Parabasis

Sick

I have one of those headaches so bad it's making me nauseous and thus reading typeface on a monitor is kind of painful. Thus, no posting today. Which is too bad as this also means I don't think reading the section of IJ I'm on-- which is dense with medical terminology for deformities and sections of the brain- is really in the cards.

BTW

Safe to say that The Friendly Atheist is my new (to me) favorite blog.

I've discovered or gotten back into four blogs recently, The Friendly Atheist, Karl Miller's blog (that's the reconnected to, I feel like Karl maybe stopped posting for awhile and I stopped reading it or something but it's good to back!), Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog and The G Spot.  Of the four, only the last one am I a little disappointed with. Kathy G. is a formidable writer and political thinker, and I like her insights, but she's made the mistake of getting embroiled in a number of cross-blogger fights, particularly with Megan McArdle (aka McMegan, the Atlantic's resident libertarian blogger).  I agree with Kathy on pretty much every fight she's had with McMegan but seriously, blogger fights are capital-B-Boring. When she breaks out of those arguments and posts non-reactive content, the site is great. 

I heart Sadly, No!

For writing stuff like this.

Why am I not on this list?

just kidding. May I present to you:

The Fifty Most Powerful Blogs.

Thinking, Communicating, Acting, Blogging

Blogging is not "action" as we normally think of action. It is a form of communication. This communication takes as many forms as there are writers, and it is generally reflective of the individual writer's style. That is largely because bloggers don't have to conform to a "house style" or "house standards" the way writers for hire do. This is the double edged sword of blogging. I know that pretty much every blogger I have ever read has had to retract/clarify/apologize for something at some point. At the same time, this kind of direct downloading from someone's brain can provide fresher, more interesting ways of communicating.

We tend to separate communication and action into two separate activities. They are, however, intertwined. And while it is useful to remind people that concrete action is needed on top of communication, dismissing attempts to communicate because they are not in themselves action enough is counterproductive. We need people dreaming aloud, theorizing, making the case, starting the discussion just like we need people in the metaphorical streets gettin' shit done. Hopefully, some of us will do both. Perhaps the conversation/action ratio is off right now, but if it is, the answer is more action, not less conversation and more action.

No one really knows what the impact of theatre blogging is on Theatre as an art form or institution. In politics, we can look at things like dollars raised, or interviews with politicians done, or scandals created or researched and say "ah, yes, here it is! the impact!". I can explain in concrete terms how Talking Points Memo impacts politics, I cannot explain in concrete terms what Parabasis' impact on theatre is. This does not make keeping the blog pointless. If nothing else, it has connected me with my readers, and i have discovered numerous people, thinkers and artists whom I would not otherwise know. For that, I am grateful.

On a final note, one major tension that runs throughout blogging is the tension between individual and community. Blogs are not forums... they are not a group of people writing on equal terms, but rather one rather loud voice that invites commentary from other voices whose volume is turned down. I struggle with whether or not that's really the form I want my writing to take, but for now... it is. At the same time, what makes most blogs really valuable is the interplay between blogger and reader/commenter. And this tension interplays with what I was talking about earlier. Individuals don't accomplish much. Groups, on the other hand, do. And the way blogs can fit into that has to do with communicating via the individual voice into the group, hoping that something might come of it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I couldn't begin to figure out how or why or what makes the difference between those times.

Away!

I shall be away this weekend. So no blogging from me. But tune in for exclusive coverage from Denver by CGEYE! It'll be cold-tastic!

Other Blogs

I think it's important to note that while I am extremely grateful for the press attention this blog has been getting, there's a lot of really good blogs about theatre and/or written by theatre artists.  Here are just a few of the New York based blogs I visit regularly that weren't mentioned in the Time Out Chicago article. Many of these are written by friends of mine, but they became friends of mine because I admired their work here on the interweb:

Adam Szymkowicz.  He's a blogger and playwright and all around good guy. Although his posts are frequently short, they are also insightful and funny. And he's very honest about his own process and attitudes. Adam also keeps quite good track of when new theatre blogs crop up that are worth looking into.

Two Nosedive artists have blogs, Patrick Shearer's "Charlie Willis Blog" and James Comtois' Jamespeak. I am a great admirer of Nosedive.  They've figured out what kind of work they want to do and created an environment in which that work is supported and in which it can find the right audience. They work their ass off to do it, often toiliing away in less-than-ideal situations for the simple purpose of entertaining us.  Charlie Willis isn't updated nearly enough given Patrick's intelligence and insight, and pretty much every time James writes a post, I'm laughing at my cubicle by the end of it with whatever moniker he's chosen to sign off with.  For unpretentious, theatre loving musings, you can't go wrong with James' stuff.  I should also mention that when he actually posts (which is rare) Mac Rogers who appeared in and has written for Nosedive's work cannot be beat.

Jason Grote's star has been on the rise as a playwright of late, and reading his blog, it's easy to see why. He's a compelling writer with a firebrand's social conscience and an encyclopaedic knowledge of errata and ephemera to back it up.

Lucas Krech is a light designer and blogger who uses his site for a variety of things from research for his upcoming projects to discussions of philosophy and how they relate to light design. Also, gourmet coffee.

I link to Mark Armstrong pretty much every time he writes a post, but what the hey! I'll link to him again!

For the latest in the avant garde and performance art scenes, you must hie thee hither to Obscene Jester!

Matt Freeman... playwright... political thinker... funny dude. Matt was part of the second generation of theatre bloggers alongside Playgoer and many others. And I agree with Matt that it's odd whenever these articles come out that his blog isn't mentioned. It should be! Matt has a great sense of humor and writes with a good deal more reason and temperance than can usually be found on more reactive sites like... well... this one.

I have a feeling that ever since her secret identity was at-least-partially-unmasked, it's become difficult for Jaime to write about theatre in New York, although she still does from time to time. Regardless, her taste in book's is exquisite and  her charming LOLcat infested blog is not to be missed!

..Adding, check out Get The Guests.

There's a lot more out there, if you feel I've left one out, please put it in the comments!

No Double Standards!

by Mark from Mr. Excitement News

When Charles Isherwood penned the following criticism of August: Osage County, the blogosphere went crazy:

Mr. Letts is as yet more a skillful entertainer than a true visionary or a dramatic poet. “August: Osage County” is a ripsnorter full of blistering, funny dialogue, acid-etched characterizations and scenes of no-holds-barred emotional combat, but I would not say it possesses the penetrating truth or the revelatory originality of a fully achieved work of art.

Now, can you believe it, Martin Denton has come out and said the same thing!

It's extremely well-crafted, very involving and, in its singular way, a great deal of fun. Is it grand theatre? Absolutely. Is it great drama? Definitely not.
[--]
No, come to this expecting to find the author of gratuitously provoking works like Killer Joe and Bug at the top of his form, or, perhaps more accurately, in expansive form: this is a great big exciting breathless jaw-dropping adventure of a show, but—let's be honest—an entirely superficial one.

I assume that everyone who vigorously condemned Isherwood will no doubt rush to throw down against Denton. I mean, it's not like you guys would just take any opportunity to fire off anti-Isherwood posts! These sentiments must not be allowed to stand!

[Crossposted to Mr. Excitement News]

Mr. Excitement Returns!

Welcome back Mark Armstrong!

Wait a Friggin' Minute...

Welcome back MattJ? Are you teasing us? Or are you back?