Sunday, April 25, 2010
Peter Marks imagines a White House that encourages playwrights
Washington Post: "The significance of the Obamas embracing aspects of the American theater, of course, would be largely symbolic, given the laughably negligible financial support this nation gives its artists. But inviting more of them to Pennsylvania Avenue, in whatever way the White House accommodates performance (I wouldn't know; I've never been), would be both a psychological shot in the arm for a form perennially struggling to assert itself and a motivational act for people all over the country looking for signs that their leaders have a stake in our creative well-being."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I think this is definitely a possibility and am sure it will happen sometime soon. Obama is one to recognize the arts like no president before. He goes to Broadway. He celebrates the arts.
Where Bush pushed it away, Obama embraces it and realizes what it can do for the economy and culture as a whole. Theater can turn into a symbol and show America what art is all about.
Hopefully Obama will invite these smart playwrights to the White House. It would be a true symbol for art in this administration.
I think the above comment is wonderful, but a bit too idealistic. Yes, Obama has done a bit more to try to bring an emphasis on the arts, but nothing especially notable has been done as of yet. Theater is rarely supported enough to become a really progressive art, a large part of the industry is still completely commercial and superficial. If a focus was placed on funding new, interesting works then perhaps the government would be more interested in using federal funding for theater arts.
I like the possibility of this. As Bryce said, of all the recent presidents, Obama seems most likely to do something like this.
I just worry about the topics and choice of playwrights becoming horribly political. Part of the dramatic arts is expressing different ideas on stage, and if the selections at the White House forced only certain playwrights to become involved, or certain subjects to be avoided, I think the reason for getting the plays into the White House- for bringing attention to them in the first place- would be mute. So can our country handle our president seeing various statements from different productions? Unfortunately, I still think the answer is no.
I think it's sad that other countries embrace their artists and playwrights much more than the United States. Hopefully, Obama will take more measures to invite playwrights to show pieces of theatre at the White House. The arts should be more supported and welcomed by our nation, and I think one of the first steps towards doing that is for the leader of our nation to set an example by embracing the great wealth of art and theatre that our nation has to offer.
Conceptually I feel this would be a good idea, but realistically it has flaws. The presidential schedule is extremely tight, and I fear that any performance for the white house risks being constantly put on hold, which might send a message that ends up trivializing theater. Certainly showcasing theater at the White House would be a positive thing, but the regular basis which the writer seems to imagine this occurring upon seems unlikely to work.
I think it would be great to see Obama embrace the arts more, and be willing to invite playwrights to the White House. As the article notes, it would be a shot in the arm to the theater industry, and it would be an opportunity for greater financial backing for them. While I think Obama is open to the idea of being more supportive of theater that on than other presidents, as other comments note, it's too early to say whether he will pull through with some of our expectations of him.
Post a Comment