tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post116352811633218993..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: 365 Days/365 PlaysPlaygoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1163921665973445892006-11-19T02:34:00.000-05:002006-11-19T02:34:00.000-05:00I too am a little skeptical about 365 Days/365 Pla...I too am a little skeptical about <I>365 Days/365 Plays</I>. There seems to be a glut of stunt plays lately, and when we couple that with the seeming lack of depth on Broadway, I worry that we're struggling so hard for things that are new more than simply things that are good. I would rather see a rip-roaring revival than a plodding premiere. <BR/><BR/>Take, for example, the recent arrival at Barrow Street Theater, which I'm anxious to hear about from other people on the Blogosphere -- not just because it's different every night but because I'm curious as to what I'm missing. The show, <I>An Oak Tree</I> has attracted some big names to it, from Urbaniak to McDormand, but as far as I'm concerned, the whole show falls somewhere above a cold reading and behind a staged reading. There's the heart of something there, but it's hard to see under all the dressing up of the hypnotist's glitter. <BR/><BR/>I think innovation is good, and I can't really fault the pricetag for Suzan-Lori Parks' cycle: at least she's not charging audiences for this broad experiment. I admire the ability of The Public Theater to sponsor this. <I>An Oak Tree</I>, on the other hand, is a $45 gamble... <BR/><BR/>I'd like to hear from other people!Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1163717710837438722006-11-16T17:55:00.000-05:002006-11-16T17:55:00.000-05:00I don't know what to make of the whole 365 endeavo...I don't know what to make of the whole <I>365</I> endeavor because, from the inside, as a participant (third week of July! see you there!), I am so damn excited and inspired by it. The trouble is that I don't know how to translate that to the audiences. <BR/><BR/>To steal/mangle words from Oskar Eustis, it's about creating something new, doing something that's never been done before. (In that all theatre is, or should be, about that ambitious newness.) <BR/><BR/>The magic of the project isn't isn’t contained in any single evening’s performance, but is something of which every single performance is a vital part. At the Public's meet & greet for all the companies, the sense of all these companies and artists coming together to create was very powerful. I do think the first week's plays (and their presentation) convey that. Keeping that awareness in the audience, of being a part of something <I>big</I>, is incredibly difficult, but if possible, is incredibly potent as well.Jaimehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08963931779920699803noreply@blogger.com