DC Metro Theater Arts: The departure of Ethan McSweeny from the American Shakespeare Center was only one among many over the past year. Taken as a whole, the protests and departures/firings raise issues that all of us must grapple with, on both sides of the footlights. The culture of entitlement, the idea that directors are a breed apart, and the notion that their temperament comes with the territory, must be rejected in favor of a new vision of professionalism and mutual respect.
1 comment:
This is an interesting article because of how strong of a voice it has and how opinionated it is written. I feel like it is certainly a unique take to pardon how a toxic director may act because that is the way they were taught. It feels like the excuse people may use when referring to the older generation—if they say something homophobic or racist, it is because they grew up in a different time, and it is not necessarily their fault they act like that. I believe that no matter the age, it is always someone’s responsibility to unlearn their toxic views or behavior so that they do not harm others, so in that sense I disagree with this article. The writer of this article comes off as extremely bitter to me, so it is hard to take them seriously. It is understandable that toxic directors are a real problem—acting is so personal to one’s own self and their body that it must be difficult to walk the line between criticism and abuse. On another note, I feel like the writer’s whole argument is invalid, due to the fact that they can recognize this toxic behavior despite being taught in this manner. If the writer can recognize and stop this behavior within themselves, why shouldn’t anyone else? Overall this article has a really strange approach.
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