I read over a dozen theatre blogs every day. I learn, I ponder & I laugh. Most definitely in my top five is 99seats. You can pull it into your reader, which of course, already has my postings in the feed. Right? Here, in part, is the comment I posted in response to their blog entry from this morning:

"There seems to be a sort of moral obligation that settles like a fine dust on the shoulders of playwrights: truth-teller vs. advocate. For me, my responsibility is more to my characters and their story. My obligation is to tell their truth and advocate for their individual points of view. I don't perceive this to be self-indulgent; I view this as the "work." Not every piece of work is meant for every beholder. The visual arts are not required to please everyone, nor are films, novels or songs. Somewhere, somehow, this notion of universal application now haunts playwrights, and yes, now we pander. I hate it and fear it. We are stalked, and our very creative process stunted, by the demand for gated communities with red tile roofs. Shiver.

On the other hand - what about the dirtiest word in theatre: entertainment? When a highly commercial project is well-received and runs incessantly, we, that playwright's very community, dismiss his/her work. I saw a piece of musical farce at the Phoenix Fringe Festival this year that shot the lights out. Really. I wouldn't ordinarily go to that type of performance (I prefer to have my guts yanked out and handed back to me on my out of the theatre), but I have to say, for that genre, it was brilliant. Highly commercial. Does that have to diminish its genius - its value as a work of art?..."

Further discussion continued as to whether or not ALL art is political. I can assert, unequivocally, that it's not. Unless we need to radically redefine the parameters around the word: art. Do we as artists have a moral obligation to our audiences? Are we expected to be truth-tellers or advocates? Is every play a political statement? I have several friends who are visual artists, and when I ask them these questions, they ALL talk about expressing themselves, work that channels through them, and creating something of value to them. If it happens to sell, that's great. Why are theatre artists expected to be any different?

Please feel free to email your remarks to me, and depending on the trend, I may post comments and reply.