Tag Archives: APO
Humor, Theatre
Breaking The Leg – "All In The Timing" By Alpha Psi Omega
Sometimes, you just need to laugh.
Comedy is no stranger to the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, and certainly no stranger to Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honors society. They put on Guerrilla several times throughout the year, often incorporating humorous aspects to the theme of the show. And UATD tends to put on at least a couple of comedies a year. However, this year, APO decided to get a little bit atypical with their fall show.
"All in the Timing" by David Ives is not actually a play. It is, rather, a series of nine skits, coming off like an episode of "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Yet, there's more to it than that. Ives doesn't use the farcical style of Monty Python so much… drama and character still exist in many of the scenes, and each scene has a different voice. Some of the scenes, or really short one-act plays, share similar voices to one another, while others could've been written by someone completely different.
In what has to be the largest collaborative effort for a show APO has ever done, Tommy Walker directed the show, but had three other people assistant directing four of the plays. Twenty-one actors were cast in the show, some playing multiple roles. And the technical side… well, let's say that a lot of people were involved in this show. And I think it worked out well.
The show is, admittedly, hard to describe. To put all nine plays into a single show and attempt to make them cohesive, Walker created a circus world, a carnival of sorts, where all the actors were visible backstage the entire time. Before the show and during the intermission, actors came out and acted as clowns, some showing some very impressive clown work. I think Nick Burroughs' animal clown is going to live on in my mind forever.
As for the plays themselves, Ives has an affinity for completely altering the reality of the world. In "Sure Thing," a man, Bill (Anthony Haselbauer), and a woman, Betty (Tara Lynn Steele), meet at a coffee shop. Their conversation goes down several possible paths, reset to the last branch of the option tree at the sound of a bell every time something goes wrong.
"A Singular Kinda Guy" was a well delivered monologue from Wen Powers (who got some of the more dramatic parts of the show) about a man who thinks of himself as a typewriter trapped in a world of word processors.
In "Foreplay, or the Art of the Fugue," a man, Chuck, takes a woman on a date to a miniature golf course… three times. Yet simultaneously. And the three Chucks (Burroughs, Motel Foster and Eric Marable, Jr.) interact with their individual women – Amy (Alex Karr), Annie (Illiana Garcia) and Alma (Adelle Smith) – as well as each other on occasion. Sometimes they go through the same motions, other times things are entirely different… especially for the third Chuck's date with Alma.
In "Phillip Glass Buys A Loaf of Bread," we have what I'd like to call a David Lynch-directed comedy musical. A moment of time where two people that knew each other once is frozen, and the four actors on the scene (Michael Vine, Jessica May, Karina Simonis and Loui Clagett) become representations of fractions of sentences and thoughts, singing and moving around the stage in a strange, clockwork-like motion of frozen time, the representation of confused neurons firing off in your brain when you aren't really sure what to say.
"The Philadelphia" uses a fantastic concept where cities represent outlooks and reactions to life, and people can be trapped in them unknowingly, and outside of the city itself. Mark (Haselbauer) rushes into the restaurant where his friend Al (Patrick Croce) sits, oddly content despite the horrible service and even more horrendous food offered by the waitress (Naomi Prentice) at the restaurant. Al explains to Mark about living in a city outside of a city and how in a Philadelphia, you can never get what you ask for.
"English Made Simple" breaks down the barrier of language, altering and reinterpreting it in several ways, moving in and out of time and space to talk about the truth behind the words. In the setting of a science experiment/language lesson run by Amber Gibson's character, Jack (Burroughs) and Jill (May) have many different conversations through different mediums… even hand puppets.
The theme of death and life passing before your eyes over and again, much like the theme in "Philip Glass Buys A Loaf of Bread," emerges in "Variations on the Death of Trotsky." Leon Trotsky (Powers) is caught in the moment between the fatal blow to his head and his actual death, dying multiple times throughout the scene while his wife (Taylor Schafer) and the Spanish communist that killed him, Ramon (Garcia), interact with his constantly dying body.
"The Universal Language" toys again with the idea of language, and the idea of love (a common theme in nearly every piece), but instead breaks down the English language itself, setting up a pseudo-everything language that is wholly incomprehensible and yet strangely understandable. Dawn (Kiley Gipson) comes in hoping to learn this universal language to cure her lisp while Don (Croce) tries to teach her the language and confidence. A girl (Simonis) enters at the end of the play to solidify the partnership Dawn and Don have created together.
The final play, "Words, Words, Words," takes a swing at art itself, taking on the proposed theory that a monkey typing for eternity could eventually churn out the complete works of Shakespeare. The three monkees – Swift (Jordan DeWitt), Milton (Drew Singleton) and Kafka (Brittany Steelhammer) – try to comprehend and reason out the purpose behind what they do for their scientist masters (tech booth cameos from Tyler Spindler and Keegan Butler).
With a LOT of people involved, this could have been a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. Frankly, some of the comedy hit some people better than others, but that's how comedy works as a whole. There were some plays I enjoyed far more than others, but they were all solid and came together as a great show. Unfortunately, there are no more performances left of the show, but maybe some of the scenes will see repeats as Guerrilla acts. It might be worth it. I think Ives really has some interesting things to say, in retrospect… But even if you don't want to think about it afterwards, there's still the moment of laughter during.
Tagged Adelle Smith, Alex Karr, All in the Timing, Alpha Psi Omega, Amber Gibson, Anthony Haselbauer, APO, Brittany Steelhammer, David Ives, Drew Singleton, Eric Marable Jr., Illiana Garcia, Jessica May, Jordan DeWitt, Karina Simonis, Keegan Butler, Kiley Gipson, Loui Clagett, Michael Vine, Motel Foster, Naomi Prentice, Nick Burroughs, Patrick Croce, Tara Lynn Steele, Taylor Schafer, Tommy Walker, Tyler Spindler, UATD, University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, Wen Powers
Football, Roll Tide, Sports, Theatre
Tide Rolls To Championship, Guerrilla Theatre Tonight
I'm still behind a post… got caught up watching the semi-finals for the BCS National Championship for college football. Or, at least, that's what it seemed like, since the SEC Championship was between the No. 2 (Alabama) and No. 3 (Georgia) ranked teams. And it was a hard fought battle, perhaps the toughest game for both teams, apart from the single match each lost earlier in the season.
But Alabama won in the end, partly due to poor time management (which we nearly suffered from in the first half) and, ultimately, a slip of the foot. And, of course, 60 minutes of hard playing beforehand (though most of Alabama's strongest plays came in the second half). And now, the Crimson Tide will be heading to the National Championship for the third time in four years, if I'm remembering correctly.
And after all that, I still can't write a post to cover for yesterday because tonight is the last Guerrilla Theatre of the year.
I've talked about Guerrilla Theatre a lot, and I love going to it. It's a chance for performers that would not necessarily be given a shot on stage to show their talents. It's a chance to do something you've always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity for. And it's just a grand old time. Seriously, there's some amazing talent that performs at these things. I've only missed one Guerrilla Theatre this year, and I hate that I did. I don't plan on it again.
Per usual, doors open at 10:30, it starts at 11 and there's a $2 entry fee. Get there early, like around 9:30, because the line is very often very long, and the UATD/APO family is huge, so spots are limited.
I'm sure I'll come up with something new to write for yesterday tomorrow.
…say that 10 times fast…
Oh, and of course, Roll Tide.
Tagged APO, BCS National Championship, Crimson Tide, Georgia, Guerrilla Theatre, SEC Championship, UATD
Creative Writing, Roll Tide, Ruminations, Theatre
Theatrical Fun Times
I told you, I'm not going to get back in the groove of being sensible on this blog until Monday. Probably. My fan is dead, though, so my brain may melt from the heat. But, in my defense, I never said WHICH Monday…
Tonight was the APO potluck, the beginning of the school year where many of the Alpha Psi Omega students and prospective pledges (and a couple of the alums… ahem) meet up for the first time since summer and chat and have food. It's a good time, great seeing faces you haven't seen in a while.
Also tonight was the second and final performance of "The Altruists."
If you missed it, you missed one hell of a show. It was fantastic.
Directed by senior Tommy Walker as part of his new production company Kingdom Theatre, founded this year with Jessica May, "The Altruists" is a dark comedy by Nicky Silver that takes a hilarious, parody-driven look at the do-gooders of the world. Especially prevalent in America and seen often as of late, the play focuses on a group of five 20 to 30-somethings who have dedicated their lives to being unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others (as the in-program definition of altruist tells me). Basically, if there's a cause to be for, they're for it. Pro-black rights, pro-Hispanic rights, pro-gay rights, pro-Chinese rights, pro-animal rights, pro-women's rights, I could literally fill this post with nothing but causes they're for. Of course, when a closer look is given at the group, the audience is shown the rather hilarious and terrible mountains of hypocrisy each of these people has, culminating in them being just like the people they rally against. The group's promiscuous, sex-driven leader Ethan (Benjamin Mitchell), the frenetic, pill-popping soap opera star he lives and sleeps with Sydney (Jessica May), her gay, over-the-top with passion social worker brother Ronald (Jordan DeWitt), his newly found druggie/male prostitute boyfriend/love Lance (Drey Mitchell), and the (politically?) lesbian who sleeps with quite a few men Cybil (Amber Gibson) are the titular group, by and large. Each of them has some sort of quirk, something to laugh at… and each is real and represents some aspect of someone we either know or have heard about at some point. If ever you get a chance to see this show in your lifetime, do yourself a favor and do so. I have doubts it'll be as good as the one tonight, but it's a great play nonetheless.
And while I was there, I was reminded that it's almost time for auditions for the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance. Now, I may have graduated, but I will audition anywhere I can. Because, while my job is in journalism at the moment, my passion is always in theatre. Ergo, I will audition at UA.
…meaning I need an audition monologue and song by Thursday. Woo.
Now, monologue I have. I just need to re-memorize it. It's one I wrote, a comic monologue about a guy trying to sell a loofah with a potato peeler attached to the end. I've actually posted it here before. Since the shows are about half comedy, possibly 75 percent comedy this time, I'm going full tilt toward laughter. So, my song will likely be something from "The Book of Mormon," based on a) a friend's suggestion and b) the same friend saying he knows it's in the library now. So I'll head over there, likely tomorrow, and grab the sheet music. Hopefully I can learn one of the songs quickly. Probably "I Believe," I guess? We'll see.
Anyway, it's time for me to try to sleep. I hopefully get a kitty tomorrow. Fun fun.
Tagged Alpha Psi Omega, APO, Nicky Silver, The Altruists, The Book Of Mormon, The University of Alabama, Tommy Walker
Film, Food, Roll Tide, Ruminations, Theatre
Taking The Night Off After A Full Day
Today was a busy day, and it all started yesterday.
Yesterday was opening night of "Inside the Tornado." I think it went well. My roommate and our mutual friend (both ladies) kind of tackle-hugged me when I got back to the apartment. Which was nice, to be sure. But that day was also grocery shopping all day for today. …how I wish there were a better grocery store in Tuscaloosa that held more variety, particularly in produce. Like peppers. I had to wing my sweet chili a bit, as Walmart and Publix both lacked the peppers and sausage I usually use.
Anyway, after the show was over, around 9:30, I went to buy a few more last minute items for the cookout that I was planning for today. I brought it all in and started prepping my chilies because I wanted them to be able to sit.
Well, prepping the chilies meant dicing up a lot of peppers and cooking those, cooking around 2 to 2.5 pounds of meat per chili, opening a billion cans and getting it all thrown in a pot and slightly cooked together. I had to buy a new 6 quart pot to be sure I could fit everything, and I still had to remove liquid from my spicy chili due to 6 quarts being right on the limit of space for my chili.
I did all this before bolting out the door and making it to the movie theater just in time to catch the trailers before "The Avengers." Which was an amazing film I'll review later. After the movie was done, I came back and finished cooking up the chilies, which took another hour or so to get them actually cooking and balance the spice/flavor profiles… Intense work. I came upstairs to work on the story I'd written for work a little bit, not really getting anywhere at all with that, before collapsing and going to bed around 4, 4:30. Then I woke up at 8 a.m. to continue working on my cooking. I was also bringing two cheesecake sopapillas and some roasted potatoes.
I left my apartment at around 9:45, after a lot of work prepping the potatoes and finishing up the chilies, and headed to the Pink House, where the event was to be, to finish everything up.
More stuff bought, cooked, et cetera… my clothing got covered in food stuffs… (How I wish I'd found my apron…)
I ended up staying there until 5:30 p.m., making sure I got to see everyone that came and got some food (I will apparently have to cook some veggie chili soon). Traffic was the worst, so instead of even trying to bother going home, I just went straight to the show about 30 minutes early. And then we had our show, and now I'm home.
So, what I'm trying to say is, I've had a lengthy day. A wonderful day that I wish lasted longer so I could have spent more time with my friends, showing them my love and appreciation in one of the ways I best know how. Also so I could've eaten more. I didn't get to eat too much (dinner was an apple)… fortunately, my chilies are hefty and chock full of meat and such. They'll fill you up.
Due to said day, I'm taking the writing day off (he said, 500+ words later). Goodnight, world.
Tagged APO, chili, cookout, Inside the Tornado, Pink House, The Avengers
Food, Theatre
Spice Up Your Life – Cheesecake Sopapillas
So, I'm trying to get a cookout together to have a final goodbye hangout with the theatre people that are leaving UA this semester. Also, they all need to have my cooking before they're gone. No joke.
Anyway, I've decided to cook them two big pots of chili (the recipes for which I've mentioned before), some roasted red potatoes and at least one dessert. I kind of want to make something with Fuji apples and cranberries cooked down to a syrup, but I'm not really sure what I'd make. I suppose I could leave it at that, but I would totally be winging the entire operation. I could put it in a pie, but I don't really bake, either.
Except for this one thing. My mom told me about them a couple of years ago and I have not regretted it in the slightest. Nor has anyone I know that has tried them. They're cheesecake sopapillas. I'm not even going to pretend I've had any input on this recipe. I totally got it completely off a Google search. But they're still delicious. And, quick fun little story… I didn't used to have a hand mixer. So I would have to mix the cream cheese and sugar and such by hand. Which was awful. So, I went out and bought a manual hand mixer. Except it didn't work so well. Apparently, that's because what I bought wasn't a hand mixer… It was an egg beater.
And that's how you make me embarrassed in the kitchen. Anyway, to the recipe!
Inside –
3 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough
Topping –
1/4 cup sliced almonds (These are super optional. I've never put them in.)
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Beat the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into 9×13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. (I just put them in the baking dish/pan and try to flatten them out and eliminate perforations.)
3. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.
These are delicious and awesome. Try them out. Hopefully, my friends will get to find out how awesome they are on Friday.
Tagged APO, cheesecake sopapillas, cooking, recipe, The University of Alabama
Alabama, Entertainment, Politics, Ruminations, Theatre
Time Marches Forward (Also, We Have A Funny President)
Ugh. I feel terrible not having talked about much of anything substantial in so long. I said I'd get back to talking about education soon, and the last lengthy, thoughtful thing I wrote was about the April tornado that hit Tuscaloosa. That was on Friday.
But it really has been a busy few days. Senior Guerrilla/Roasts, Subject to Change concert, "The Last 5 Years," "Inside the Tornado" rehearsals…
Busy busy busy.
By the way, I believe there is a second showing of "The Last 5 Years" on Friday. If you missed the Sunday show, definitely go see it Friday. It's wonderful. As are the performers.
Anyway, there's not much for me to say at this late hour. There have been poignant things I could've talked about… I could have left another excerpt from my play, which I'm finally writing more of… I could talk about other theatre things… But I've kind of been talking non-stop about theatre lately. I love it, but I think constant yapping about Tuscaloosa theatre might not be something my non-Tuscaloosa readers give a hoot about.
…so, instead, I'll talk about how I'm not talking about anything. …Yeah, that's a good replacement.
Actually, I will go ahead and post a couple of links to some solid comedy. Which also has the benefit of having some political background. The White House Correspondents Dinner occurred recently, with Jimmy Kimmel as the main comic act. Now, this dinner and the comedy therein can actually have a political impact. Seth Meyers' destruction of Donald Trump at the last dinner pretty much killed his chances of being president.
This time, President Barack Obama's comedy routine, taking some of the issues dogging him for a while (including dogs) head on, may end up being a boon in his favor. It may mean nothing at all, but it was solid comedy that revealed a ridiculousness of some of the bickering in a way quite similar to "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," both influential among young voters. So, props to Obama for his humor chops. Of course, Kimmel is no pushover either. We'll likely see over the next few days if there's any political fallout for anyone thanks to this dinner.
…that's all I've got for today. Sorry. Eventually, I'll have something worthwhile. I swear.
Tagged APO, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Inside the Tornado, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Subject to Change, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, The Last 5 Years, Tuscaloosa, White House Correspondents Dinner
Music, Roll Tide, Theatre
Breaking The Leg – Subject To Change A Capella Concert/"The Last 5 Years"
Okay. Today is another theatre post. This weekend and following week will be very theatre heavy… and I'm okay with it. I'm glad to be back into a theatre family again, something I didn't have when I was working back in Huntsville. Writing and theatre are my passions. Writing for theatre is a nice marriage of the two… but singing, acting, those are where I really thrive. Just being a part of a show, as ASM or SM, gets me excited. (Which I will be doing at least once this summer, so.)
Anyway, today at 5:30 at Manderson Landing (that's the Riverwalk park for you Tuscaloosa peeps that know Riverwalk but not Manderson Landing despite the large sign), The University of Alabama's men's a capella group that I was a proud member of for two years, Subject to Change, will be performing their final concert of the year. And it's guaranteed to be excellent. These guys have talent. And know how to entertain. (I taught them everything they know.) Be there, or be filled with regrets.
Then, after that, graduating senior and APO member Allie Jones will be performing the Jason Robert Brown musical "The Last 5 Years" with APO member (and major theatre personality to say the least) Russell Stephens in the Allen Bales theatre at 8 p.m. If you've never heard or seen this musical, you have missed out on something wonderful. The same goes for hearing Allie or Russell sing. This performance promises to be amazing and wonderful and I might cry some more. Last night was all sorts of abusive to my emotions. Freaking roller coaster, man.
Anyway, check these two acts out if you're in Tuscaloosa. It will be well worth it. The concert will run about an hour and a half, free of charge, and the musical will run about an hour with no intermission and a $5 suggested donation.
Support the arts and these wonderfully talented people.
Tagged a capella, Allen Bales theatre, Allie Jones, APO, Jason Robert Brown, Manderson Landing, Russell Stephens, Subject to Change, The Last 5 Years, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Roll Tide, Theatre
Breaking The Leg – Spring Senior Guerrilla
Okay, so originally this was supposed to be a brief announcement that was scheduled to post late at night… except I didn't click schedule or something. Stupid me. So, I'll back post it with some added flavor at the end.
Senior Guerrillas and Roasts. It's CryFest 2012. I wasn't fortunate enough to have one of my own back in the spring of 2011, thanks to the April tornado. However, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to come back for one in winter 2011. Hopefully, I'll be able to show you all my Senior Guerrilla act soon, though it will definitely not be my final Guerrilla act. I think I'm shoving as much experience with APO and Guerrilla into my life as possible to make up for the fact that I was an idiot that didn't join APO until my final year of school and didn't perform at Guerrilla until my second to last year. And only with a couple of acts total in my Guerrilla career.
I swear, I will change that this fall. I will perform a few more things that have been weighing on me. And maybe I'll even finish writing my play and get to see APO perform that one day soon. That would be one of the best things to ever happen to me, I think.
Today will be a long day. And it promises to be a good one.
And it certainly was. I left my place at about 9:15 a.m. I left the Allen Bales for two and a half hours for my rehearsal for "Inside the Tornado," opening this Thursday at Shelton State Community College. I came straight back to the AB and didn't leave again until about 4:30 in the morning. And it was wonderful.
I will miss all the seniors (and the one transferring student) very much. My biggest regret is waiting too long to get to know you, hiding myself away behind excuses and self-doubt, self-hate. You all make me want to change that. And for that, I thank you all so much. I've already said my goodbyes, which had better not be actual goodbyes, so I won't say them again. Besides, non-Tuscaloosa people that read this blog are probably already confused as heck. Oh, well. I'll be back to talking some silly topic I pretend to know about soon enough, I'm sure.
Tagged Allen Bales theatre, APO, Guerrilla Theatre, Inside the Tornado, Senior goodbyes, Shelton State Community College, The University of Alabama
Education, Ruminations, Theatre
A Rehearsal, A Formal, And An Education Intermission
You may recall that my last post was a preview of a discussion I would attempt to have when I found the time to sit down and actually formulate what direction I wanted to go in and points I wanted to make more clearly.
That time is not today.
As I'm in a show that opens a week from today, I've had a bit of my time taken to be dedicated to that, including tonight. Also tonight was the Alphies, Alpha Psi Omega's awards ceremony. I've never been to one, unfortunately, because the year I became a member, a tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa and pretty much changed everyone's plans all over. That was 365 days ago today. So while I again missed the Alphies, I am able to go to the post-ceremony celebratory event. And I'd like to participate in SOMEthing for the Alphies, if not the event itself.
But more importantly… education is a massive snarl of topics to discuss. Last night, I ended up in several discussions with several friends with varying levels of experience in the field: Aspiring teachers, actual teachers, substitute teachers, people like me that just have ideas…
There's a lot for me to think on and weed through before I can put my ideas to e-paper. In fact, this post may become a longer series, discussing the problems of education, parenting, bullying, abuse… all sorts of fun. Who knows?
So, for today, I bid you good evening. I'll be more able to talk serious tomorrow, I hope.
Tagged Alphies, APO, rehearsal, Tuscaloosa tornado
Entertainment, Ruminations, Theatre, Video Games
The Obscenity Of Art
Yesterday, PixelCon was pretty much a success. I don't know exactly the number of people we had show up, but I know several events were extremely crowded. And if we happen to have more money and time to organize bigger events, maybe even get guest speakers and such, I can only imagine it being huge. This year was put up essentially in 6 weeks with about $250-$500 on the budget. And eventually, we may be able to afford fancy new equipment, like controllers, specific for PixelCon use only! …a guy can dream, right?
And then, that night, the Alpha Psi Omega Gamma Gamma Cast pledge class of 2012 put on their Guerrilla as APO members, and it was an excellent Guerrilla. It was filled to the brim with talent, humor, drama and emotion. I still wish I'd managed to perform at it, but I do feel a bit guilty thinking that, as my being in Guerrilla would have meant one of those talented people not being in it. Pretty much solid all around.
Even so, as I left Guerrilla, I heard one girl comment, "That was the most offensive Guerrilla, like, ever!" My first thought was, "Really? I don't think so. I can't be the only person that still comes to Guerrilla that's old enough to remember the Aristocrats Guerrilla." If you don't mind being offended/possibly grossed out, look up the Aristocrats joke. The people that performed it at that Guerrilla had to make an apology and everything. …but that was back when things were a bit less well organized, too.
Though, after thinking about it, there were a couple of acts that were guaranteed to offend at least a few people, if those people weren't standard Guerrilla attendees. The performance of either full or cut down versions of the songs from "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" was certainly one of those acts. I thought it hugely delightful, simply inspired theatre. Turning a cartoon film into a 10-minute, entertaining stage musical isn't necessarily the easiest thing in the world to do, and I rather enjoyed to movie. But it can't be said that the film isn't massively crass and obscene. I mean, it is South Park. The addition of a David Mamet scene which discussed in crude terms one man's method of getting laid by treating a woman like crap certainly didn't help. And there were perhaps a couple of other things that could have been thought of as less than politically correct.
Now, I've grown accustomed to crude humor. And when done right, it can be excellent. And the Mamet piece evoked laughter from the crowd not just because of it's proximity to the South Park sketch but also because it was so shockingly extreme (the actor had some excellent physicality as well) that it evoked a laughter of incredulity. Surely no one could actually think that. But I tried to actually ignore the urge to laugh and listen to the themes and ideas offered in the piece, finding it to be a disturbing commentary on the way some men treat sex and the opposite gender. And it was still a compelling piece.
Earlier that day, I had a (regrettably under-attended due to timing) panel discussing morality and gaming. The first half, a real barn burner, discussed morality within video games. Specifically, the moral choice system dynamic many video games have. What their purpose is, if they're necessary, what the differences between different specific ones are and if that matters… et cetera. But the second half (briefly, as we were rushed) discussed video games and their impact on real world morality. Things like obscenity and the semi-recent Supreme Court case, Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association.
See, there is a First Amendment free speech element to the obscenity of art. While some people don't consider video games art, I find they're just as artistic a medium as any story-telling event. They're also entertainment, sure, but you could count art as entertainment that is usually not as interactive as video games, so again. Not really much difference in my mind, generally.
Sometimes, obscenity and offense are meant to garner extreme reactions out of the audience. Those reactions can be a visceral joy, a rush of adrenaline and excitement, horror and disgust, deep thought, or really any other emotion that comes out in non-obscene and non-offensive fashions. But the offense and obscenity has the added value of tapping in to our ability to react strongly, in some way. It's not often that people have non-reactions to such content.
And, really, life can be obscene. Can ride the extremes. Entertainment/art isn't always about escape. It's sometimes about reminding and paving the way to certain thoughts. Discussion about real world topics.
Are some people obscene and offensive for the sake of being obscene and offensive? Sure. And do some people take offense to every little thing? Unfortunately, yes. This post would likely offend someone. This blog certainly would at some point.
But offensiveness and obscenity have their values. The question becomes, should there be a limit? Or is art to be free of all convention to be pure?
Tagged APO, Brown v. EMA, morality, obscenity, offense, PixelCon