HowlRound Theatre Commons: My mom worked at Wal-Mart for fifteen years as a cashier. During this time, she experienced unsafe work environments, unpredictable scheduling, unreliable hours, and, of course, low pay. She was making $11.25 an hour when she retired in 2021. Growing up, my dad’s white-collar job kept us financially stable, but I was always aware of the financial reality my mom’s job represented for many other people.
3 comments:
I found this article to be very introspective while also allowing the reader to understand the impact of the theater that the author saw. Exploring the seemingly ongoing battle for creators of whether to sacrifice a paycheck or their morals to make art in this way was very effective and interesting to me. Drawing from their personal experience with Walmart, the author reminded of how corporations choose to spend their money is almost always to their own personal gain. Although Walmart is funding art, the money that is used is “bad” money. Continuing, I feel as though the incredibly detailed account of the Bargaining Rights really brought home the idea that even in such a corporate world, artists do and will continue to criticize those who only give money for their own benefit. I think that as long as there is art that is not bound by what those in power approve it to say, art can continue to be an outlet for individuals to reflect on the world we live in, and inspire us to make change.
I think that it is sad how difficult it is to make art and survive in our current world. I personally think it deserves just as much recognition as science and politics, as it gives life to our experiences. While watching a show does not save someone from disease, I think that cutting funds from the arts is a detriment to our society. I think that without beauty and art to make us think and challenge our society, we stagnate. Oftentimes revolutions start with the young and artists because they have the practiced ability to imagine a different world. I think that by ignoring these people in those that our society and government should support harms a very integral part of our existence. It is unfair that art for profit through music and film overshadow other media and that recognition should be improved for theater and the visual arts outside of middle school classrooms and the elite.
The article’s opening, with the author reflecting on her mom’s experience working a near-minimum-wage job, and then on how that same corporation affects the creation of art, presents a striking parallel that allows the exploration of a poignant topic in our society. The article offers a unique reflective voice from the author, while also exploring the larger ethical paradox and dilemma we artists live in. Ultimately, the article questions whether artists can take money from a corporation they oppose and still make meaningful protest art without being absorbed into the system they criticize. Aiding that discussion, the article focuses on a new musical, “Bargaining Rights,” that deals with these issues directly while using funding from the Walton Family Foundation, one of the philanthropic arms of Wal-Mart. Theatre creates a profound sense of unity and can drive societal change, which raises a larger ethical dilemma when corporations fund it.
Post a Comment