Saturday, September 15, 2007
A Town’s Darkest Day Is Playing Out on Stage
New York Times: "“Some of my regulars won’t see it,” said Karl Buckman, the owner of Obee’s sub shop opposite the theater. “They say, ‘How can you make a musical out of the flood?’ ” That Mr. Buckman is a cast member has not swayed them."
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5 comments:
it's hard to say when people are ready....its hard to say when history is ok to be retold. i feel as though it is the same question we have faced with 9/11. when is too soon and in a sense if it is too soon to be producing such works of art does that then increase, decrease or have no impact on the severity and seriousness of an event? there will always be people who are "not ready" to see something staged as such, but then again when is the line drawn of remembrance and mockery. in my opinion if its too recent its being taken seriously.... i may be wrong, but i have a hard time connecting with stories such as this when it only happened over a decade ago. the living victims are still around to have to carry the burden and instead of sharing and taking it way i think it is in a sense hurting and breaking down the progress that people have built up to get up and move on.
i love this article. i cant even really say why. i think its important for people to be able to see themselves on stage. i think its brilliant to be able to represent your town on a stage in front of them. it really helps to put things in perspective and also helps to lighten the situation. the 9/11 example is a good one. i know that for me less than a month later i was ready for people to go back to normal. seeing all the new yorkers being extra nice to each other made me sort of gag. i just wanted people to be able to step back, look at their situation, laugh, and then go on being morose. that might sound weird but being able to laugh, even just for a minute before you remember how terrible a thing has just occured is so important and helpful to your recovery.
well thats what i think anyway.
In a way, it's an even more literal interpretation of what Moses Kauffman did with the Laramie Project, except with the people playing themselves. It must be hard for the performers to understand that even though they are performing characters that are people they know, they still need to find the distance.
As for the time issue, some people can't deal with reliving traumatic events. they stifle away the memories and ignore them rather than bring them to the front and deal with the emotions head on. For some, all of it will be too soon, for a long as they can remember.
In my opinion, the theatre is our only acceptable gateway to address issues as these. Without a means of recreating or retelling stories, whether they be tragic or comedic, life itself would lack meaning and interest. I say if it's sad-make them cry, If its meaningful-make them ponder. I have always seen theatre as an area of no profound limits, it should have the right to portray these stories. I had never even heard of this flooding from 1993! But because theatre has the capability to recreate these stories in a very emphatic way, I have the capability of being cultured in all areas.
This sort of a play can be a tough subject for obvious reasons. I would be worried about the possible reprocussions. However the possibilities for good things to come from this play for those who it involves are an interesting thing to be considdered and could make the play a big success with certain audiences.
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