YET AGAIN, this is not to say that I am negating the nominations given.
They have dropped The Faculty Room from the Charles MacArthur nomination, leaving 4 new works up for that...while 8 directors are nominated for Resident Play. ?
Wouldn't an organization such as Helen Hayes do better by nominating 8 new works, instead of 8 directors? Tons of blood, sweat, and tears is poured out by local playwrights and composers, and there is very seldom a carrot at the end of the stick that they are chasing. There is little reward for creating a new work of art for this community. Even getting it seen by more than 10 people in the first place is in its own right a reward. The DC theatre community, which is striving to be another major theatre destination, should take some stock of this and nourish these new and emerging voices more.
What would DC as a theatre community be with NO NEW WORKS? We'd be doing Arsenic and Old Lace, The Music Man, Antigone, and Plaza Suite all year. Yikes. There are few who are talented enough to be real creators and writers for the theatre. I applaud these people, because they are trying to shape and create a future for the craft that I work in. Sometimes all a playwright needs is an addendum to tag onto his manuscript like, "Charles MacArthur nominated" for another theatre somewhere else to take a second look as they rifle through their mail. I would rather see 8 Charles MacArthur nominations than 8 director noms. Of all of the new work produced in this city in the past year, there are 4 that were deemed "worthy" of a sticker this year?
Is creativity dead in our city? I think not.
As a former Helen Hayes Award recipient, I would like to politely ask the Helen Hayes committee to look into what happened this year and fix the errors in future years. Can I say this again...I was NOT in Nevermore, I was an audience member. This is not out of sour grapes, but out of genuine concern that this "new way" to nominate, is not yet the right way.
Nevermore is in terrific company of those who were "looked over". Fat Pig at Studio Theatre (Washingtonian magazine's play of the year), Mame at the Kennedy Center, Shennandoah at Ford's, Two Queens, One Castle and The Girl in the Goldfish Bowl at Metro Stage, Death of a Salesman at Keegan, Brian Hemmingsen, Susan Lynskey, Ariel Dorfman, Scott Fortier, Harriet Harris, Christine Baranski, Sally Murphy, Andrew Long, Eric Schaeffer, and the list goes on.
The real reward that a new work can get is to be produced, and Nevermore is being done multiple times across the country in the coming months. The first of which productions will be done at Kensington Arts Theatre. Here is the poster. I will have details of this production to follow.
I have said my peace now.
love,
a concerned DC Theatre supporter
4 comments:
Well said Stephen. Let's all work together to fill up the Kensington run and get people to see Nevermore. Joel
To clarify yet again...I am proud and happy of the current nominees, and I am not saying anything negative about them. My issue here is with the small number of slots for the New Works catagory, when there are MANY new works done in this city. I just think that the numbers should be more even, not 10 for one and 4 for the other.
E-mail and blogging is dangerous, because you can read it with a tone that was never intended. This is not intended to be read nasty.
It is meant to be read with "concern", which is how I signed it.
Hope that clears up things.
UGH. Yet again, I am not concerned with "my day". This is not about me. If I cannot say what I feel, then what is the point of my life? If I feel something this strong, I will share it. I do not care if I am never hired in my own town again due to these postings. I feel that this is an injustice. I am also a landscape designer, you know...I am not approaching this subject with any trepidation...you are missing the point of my post. I am not negating those who are nominated, I am bemoaning those who were not for unknown reasons that are strange. Nothing that Eric Schaeffer touched this year got one nomination, and that is strange to me. There were CERTAINLY many things worthy. My whole point is this...if there are 10 picked for one category, why 4 in another? This whole post really was about recognition of new works in DC...if you feel that I should shut up about that, then I guess I should say...no I will not. Nor do you have the right to advise me to do such. I am entitled to my right of free speech to say this. I am not deterring from those nominated...don't you see, I am trying to say that there should be more nominations in the category.
How dare you tell me not to voice what I feel...this is MY website.
Why are you here reading other than to see what I FEEL? As I have said, I don't care if I am never hired/nominated/reviewed well again, I feel so strongly about this...I can go and be a landscape designer and not be an actor...I also have free right to call "bullshit" if I so feel, and I am calling "Bullshit" on the lack of recognition of several pieces, most notably my husband's piece. And for the record, I would rather have someone leave their name on a comment instead of claiming "anonymous", espeacially when they call me "little buddy".
Eww. No more Anon. comments will be excepted on this post.
So sorry to hear you were flamed for voicing your opinions - god forbid we have any kind of free speech in this little country of ours. I agree - as someone who didn't even get to see your hubby's show - it was a very creative piece of new work. It seems that across the board safer works (and safer acting work) was highlighted rather than people who went out on a limb on things and tried to stretch their creative legs. That, unfortunately, is the double edged sword of DC - you've got the support to create but not the desire to see and recognize it so it can continue to grow.
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