|
|
Theatre from the cracks in the psyche of culture
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It comes down to what you are afraid of. What if Shadow House PITS was really a group of crazy freaks? You could dismiss the writing and the productions as fringe nonsense with no relevance. You could try to rationalize your fear as "irrational". And as you read this, you worry that this writing doesn't follow the rules; the rules of engagement that invoke laws and commonly held half-truths about what consititutes obligations and what is easily definable within society and culture! And you ponder that the issue is simple. It's about someone owing someone some money. And in your view of yourself, you see yourself as above all these necessities when you view your "REAL" priorities as your art; your theatre; your hobbyist mentality re your creative side that internally you haven't grasped because you are still formed; yeah, formed by the marketing gurus of psychic formation! |
|
None of this makes sense? Marketing gurus of "psychic formation"? Somewhere deep down you know we, as a cultural expressionist, must create art. You know we must create. Our survival depends on creation or die. Yet you ponder the real world. You ponder that in the real world only crazies and the demented imagine that your life might be dependent on your expression of what you really see and not what is dictated to you by your conception of what is necessary. So you dabble. Yeah. You dabble. You know that the media and others will be accepting of your dabbling while not understanding of your motivations. So you concoct some theme from some marketing workshop you once attended or from some charleton marketer you befriended at a workshop or seminar on how to make the arts relevant. And you concoct themes, never questioning that they reflect anything real. Your lecturing friends from some esteemed university or college support your "struggle" to express art ... never suspecting your insecure understanding. |
|
The problem for Shadow House PITS is that it doesn't accept the dictates of the team. Team America! Team Australia! Team Feminism! Team Socialism! Team Fascism! Team Whateverfuckingism you want! Art prostitutes itself when aligned with the Team! It is the last bastian of non-team playing! Painful as it seems within the dictates of political correct team playing! Yet it is paradoxical in its collaborative necessity to work with others! Wow! The non-team player requires collaborative team work!
So when someone says they want one of the Shadow House PITS scripts and they say they want to make it work; and they agree to pay some money for it, one might expect their emailed agreement to bind. Especially as the group in question here actually presented the work to a paying audience! Icarus Falling agreed to the simple term of paying some dollar and doing the work. The play was always going to ruffle the feathers of the politucally correct types who prefer simple solutions and explanations provided by Team Whoever! None of Shadow House PITS extensive range of works has complied with Team Whoever! Unfortunately there are contradictions in all team and world belief systems. ALL! Art is one of few areas that may challenge such Team views. Icarus falling has obviously been building its challenging program of artistic presentation over a number of years. However, in this instance, Icarus Falling failed to see the necessity of honouring their debt to another arts identity. Challenging world views through art is not about being socially or culturally slack! In fact it has to be very consistent and punctual in these matters. Our theatre is not a play thing or simple hobby. Take it seriously. Pay the dues! Then shout! But without honour and credibility we are nothing.
Shadow Friend
25th. August 2008For comment: email jw@shadowhousepits.com.au
