tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post114407432838278915..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: "Playing to the Puritans"Playgoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1144103813320306912006-04-03T18:36:00.000-04:002006-04-03T18:36:00.000-04:00Please post and/or forward the following--thank yo...Please post and/or forward the following--thank you!<BR/><BR/>The Department of Theatre<BR/>Barnard College, Columbia University<BR/><BR/>invites you to a panel discussion:<BR/><BR/>"'RACHEL CORRIE' AND THE THEATRE OF PUBLIC OPINION"<BR/><BR/>Friday, April 7 at noon<BR/>Minor Latham Playhouse, 118 Milbank Hall<BR/><BR/>Moderator: Shawn-Marie Garrett, Assistant Professor of Theatre,<BR/>Barnard College, Columbia University<BR/><BR/>Participants:<BR/><BR/>MARVIN A. CARLSON, Sidney E. Cohn Distinguished Professor of Theatre<BR/>and Comparative Literature, Ph.D. Program at the City University of<BR/>New York<BR/><BR/>JOHN HEILPERN, theatre critic, "New York Observer," Adjunct<BR/>Assistant Professor, Columbia School of the Arts<BR/><BR/>GREGORY MOSHER, theatre director and Director, Columbia University<BR/>Arts Initiative<BR/><BR/>CHRISTOPHER SHINN, playwright<BR/><BR/>ALISA SOLOMON, journalist, theatre critic, and Director, Arts and<BR/>Culture M.A., Columbia School of Journalism<BR/><BR/>KELLY STUART, playwright and Lecturer in Playwriting, Columbia<BR/>School of the Arts<BR/><BR/><BR/>"My Name Is Rachel Corrie," a play adapted from the letters of the<BR/>young American activist killed in Gaza in 2003 by an Israeli<BR/>bulldozer, was slated to open on March 22 at the highly respected<BR/>New York Theatre Workshop, home of "Rent." Then NYTW decided to<BR/>postpone the opening indefinitely, sparking an international<BR/>controversy.<BR/><BR/>This panel seeks to explore the wider issues the "Rachel Corrie"<BR/>postponement raises: questions about political theatre in New York,<BR/>funding for the arts, the role of marketing and donor relations to<BR/>programming, and the representation of the Middle East on the<BR/>American stage.<BR/><BR/>Reservations are not necessary. For more information, please contact<BR/>Jessica Brater at: jbrater@barnard.edu or (212) 854-2079.<BR/>_______________________________________________Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1144076534862250122006-04-03T11:02:00.000-04:002006-04-03T11:02:00.000-04:00Well, I mean, why not? It seems that once we've e...Well, I mean, why not? It seems that once we've exhausted our exhortations against video games, music videos, movies, television, and even the news itself, it would only make sense to begin attacking the theater. The only reason its taken this long is that, unfortunately, not enough people go to see plays, and those who do don't exactly fall into the youthful age group. Most of the people I know to take advantage of student discounts are using elapsed IDs, and early programs like Hi-5 or even this new thing that Roundabout's doing for people under 35 . . . do they really work to expose new people to theater? Does even a cultural event like "Free Theater" (which happened last year in three major cities, NY excluded of course) manage to bring in and sustain new theatergoers? <BR/><BR/>I digress, of course. Censorship in schools, especially when paradoxical (okay to read, not okay to perform) is shameful. I do agree that the school has a moral obligation to perhaps issue a disclaimer or a rating to parents, detailing specifically what will be in the show, but the neat thing about theatrical truth is that if you're willing to compromise, it shouldn't be too hard to soften the innuendo if it's really that abhorrent. <BR/><BR/>The fact remains though; school plays are what got me involved in outside theater, mostly because of the risks that we were encouraged to take. And with all the "risk-taking" (to put it mildly) that goes on in middle schools today, I would think "The Crucible" is the least of your problems.Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.com