Date: Tue, 10 Dec 96 12:32:59 -0600 (CST)
From: Buster <jmaroon1-AT-mail.airmail.net>
Subject: Re: Puppets/audience/P.C.


At 05:49 PM 12/9/96 -0500, MR MARK S SEGAL wrote:
>-- [ From: Mark S. Segal * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --
>
>Jim,
>
>I find your response a little bit troubling as a parent and as a
>performer.
>>From reading your posts I don't think it is wise necessarily to respond,
>but I have never been accused of being wise,  :). 
>
>> I don't think that is what we are talking about.  The needs of the
>children in
>> the audience (my target audiences) are often far different from the
>needs and
>> wants of their parents or teachers.  So, I speak to the needs of the
>audience
>> (the children) and ignore the wants of the parents and teachers.
>
>I personally find this statement ignorant of the dynamic of an
>adult/child audience.

Well, I have over 2,500 performances under my belt. That isn't as many as a
lot of puppeteers out there, but still, I'd say I speak from experience.
I'm hardly ignorant.

>The kids don't hire you the parents or teachers do. If the parents and
>the teachers are in your audience then you have a responsibility to them
>as well.  How dare you ignore their needs or wants. This is just plain
>selfishness on your part and shows a certain lack of capability.

I do play to them, and that could account for my popularity, but they are
not my target audience.  I'm being hired to perform for the children, and it
is their need for which I have the primary concern.  Most teachers and
parents understand that, and accept it.  Those who don't... well, nobody is
liked by everybody.

As to selfishness, I'd have to say you know me far too little to make such a
judgement.  If I were selfish, I wouldn't perform for kids.  In fact, I
wouldn't perform at all.  I'd go where the money is.

>Children look to their adult companions for verification of their
>responses and enjoyment. If I can entice and entertain the adults at one
>of my shows as well as the children then I will have a successful
>program. 

You missed my point.  My audience is the kids.  It is their needs I am
meeting.  In the process, the adults almost always enjoy my show as well
because they enjoy watching children having such a good time.  I do throw in
mature humor now and then for the fun of it, but that is just the icing on
the cake.  My point was that if the adults are offended, I'm less concerned
than if the children were.  As a storyteller, I am not going to tell the
same story for a group of 4 year olds that I would for a room of adults.
THAT would show a lack of understanding of developmental psychology.

>If all I am able to do is play to the children, then I am
>basically contributing to that AWFUL CATEGORY known as KIDDIE SHOW, and
>that will always ALWAYS result in control problems. Always try to play
>on a multitude of levels.

It is ironic we are talking about political correctness.  From my point of
view, your post is quite politically incorrect (guess it depends on whether
you see PC as about language, or about attitude).  I find your comments
agist, to say the least, not to mention sexist.  People always try to stick
people who work with children in this category, as if performing for adults
is somehow superior.  See, because working with children is women's work,
and women are less, so their work is less, so working with children is less.
As puppetry is usually seen as children's work, it is seen as less than the
other arts.  This attitude permeates our society, in every sector, with
those who work with adults taking on a superior air.  

I assume you are rather talking about bad children's shows, and if that is
the case, then I would have to say that the quickest way to do a bad
children's show is to cater to the foibles of the adults in your audience.
The best material reaches children where they are instead of where some
all-knowing adult thinks they should be.  Look at the best of children's
literature.  Roald Dahl's books are looked at aghast by many adults, and
Maurice Sendak's best works are those about rebellious children.  Shel
Silverstein's poetry is poo pooed by grownups as to irreverent, while it is
embraced by children.

>>(Granted, the purpose of the performance and the setting do have an
>effect, such >as school shows tend to be educational, church shows are
>religious, etc.)  If they >don't want to hire me for a return engagement
>, fine.  I get plenty of work from those >who do appreciate my art.
>
>You must not do this for a living..... 

Not any more.  Got tired of the travel.  I did for 11 years, full time.  Now
I just do it part time, and as a part of my job.

But your observation is a common one.  It is based on selling your artistic
integrety for money.  Many people make this compromise.  I didn't, and
don't.  It depends on whether we see ourselves as artists, or commercial
artists.


>> Actually, no.  What we are talking about is intolerance of differences
>..
>> Differences in viewpoint.  Some people can't accept viewpoints that
>are
>> different from their own, and so go about foisting their viewpoints on
>others.
>>  If they can't do that, then they try to make certain those opposing
>viewpoints
>> at least are not voiced.  That is where we have our problems. Not with
>> acceptance of differences.
>
>You seem to have a lot of problems with being censored....
>I have been performing for 20 years I have never been censored, by
>offering respect the result is you tend to get respect.  

There is no need to censor someone who is already censoring themselves.

Look, I'm not directing this at you, because I have never seen your show,
but in a general sense, art is about stretching boundaries and exploring
human experience.  It should make people feel, and if it does that, then it
must make them eventually feel something unpleasant.  If it does that, it is
bound to piss somebody off, somewhere, sooner or later.  If that doesn't
happen, we must question whether or not what we are doing really is art.  If
we allow others to strip away all of the tools that could possibly make
anyone feel anything, then we are killing the heart in our art.

--Jim Maroon
The Storytelling Home Page    http://members.aol.com/storypage



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