Orange Hats: We're Gonna Die

I wrote what I thought about We're Gonna Die, but here's the audience's take:



It's really worth noting that when you have a high quality production, the audience is much more articulate and interesting. I don't think it's because the show attracts a smarter audience, I really think it's because creativity is infectious.

Anyways, Young Jean Lee had a great audience to archive.

(Also: I don't cross-post everything that goes up on TheOrangeHats.com, so you really should go and check it out.)

What Arts Education Looks Like

This is what art's education should look like:

We had a student:

• Writing and performing his own guitar solo
• Creating a model out of wood of the Sears Tower
• Writing her own historical fiction short story
• Creating a Rube Goldberg machine
• Designing and creating a replica suit of Roman Armor (out of tinfoil and cardboard)
• Creating a how-to tutorial on baking a cake
• Painting a still life on canvas of a nature scene
• Writing and performing a one-man comedy act
• Researching and presenting on the concentration camps of the Holocaust
• Creating a video highlight reel of basketball moves and plays
• Building a model of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Writing a biography of his favorite teacher Mr. Stumpenhorst (<-----ok, I made this one up!)
• Creating a video documentary of Innovative Day
• Building a model of Big Ben
• Choreographing and performing a dance
• Researching Walt Disney and creating a model of the Epcot Center
• Creating a model of numerous World War II battles
• Building a model of the Eiffel Tower
• Researching and creating countless Power Points, posters, and Photo Stories

Not just one day, but every day.

(h/t Butts in the Seats)

What Once Was a Victory

A couple days ago I posted a short news article about how the mayor of San Diego stood up for arts funding at the expense of libraries. I mean, it's a shame about the libraries, but at least a mayor stood up for the power of arts in the economy.

Oh wait, what's that? More late-breaking news from San Diego? Turns out Mayor Sanders really is cutting (some) arts funding:

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to suspend about $630,000 in public arts funding at the behest of Mayor Jerry Sanders, who says the spending can’t be justified when the city needs to close a $56.7 million deficit in its $1.1 billion operating budget.

The arts funding in question was a requirement that all major construction jobs have a public art component.

Sigh. What was that, Mayor Sanders, about the arts generating jobs?

Oh, and in case you think this is just one city:

His urging coincides with a similar request from Gov. Jerry Brown, who has suggested that public art be considered on a case-by-case basis as part of his efforts to rid the state of redevelopment agencies.

Perfect.

Another Two Line Post

A mayor in San Diego stands up for the arts... at the expense of libraries:

LD: Any cuts to arts and culture?

JS: No.

LD: Why no cuts there instead of libraries?

JS: Because we've cut them each year and they're responsible in arts and culture for about 20,000 jobs. There's a multi-ripple impact on that.

LD: Cuts to libraries each year, too.

JS: Right. But there's not the same job numbers.

Is Theater Destroying Robotics?

That's what I took away from this Matt Yglesias article. If waiters weren't so damn cheap, we'd have waiter-robots by now!

The Shame Of Theater: "Development"

Brooklyn Rail covers "The Shame of Theater". It's a pretty good round-up of all the problems in "development" programs in the world.