6 Maps program for turn by turn navigation and never got lost. Still, I find myself defaulting to Waze instead... I don't know how it happened but it appears my fantasy team won this week. We're 2 & 2... The ziplines at Seven Springs are pretty cool, especially that last one - 1500 feet and like 30 seconds of travel. Highly recommended... Shows just piling up on the DVR but all I seem to be interested in is Primeval on Netflix (still, Homeland ought to change that)... If we're counting how many times I have walked to work since moving we'd know it wasn't a very large number... I started a garage organization project like a month ago and walked away half finished. I should put away the rest of the stuff even if I'm not through... Still really liking the new office layout & design... Haven't made any headway on the Weekly Greenpage Podcast. I guess mostly the lack of progress is due to my not telling anyone. Funny how that works... I wrote a real turd of an email today to one of my colleagues. I hope he doesn't get too much on him... Some day I will learn to spell colleagues... I did a presentation deck tonight on the tablet with this service Haiku Deck. Not very specific, but then I think sometimes that's a deck's biggest problem... Decided today not to buy one of the gadgets I have been coveting. Probably for the best...