Disqus - Latest Comments for ryanlindberg

Re: Adam Baldwin Says I’m a Liar

ryanlindberg — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:11:09 -0000

Point of clarity, I think that you misinterpreted his line about Real Time. I believe he was saying that he agreed with Barney Frank when Barney Frank said it on Real Time - not when he, Adam Baldwin, was on Real Time. That's how I read it just now. So, wingnut, yes; delusional in that particular instance, no.

Re: Dating Site Ladieshoesme Lets Ladies Pick A Man Like A Pair Of Shoes

ryanlindberg — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:02:14 -0000

I read that as "Ladies Hoes Me"

Diff site, I guess

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:31:52 -0000

I've been trained extensively in Shakespeare, I know it, I understand it (most of it, but not fully without a stack of supporting material before setting foot in a rehearsal room), and yet...I'm still intrigued. I think there are billions of ways to seriously fuck this up. I think it would be a nearly impossible task to capture and modernize all the nuances of a Shakespearean text, the imagery, the multiple meanings, all of which are (were?) relevant. And it would be almost completely arbitrary which threads got emphasized and which were deemed anachronistic and culturally irrelevant.

Nonetheless, I think it's worth trying. If it sucks, it sucks, and we all nod in agreement and go back to the original text. Let them give it a shot. No sense in stifling the possibility of innovation and creativity.

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:31:55 -0000

Yeah...that made me snort coffee a little. So, thanks for that.

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:08:14 -0000

EXACTLY. How else are you supposed to find the vaunted and mythical "clitoris"?

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:44:43 -0000

Not worth it. I hear FF has "performance anxiety." That's the actual reason they had to send a video to Five Fifths. Couldn't get it upstage, ifyaknowwhatI'msayin'.

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:55:06 -0000

Dude. "Beat It" video.

Seriously.

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:12:40 -0000

Can I be the first to say...what the fuck?

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:26:30 -0000

I don't take any umbrage with your criticizing Casey, none at all. It's perfectly reasonable to pose the questions raised by his involvement in the reading coming so quickly on the heels of his article, which is why I said this is a discussion worth having.

But I don't think the reading is uppity, and I don't think it's disgusting. In fact, on this point, I think you're being incredibly disingenuous.

Listen, this isn't a bunch of barely-graduated no-name dick-bags doing the reading. I don't know all of them, but the ones I do know are some of the finest actors this town has to offer. They've been around and gotten around, and because of that, they've worked with a lot of people in this town and been seen by a lot of people in this town. To top it off, they're also good, generous people. These things have earned these people fans, friends, and followings, in and out of the theater community, and rightly so.

“The Seagull” is also, debates as to its present relevance aside, a great, well-written play, and in this case, adapted by one of the world's foremost living playwrights. It's got a big cast, too - which means, under normal production circumstances, you're only going to see it a) produced by a company that can't possibly afford the caliber of talent represented here or b) at the Guthrie - with 80% of the cast coming from out of town. So in any other setting, seeing these actors in these roles wouldn't be possible.

Put those things together, and of course people will want to see it.

Now, here’s the part where you're being disingenuous, and they're not being uppity, because the definition of “people” in the preceding sentence is key. “People” isn’t the general public. This isn’t being done for Nancy Q. Wal-Mart. Facebook events are for inviting your friends to an event - and a whole boatload of their friends are theater nerds. The Callboard is a message board for a local subculture - that subculture being theater nerds. And MN Playlist, while working to broaden its audience, is most widely consumed by, wait for it, THEATER NERDS.

It’s only theater nerds or friends of the actors who would ever go to see a bunch of actors read a play in the first place, but that’s precisely who they’ve pitched it to. So it’s disingenuous to pull this off of Playlist and Callboard and cite it as an example of uppity theaterfolk. You basically flipped to page 74 of “Stamp Collectors Quarterly” and said, “Oh, yuck, look at this, what kind of uppity douche bags hold or attend symposiums about the types of inks used in the first American postage stamps?” Well, probably the same kind of people who read “Stamp Collectors Quarterly.” Is everyone on Callboard and Playlist going to want to see this sort of thing? No. But if there’s anyone who does want to see this sort of thing, Callboard and Playlist are probably where you’ll find them.

Plus, don’t be dense. Of course they want an audience. Theater is the intersection of text, performer, and audience. Audiences provide context and instant feedback. They’re a critical part of the experience. An audience will be very helpful to them. But contrary to your theory, they didn’t say, “Fuck, you know what, we’re so good, everyone’s going to want to see us read this shit. Is the Metrodome available?” No, precisely the opposite. That’s why they’re not charging admission and they are providing snacks and alcohol: as an incentive to get a few extra (people/theater nerds) to come by on what is for many in the community their only night off and give the actors some warm bodies to play to.

Finally, this gem.

“WATCHING actors read a play for no other reason than to just WATCH them read it -- in my opinion -- is a waste of time.”

Where are Seth and Amy when you need them?

Really? Really, FringeFamous, really? So there’s no reason to watch actors perform a play unless they’re wearing funny clothes and have pretty lights shining on them? Really? Because you’re only going to be able to take something meaningful away if they’ve managed to memorize all of those words? And also walking, too, the walking’s super important.

The difference between the written word and the spoken word is always fundamental. The difference between a play reading and a play production is often incremental. The reason to watch actors read a play is virtually no different than the reason to see a fully produced play.

Re: FringeFamous

ryanlindberg — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:49:29 -0000

This is an interesting discussion, and one, I think, worth having - though I don't want to wade into all of its depths just yet. I just wanted to point out:

"I don't see reading a play as something special that I need to watch actors do for me."

That is the height of tomfuckery. Plays were meant to be said, not read.

It's not like they're advertising it in the City Pages. It's basically a reading of a great play, of the nerds, by the nerds, for the nerds, so I don't think your criticism of this reading upping the uppity quotient of theatRE is valid. They're doing it at the Jungle because they're probably going to have more people interested in seeing it than would fit in Stacia's living room, and when you're the artistic director of a theater, on a dark night, that shit IS your living room. So, yeah, it's in a living room: Joel's living room.

Pick on Casey, sure, he put himself out there. But to suggest that reading a play alone at home is in some way comparable to seeing and hearing people read a play out loud is just silly.