Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Dancer Preserves The Work Of Black Choreographers, In One Video At A Time

NPR: When she was in her 20s, dancer Gesel Mason started emailing black choreographers she admired, asking them to create a solo for her. To her surprise, many of them said yes.

"I did not know I was making my life's work when I started it," she says. "I was just really interested in dancing with some choreographers."

Posted by David at 7/09/2018 12:20:00 PM

Perspective

It seems pretty clear that these days people see what they want to see.  I mean, things happen, and there is objective truth.  If you watched the whole thing you would form a given opinion.  The balance of the thing would leave a lot less latitude for impression than most of us are really used to these days.  It is a real shame the way people consume reality these days.

In practice now people don't see the thing.  They see coverage of the thing, or more likely they see commentary about the thing - or sometimes even commentary about the coverage of the thing.  We need more unfiltered thing, less commentary about the thing, and way, way less commentary about the coverage of the thing.

There was a hearing the other day with an FBI agent that has found his nuts in a vice over something he spelled out in text messages.  Folks on one side of the thing would have you believe that he was just boasting to someone he hoped to impress.  Folks on the other side would have you believe that he was the mastermind of a conspiracy to defame the President.

The American system has a belief that average people presented with facts can reach reasonable conclusions.  That's what "jury of your peers" is about.  Probably this is true.  Unfortunately life doesn't work that way anymore.

Mostly I listen to NPR and watch MSNBC.  I've always thought NPR was pretty close to the center in the editorial decisions about their coverage.  MSNBC is pretty clearly on the left, although at least from my POV they don't willfully misinterpret things or make things up.  Watching their coverage of the hearings you would think the committee members on the right were barely able to speak in complete sentences as they were rightfully put in their place by a career professional.

I have a minority of friends in my Facebook feed who watch FOX News and read Breitbart.  Fox is pretty clearly on the right and Brietbart... I don't know what Breitbart is, but it isn't news.  Looking at the articles these friends are reposting on their feeds you would think that the committee members drew and quartered the agent and exposed him to be a liar.

My own evaluation from the testimony I saw was that he was professional, unbiased, and foolish.

But the thing is, mostly, it doesn't matter what he was at all, or how the testimony went at all because the editors on either side of the argument edit what you see to tell the story they want told.  If the answers don't match the narrative they just show the questions, making the person posing the question into a hero regardless of the content of the discussion.  If the question does make the subject look awkward they pick the point in the questioning that looks the most unpolished and portray the questioner as a buffoon.  I even saw one commentator take time out to criticize a committee member's hair.

Facebook is a force multiplier for this kind of partisan editorialization.  Most folks never even see the skewed article.  What they do see is a splashy picture and sensational headline.  These things are great for energizing your team or putting a thumb in the eye of the other team.  What they don't do is get anyone any closer to understanding objective truth.  In a court of law anything like that would face an objection as prejudicial.  It isn't information to be evaluated by a jury of your peers, it is a cheer to be shouted from the sideline of the game.

Except it isn't a game.  We need better information.

The Last Six Boxes

As you may or may not know, I had to clean out my parents house a little while back.  Of the many things that made their way to Pittsburgh as part of that effort were what I think was like about a dozen bankers boxes full of documents.  In Chicago all that stuff had been in file cabinets in the basement.  Somewhere along the way I decided that I could manage getting rid of the cabinets - I took them to Goodwill - but I didn't have it in me to go through the documents.  So all the papers went into bankers boxes and made the trip to Pennsylvania.

I do think I made one effort in Chicago to deal with documents.  In what is probably an over reaction to identity theft I decided that much of what was there needed to be shredded.  I remember taking a couple of boxes of old checks to a Staples because they said they had bulk shredding.  I also remember being there for more than an hour because it seemed like I should be there until the shredding actually happened and that the person doing the shredding only worked on it when there were no customers, and the shredder wasn't really anything special so it kept getting gummed up just like your unit at home might do.  More than an hour for what must have been a large shoebox probably was what tipped the scales in favor of putting the rest of the documentation under the heading of "deal with it later."

I did make an effort to get through the stuff once it arrived at home.  I got through a couple of boxes.  There was a lot to dispose of, much of which seemed like it should be shredded.  If you've never gotten a cancelled check back from your bank - something they haven't done in over a decade - you are fortunate.  I started to accumulate a box of used office supplies: mostly file folders and binders, but also sheet protectors and paper clips.  The clips aren't particularly special, but they can go through the shredder, so they got set aside whether it made sense or not.  There was also a little bit of kryptonite - things with no real value but that also seem like a real shame to throw away.  That went into another box.

At some point work must have started again and I walked away from the project, and then life became a little bit of a roller coaster and I never got back to it.  There were six boxes left and they sat in the basement for years awaiting their disposition.

Recently I decided it was time to finish off the gig.  I brought the last six boxes up to the dining room figuring if they were legitimately in the way I wouldn't be able to ignore them.  Most of what was left was very much like what I'd processed already.  There was one box that was almost entirely kryptonite.  Some of the things I found:

• Parents first Passports
• Parents fist lease
• Bill of sale from the HP house in 1967
• My first CMU invoices
• Pictures of Dad with a bunch of people from the Nixon administration
• Mom's teaching certification
• Hardcopy of note from the Principal observing one of Dad's classes

But of all of it, the bit that was the densest kryptonite of it all was a stack of valentines from my mom to my dad from before they were married.

I couldn't find the wherewithal to dispose of everything.  So the last six boxes become 8 lawn bags of shredded documents and a single box of "family history."  Maybe I'll manage to pitch it later.  Maybe Leo will have to do it when he cleans out this house.  Anyway "last six" is a bit of a misnomer.  There are still three large boxes of LPs I don't know what to do with.  A couple of boxes of things that may or may not be antiques, and two or three more banker's boxes of loose photos.  I guess I still have at least one more push to make before I am done.

Or maybe it'll never be done.

I Owe an Apology

Not that long ago Mitt Romney was running for president.  During the campaign he got a foreign policy question as part of debate.  He was asked who represented the greatest threat to the United States.  His answer was the Russians.

At the time the answer sounded remarkably tone deaf.  The Russians had been in a decline for many years.   I am fairly certain this was before Crimea and the trouble in Ukraine.  I know for certain it was amid US conflicts in the Middle East.  We still had troops in Afghanistan.  This was, I think in the middle of developments in Libya.  Things were probably just getting wound up in Syria.  The news was all about the advancing of Al Qaeda and we were all wondering about Caliphate.

Even with all of that Romney said Russia.  Commentators on the news talked about how out of date that conclusion was.  I personally had the same thought and used it as a reason to think less of him as a candidate - not that it was likely he would have gotten my vote anyway.

I guess I couldn't have been more wrong.

What was it do you think that he knew that we didn't?  Would things be materially different if the news media, rather than dismissing him as being out of touch had followed up with him to find out just what it was that had him concerned?  I don't know if what had him concerned were the kinds of things that have come to light since, but even if they weren't I guess there was the possibility that increased scrutiny of the Russians during that period might have made them less bold down the line.

Syria, Brexit, the US 2016 election, the Russians apparently had their hands into all of these things and many more.  Did Mitt Romney know this sort of thing was going to happen?  At this point I certainly wish we had paid more attention.

Mr.. Romney, I owe you an apology.  I'm sorry.

Dinner Out

Tonight I had dinner with nine alums and a current student.

Saw two more during the day too.

They are all doing amazing work - bigger than I ever did.  It is really rewarding seeing their success.  I'll get a closer look at things at the shop tomorrow.

Ellipses...

Last night I watched the first AUDL game on TV (that I've seen) that was remotely close.  It was pretty cool...  The boy and I are supposed to be walking to camp in the morning.  Somehow the boy appears to have ended that practice...  The family separations being engineered by our government really need to stop.  It is possible that those responsible for the practice should resign...  Last month's electric bill was surprisingly moderate.  But then, the air is on again...  Things in the US are so cocked up right now I never got to be pleased the head of EPA resigned...  Between the "you should read this" posts in my RSS and using a Kindle reader I have now reached a point where I could not tell you the title or the author of the book I am currently reading...  Headed East to see alums tomorrow.  If you have any influence on the weather we could use a nice day...  I am beginning to think it is no longer enough to live according to your ideals, and that putting your money where your mouth is might not be enough either...  You can in fact squish the two and a half hour Marshmallow Workshop I have previously done into an 80 minute block.  It doesn't leave much time for discussion...  Contemplating a third compression brace.  That's too many right?  I thought so...  Guy emailed me today looking for a student to help with a job.  I almost just took it myself...  Is there a reason the designer we worked with on our house never returns my emails?  I am starting to wonder if we forgot to pay a bill or something...  Do you watch "Humans" on AMC?  You should.  It is pretty good.  Lately though a lot of really, really sad things have been happening...  Still haven't gotten very far on the book...

Bill of Rights

Earlier this week I got a distressed email from a student.  They were writing to tell me that they'd recently had a car accident while driving home from work.  The schedule was topping 80 hours per week and in the midst of that marathon they'd fallen asleep behind the wheel and hit a telephone poll.  The schedule for the next week wasn't any easier and I was being asked what they should do.

I let them know that is was reasonable to think the employer should look out for their safety.  It would be reasonable to expect that if the current schedule made travel unsafe that the schedule should change or the employer should find a way to get them home safely.  That in the event that neither of those things could happen that it would be reasonable to walk away.

Walking away from an early career gig is tough.  Students worry excessively that their reputation will be damaged in our small professional community and that a potentially good reference will be lost.  That pressure makes the decision to remove oneself from a negative situation difficult.  I tired to let this person know that I thought even if they were to lose a reference that there would be other opportunities.  It is likely that this place or this current supervisor probably wouldn't hire them again - but the community and range of opportunities are larger than one might think.

My time in summer stock - and professionally for that matter - hasn't had all that much in the way of terrible hours.  There have been overnight calls from time to time, but they were mostly about fitting things into a schedule rather than about working hour after hour.  There were a couple of really long days, but as a supervisor I always managed to get my crews reasonable time off.  When I was working in Vegas I did have several really long days strung in a row, but never in such a way that I felt really unsafe.  I had friends that worked places with unreasonable shifts.  When they told me what was going on I always found myself wondering why management wasn't building a schedule that didn't ask the unreasonable.  Theatre schedules just shouldn't have to do that.

You can't really say it isn't formative.  There are industry segments that do work this way "in the real world."  The LA film locals are trying to make it a thing in their next negotiation: Hollywood’s Grueling Hours & Drowsy-Driving Problem: Crew Members Speak Out Despite Threat To Careers

It does seem like there ought to be a solution to this for summer stock though.  That particular segment really leans on early career workers that don't have the financial security to walk or a union to look after them.  It feels like there's an opportunity for an organization like USITT, or ESET, or maybe SETC or KCACTF to establish some boundaries.

A third party organization might be able to come up with what would essentially be a "Good Housekeeping Seal" for theatre companies.  The companies could then post their compliance on their website and list it in their job postings.  The certifying organization could also maintain a directory of compliant companies that job seeking folks could search.

The certification would want to include things about working hours and time off, crew sizes, safety and training, housing and transportation.  Mostly though I think about hours.

There would need to be some kind of compliance hotline and when a company got x number of complaints against it they would lose their standing until some kind of re-certification process could be completed.

The problem here is that there is WAY more available workforce than there are gigs.  Even if all the top theatre schools in the country told their technical and design students to stay away - for every one of those folks there are five more at other schools.  I wonder if there'd be any way to get the impact the program would need.

Interesting thing: I am pretty sure all of this is actually illegal under the current law.  To consider someone an intern - legally - the services that person provides cannot be foundational to the function of the company.  In other words: if you need them in order to function then they aren't an intern - they're an employee - subject to overtime, OSHA, minimum wage.  Pretty much all these gigs, whether they call them interns or apprentices are central to the company being able to put work on stage.  Most of the companies would likely go under if they had to treat these people as staff.  I would think that would be a fairly strong motivator to treat them better.

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Edgy theatre content sparks off-stage debate about trigger warnings

CBC News: If you want to trigger a strong response from theatre folk, ask them how they feel about trigger warnings: The debate about if and when to use them has the theatre community deeply divided.

These new type of audience advisories warn of specific plot points that may provoke psychological trauma in some audience members.

Posted by David at 7/03/2018 10:52:00 AM

‘Awakening: After Parkland’ Interview

www.vulture.com: Three months after the Valentine’s Day massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Sawyer Garrity and five of her peers performed in a local production of Spring Awakening — a show they started rehearsing before the mass shooting that claimed 17 of their schoolmates. Their rehearsals and performances were chronicled in Awakening: After Parkland, a short documentary that premiered Monday on Topic.

Posted by David at 7/03/2018 10:53:00 AM

Why calling women 'strong female leads' is degrading

www.usatoday.com/story/life: Good news first: Screenwriters are learning that not all 

women are downer wives, hot girlfriends or shrews. But in a knee-jerk reaction to the times, Hollywood is trying to make up for lost ground, trumpeting every female character as a "strong female lead," someone who's a pitch-perfect blend of tough resolve, intellect and conviction in a man's world.

It's not only grating, it's ... weak.

Posted by David at 7/03/2018 10:56:00 AM

Theater professionals of color decry the Muny's casting, unwelcoming culture

St. Louis Public Radio: The boos launched by a group of protesters mid-show at the Muny two weeks ago are continuing to reverberate. Actors and directors of color in St. Louis say it’s time for theaters to stop casting white actors to portray people of color.

Posted by David at 7/05/2018 02:37:00 PM

Disney Imagineering has created autonomous robot stunt doubles

TechCrunch: For over 50 years, Disneyland and its sister parks have been a showcase for increasingly technically proficient versions of its “animatronic” characters. First pneumatic and hydraulic, and more recently fully electronic, these figures create a feeling of life and emotion inside rides and attractions, in shows and, increasingly, in interactive ways throughout the parks.

Posted by David at 7/02/2018 02:17:00 PM

Freedom

I've been thinking a lot about freedom today.  Like "they hate us for our freedom" or that we here in the US have the most freedom - more freedom than other first world countries.  I'm not sure I buy it.  I mean I do think that we have a lot less government control than other developed countries.  There are a very few things I can think of that you actually have to do.  You have to file taxes.  You have to have car insurance if you want to drive.  You have to educate your children.  Most places you have to get your children vaccinated.  Most places.

Even that list starts to fall apart a little.  There are exemptions for vaccinations.  You can home school, with no accounting for what is involved.  So the list of compulsory activities is pretty short.  We have a lot of free reign in other areas - most areas.  My question though is what do we get out of it.

It seems like most of our freedoms eventually lead to the freedom to suffer.  You have the freedom to be ignorant.  Not sure what that's worth.  You have the freedom to not have health insurance.  That freedom can lead to economic ruin or death or both.  You have the freedom to choose your profession without any real guarantee that it will lead to a sustainable living.  You have the freedom to choose where to live without any assurance that there will be housing there you can afford or work there for you to do.

Is it possible that all this freedom isn't what it is cracked up to be?

Would it be better to have slightly less freedom but have a more solid chance of being happy?

Do we need to do a better job of protecting freedoms we have carved out?  You are free to have whatever gender identification you want, or whatever religion you want, or whatever sexual orientation you want; but you are not necessarily protected from discrimination for exercising that freedom.

That "have less freedom" sentence is a scary one.  It cuts both ways, and who it is that is making the decision really starts to matter.  There definitely is a yours ends where mine begins thing here.  someone's freedom to carry a weapon ought not diminish someone else's freedom to not get hurt.  Freedom makes for good sound bites, but the reality of it is much, much more complicated.  Like most things I guess.

FWIW, I am exercising my freedom to count this as Sunday's post even though it is going live at 12:06am Monday.  Oops.

Nice to also have the freedom to make mistakes.

Couple of Things

This posting every day is tougher than it used to be.  I don't remember the last time I did it but I venture it was before the boy needed all day, every day attention.  That kind of thing just eats up your day.  Blogging begins to seem like a bit of a luxury.  Still, I'm getting to the keyboard when I can, even if the entries seem a little labored.  Here's a couple of things that might turn into a complete post somewhere down the line...

----------

The time has come for me to write a book.  I mean it has been something I should have been thinking about since my academic career began.  Delaying has probably cost me a few possible titles.  But we're really to a put up or shut up moment as far as RTP.  I getting long in the tooth for my next step, and that step is going to require some kind of triggering event.  The one that seems to be the most under my control would be a book.  Much as I would like it to be a collection of TANBI blog posts it will probably have to be something else.  The front runner at the moment appears to be "Not So Standard Scenery."

----------

I had a terrible idea this morning about how the President could lock up majorities in both houses this fall - thereby forgoing any real possibility of numerous investigations or even impeachment.  Fortunately it is something he almost certainly won't do.  The idea is to let the Supreme Court seat sit open well into the election cycle and then as close as possible so as to finish confirmation before the election to nominate Merrick Garland.  It would put all the people who voted for him that are leaning left in November firmly in play.  But even if it would work for him, he'll never do it.

----------

I'm thinking I'm into a health phase that can only be described as a cascade failure.  One not serious but annoying thing seems to domino into the next not serious but annoying thing and then that one kicks off something else.  And just when I thought everything was going so well.  I've had this thought that every ten years people ought to be able to go to some kind of inpatient facility for a complete work up and overhaul: change the oil and rotate the tires.  I could certainly use it.  Probably not cost effective though.

----------

The other night we went to the movies during a rain storm.  When we got out and started to drive home we were stopped and turned around by a closed road.  Then we drove for a while in the other direction until we were stopped and turned around again.  That forced us to drive in completely the wrong direction passed several other roads that were closed, but killed enough time that once we got to the main artery leading where we wanted to go (which had been closed) it was open.  Which let us go for a little while until we couldn't make a turn we needed due to another road that was closed.  A 12 minute drive wound up taking almost two hours.

----------

I'm moving the Marshmallow Challenge from being a half day workshop into being a one class exercise.  That cuts the available time in half.  I still want to do the traditional scale and the video and then my version.  Each iteration is supposed to be like 20 minutes.  Doing the normal twice and mine once should then be an hour - meaning the 80 minute slot should have time for that and the video.  Normally we do the second version twice.  Technically even that should fit.  But every time I run it through in my head I come up short on time.  I guess we'll see.