DC Theatre Scene: The drive to Frederick was long, but the destination was worth it. Not just because Frederick may be the most adorable town in driving distance of DC, but also because that town is home to Maryland Ensemble Theater and their go-to sound guy Steve Younkins.
8 comments:
I think that the Q2Q comics are pretty funny sometimes. Though they are very stereotypical of people working in technical theatre. It is nice to see that crazy things that happen during tech are not only happening to you. Other people are going through similar things and that is very comforting. Theatre is a crazy business with a lot of great characters in it. Steve Younkins created a comic that many people can relate to and have a good laugh. Many of the situations that he writes about could be stressful in the moment, but when you read a comic about it that is a little exaggerated at times, it might make you smile and laugh. After stressful tech rehearsals the perfect thing is to unwind and have a good laugh. These comics can also show that all of the problems in tech week may not be as serious as you think they are. People get stressed over little things in a heated moment. The comics are helpful to take a step back and look at the whole picture.
This was such a cool thing to see on the NFTRW list! I absolutely love Q2Q comics (check them every week), because I feel like they really sum up our world, though obviously in a very cartoonish manner. The characters are, of course, the extremes, but that's what makes them so enjoyable! We've ALL worked with people who really do take it to the extreme, so it's great stuff to laugh about. I personally love going through and finding the things I can relate to. Some of the things Morty the stage manager says are really hilarious, and while I would almost never say some of the things she says, I can absolutely guarantee I've thought them before. These characters are often the way that I feel in my head, though of course that isn't real life. I really enjoyed hearing some of what the author had to say about realism and about how throwing interesting people into a room will make something interesting happen- that's the way I feel theatre itself often works. You may have an empty stage and a script, but if you throw enough interesting people onto it and behind it, something beautiful will happen. Yay Q2Q comics!
Finally, a post about Q2Q. They’re these really awesome and funny comic strips, and they’re clearly created out of the love of the theatre and willingness to laugh at some of the more predictable aspects of it, but I’ve had conversations with people in the theatre industry who are not fans. Their argument is that the comic belittles and makes light of the hard work they do every day, boiling it down to a stereotype that may or may not reflect the actual personality or values of the people who fill all those roles in theatres around the country. When I heard that, I had to reconsider why I enjoyed the comics so much. Coming out of high school it was pretty easy to laugh at them, but when it’s now your chosen life path that can change things. For me, it didn’t. I still love and laugh at the comics, and I still believe that they are made in good humor and aren’t meant to belittle anyone, but still I can see how people feel they do.
I love the Q2Q comics, even though I don’t know what that stands for. At any rate, I stumbled across them by chance and now spend hours reading them every day, they are so beyond great. And not to beep my own horn but I’m fairly certain the costume designer was based off of me. She and I are the exact same down to the homemade dress the afro and the glitter obsession! This comic makes me so beyond happy, my family posts anyone they see to my Facebook page and it helps people who have known idea of our world get a little closer to the action. It makes us theater professionals feel like there are others in the world who understand! Even though we know there are. I hope he never stops writing them and I hope he releases a book at some time, because I’d be first in line to buy it.
I have always enjoyed the Q2Q comics. When I first discovered their existence on Tumblr it brought pure joy and a sense of relief to my heart. For once I got to see someone representing my view of theater. Since starting college I have encountered many people who don’t have respect for what I do and think I am just being over dramatic when I say I spent all day working in studio. What I felt this comics have allowed me to do is just truly find the joy and appreciation in the tiny moments that can feel so outrageous out of context. At the same time I feel like these comics are making great strides in pulling back the curtain to show what our life in backstage theater is like. I was very happy to see when the artist added a female technical director because in his comics he is showing equal representation in the industry. What I have found that has made his comics the greatest they are is that when I read them the words of the characters, I completely disregard their gender and can completely relate. It’s almost as though he is able to make the gender a minor detail similar to the texture of the character’s hair because at the end of the day the gender does not matter we have all been in that kind of situation before.
I'm really excited that there was finally an article about these comics posted here. I've been reading them since last year, and I they're one of my favorite web comics. I think it’s a great group of characters, and I like how he’s developed personalities for them but can still use them in a number of different situations. Just last week I was procrastinating and I reread all of them over a couple of days. I’ve read the about page on the website, but moderate and soft-spoken Steve didn’t really reveal all that much about himself. The article gave great insight into not only the creative process and timeline of the comics, but it had some really good information about the author as well. I find it funny that he typically starts working on them the night before because he works best under pressure. That’s something I can unfortunately relate to. I also like how he tries to incorporate things that have happened to him during tech, so it gives him a sense of release. I kinda wish that he actually drew these during tech, just because I think it would be funny if he did, but I understand why he can’t. I really appreciate that he’s a sound designer, because it’s not a job that’s typically associated with visual art abilities but he’s able to draw these very popular comics three times a week.
I love Q2Q! It's everything I want to do! I love cartoons, and drawing and creating characters based on my world and people I know and it's amazing to see someone take that and be successful. What his comics do is create a connection between people in a very isolating field. Each theater is very different and a lot of times, stories/adventures/things that happened don't always carry over to people outside of this really eclectic profession, or even outside of this specific theater. But the way the artist creates these stories, creates a connection between all these people in the field. People identify with experiences that the characters have, and they identify with the problems of the designer that they associate themselves with. The idea to make a comic about this is absolutely brilliant. I hope I can come up with something just as genius to make into a comic.
Q2Q is my favourite. I love the satirical nature of the comic. What I love is that it pokes fun of all disciplines of theatre. As someone who has designed, SMd, acted, and directed, and has friends in all disciplines of theatre, I relate to almost all aspects of the theatre presented in some form. I have both designed and SMd for directors very similar to the one presented in Q2Q and while I hope I am never that daft or annoying, it is good for me to remember how unreasonable I may be at certain times. The fact that I get to do it in a comedic way makes it all the better.
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