tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post4761469419081964263..comments2024-03-29T03:39:42.411-04:00Comments on The Wicked Stage: Deadly vs. AliveRob Weinert-Kendthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015688507553252146noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post-44490926799510562422009-07-02T12:40:25.677-04:002009-07-02T12:40:25.677-04:00I totally agree, August! I do think there is a vir...I totally agree, August! I do think there is a virtuosity to punk, or community engaged theater, and respect those traditions as much as the ones with more classical codification. I think it gets interesting when one recognizes that a performance form can have tremendous value, even if it is NOT virtuosic, because of what it offers the audience and the participants experientially.Jessica Wallenfelshttp://www.actorsconservatory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post-75442541968835610322009-07-01T16:26:34.113-04:002009-07-01T16:26:34.113-04:00Jessica, I think virtuosity is an expectation for ...Jessica, I think virtuosity is an expectation for some artistic traditions, like acrobatics, and not for others. By virtuosity, I mean the mastery of a demanding, complex skill set - classical piano, acrobatics, breaking. But virtuosity is not an expectation in other traditions - punk rock, some American folk music, community-engaged theatre. In either case, how an artist uses the expectations, rules, and tools of the form of that tradition determines quality. <br />Where value comes in, I think, is the belief that an artistic tradition that demands virtuosity is better than one that does not.<br />Thanks for responding, Rob!August Schulenburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16707611220473062833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post-27313840769033009732009-07-01T11:46:23.691-04:002009-07-01T11:46:23.691-04:00Y'all said a mouthful. Another way to think of...Y'all said a mouthful. Another way to think of this - semantics, probably - is in terms of virtuosity. A virtuoso acrobat in Cirque as compared to a community engaged theater piece in which people who have never seen a play act in one? Is this quality vs. value? Thank goodness we live in a world where there is room for all of it, and the free market decides what it votes for with its feet.Jessica Wallenfelshttp://www.actorsconservatory.comnoreply@blogger.com