Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2008 17:03:51 -0800 To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org From: The Independent Eye <eye-AT-independenteye.org> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppet controversy Quoted from the news link: >>Quattlebaum's statement continued. "However, >>NHCS staff in attendance stated the humor was >>political in nature and did not reflect any >>relevant curriculum for elementary school." Well, that's the problem right there. The idea that kids learning about the way the world works and asking questions about it somehow needs to be delayed until the time when their mind is totally on their hormones - this does not compute. There's a terrible fear that - quite rightly - grips people involved in the educational system. They're probably going to get it in the neck from somebody any time they go out on a limb. We can shame them for cowardice, but we'd also better empathize with them: any time there's the remotest controversy, they'll be painted by one side as Nazis, by the other as child molesters. Add to this the likelihood that any extracurricular activity they're promoting probably is an add-on to all the other shit they have to do, paperwork, etc., and it's hard to imagine why they even bother. That's not to excuse the guy who stopped the show, which I agree is outrageous. But it's also incumbent on us to be hyper-aware of the circumstance we go into when we're doing these gigs. On one hand, we can be "set up": I remember around 1969 or so, whenever the first Earth Day was, our company was hired by a student committee at a Milwaukee high school to do an Earth Day assembly program. They'd seen our show, which had a lot of political stuff, and when we said, well, there's not much in there about ecology, they said that didn't matter. Clearly they wanted to make a stir at their school. So we did the show, we got a standing ovation from a thousand kids, and then the shit hit the fan. Long story short: huge controversy, and we lost touring gigs for years because of our having "caused trouble" at Marshall High School. A useful reference in understanding what that neurotic Dane did to the poor damned players' troupe in ordering up THE MURDER OF GONZAGO: you think they ever got a booking again after the word spread about their "controversial" performance? On the other hand=8A Companies can be remarkably insensitive and self-righteous, especially ensembles devoted to saving the world and letting the chips fall where they may. That's not a comment on Bread & Puppet, but simply an occupational hazard of every "fringe" group with huge ideals and a sense of marginalization. Did they really go the extra twenty miles to grok their sponsor's situation and communicate accurately? I doubt it. Might the crap have happened even if they had? Very possibly. Should they continue to offer this work to these circumstances? Yes. Will it help the cause of bringing more progressive art to young people? No. Is B & P a gift to the world? Of course. It's all part of the paradox of art's strained relation to society since the Romantics. After Krishna delivers himself of one of the great spiritual texts of all time, Arjuna accepts his dharma and leads forth his troops to be slaughtered by the thousands: so we've got the inspirational verses, while he's got the blood on his hands. Guess we need that kinder, gentler nation that was promised some time ago. Peace & joy- Conrad B Visit our website at <http://www.independenteye.org> for our performance schedule. scripts & photo archives, books & CDs our radio series "Hitchhiking off the Map" and our weekly weblog on the creation of a live-animation TEMPEST for 2009 -- _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005