Am I that guy?

Oh the shame.
I do believe I am ....That Guy- the guy who starts a blog writes a couple two , three entries and then leaves it abandoned in cyber purgatory.

The shame.

Here's an entry to try and lessen my guilt.

It's 2010, why are we still having this discussion? In some cases , this argument. That's an opening statement that could lead to dozens of different conversations but here's the one I am thinking of. Bad Economy- belt tightening- hard times? Cut Arts Funding.

I admit I have a pony in this race, a dog in this show- I make my living (......... okay I've stopped laughing) in the arts. In the theater to be precise. And right now I am on the sidelines as two of my annual gigs, school musicals, are very close to being cut from the budget.

Why is this an activity that is looked on as a silly waste of time? I was at one board meeting once where a member of the board threw her pencil down on the table in disgust and refused to continue until we stopped talking about art and music and resumed talking about real education.

I just worked on a production of SOUTH PACIFIC at a high school. Between Cast, crew, costumes, and pit orchestra there were nearly 120 students involved.

During rehearsals we had discussions about WWII and about how the world changed after that. Many of the kids read the source Material and researched the era for information regarding sets and costumes.

They were singing some of the most beautiful and important songs in the history of American Theater. Songs that many of them had never heard before.

I had talks with some of the kids about how working on the shows takes everything they do in the classroom and gives it a practical application.

Classroom work is the foundation of every school but it's the sports and the arts and other outreach activities that create the community of a school. All of the parents and friends and family who attend the games and come to the concerts and shows are an integral part of the school community. It's all these activities that encourage people to have pride in the students and their accomplishments.

I get it , cuts have to be made and a big activity like a musical ,that costs a lot of money, is a tempting target. Look a little deeper, look some where else, make a hundred small cuts, not one big one.

I know I'm naive. I don't get it.

Talk to people who have been out of school for 10, 20 , 30 years- what do they remember about their days in school.

But you already know the answer.


(alright I'm a little rusty, but I'll try to come back more often)