CMU School of Drama


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Mike Daisey Discusses ‘The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs’

NYTimes.com: MIKE DAISEY, one of the great solo storytellers of contemporary theater, has traveled the world performing sharp, polemical and extemporaneous monologues about Amazon.com, national security, James Frey and a host of other subjects. He brings his latest piece, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” to the Public Theater from Oct. 11 through Nov. 13.

2 comments:

Brian Rangell said...

This interview touches on a subject that we discussed here on the GreenPage a few weeks ago: although theatre can affect awareness of social issues, is it capable of realizable change in the world? Mike makes a significant point in the very end of the interview - even though he's been horrified by the conditions he saw in China, he continues to use his phone until it becomes nonfunctional because he'd just be buying another one made in the same conditions if he rejected Apple on principle. Educating people is not enough to make significant change - another step has to be taken. To me, theatre and other art forms set the mind up to be open and accepting to new ideas, then presents a message, thus setting up the potential for change. But it's still on the audience member to actually take another step in order to make tangible change in the world.

SMysel said...

This article brings up a lot of thought provoking points, such as the fact that our country fights for humane working conditions, which have only led out industries to use other countries with less humane working conditions to create our products, and also that there may not be a more ethical product to turn to for substitution. Perhaps it is true about not that these issues are being acknowledged and discussed, change for the better could occur.