I am still a little bit taken aback. At first I had to read and re-read a post that was on Alison Croggon's blog. This was followed by a feeling similar to being winded.
Fifteen minutes later, I am still recovering and trying to put into words the great delight that a theatre in Melbourne has brought me.
In a season programme published by the Malthouse Theatre, the following words are found on page 13:
"Visits to Malthouse Theatre’s website have grown exponentially since we sold our first ticket online in 2006 (as many as a quarter of all ticket sales to some productions are now transacted online). Unique visits to our website exceeded an average of 30 000 every month in 2007.
"Recently, we debated the virtues of a more chat-based space for our audiences to post comments and enjoy an unfettered discourse between yourselves. In reality, however, there are already a host of independent blogs bursting with opinion and rattling the cages of certified criticism; and on which you can post your comments and read the comments
of others.
"Rather than compete, we thought we’d list some of the blog addresses we regularly visit (without fear or favour!) and invite you to have a look. We will always value hearing directly from you (just go to “Contact” on the website) but we also track the commentary posted on many of these sites."
The programme then publishes in full a list of twenty-two blogs.
I am absolutely astonished.
Here in this ice box of Sydney where Two Blue Fish, David Williams and I sit, trying desperately with our fishing hooks to generate some engagement with the industry and all we hear is the arctic winds of silence.
We have had some measure of success engaging with audiences and the footsoldiers of the industry, but overall the menace of the blogger is seen as a problem to the theatre aristocracy.
And then, blow me down, a major theatre institution publishes something like that.
Talk about winds of change. Talk about debate. Talk about engagement. Theatres in Sydney literally need to take a page out of the Malthouse Theatres book.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Rub your eyes....
Posted by Nicholas Pickard at 4:55 pm
Labels: General Comment, News, Theatre
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5 comments:
Well judging by how close the incoming STC regime seems to be to the Malthouse mob I think we can assume the Malthouse exhortation will be noted, at the very least.
Neil, you're dreamin'!
Nick, you do realise that you're one of the 22 listed, no?
"Talk about winds of change. Talk about debate. Talk about engagement. Theatres in Sydney literally need to take a page out of the Malthouse Theatres book."
Talk about wank. After you've finished pleasuring yourself over this heady concept, feel free to join the rest of Oz dealing with real issues.
Culture, timid little Anon, is how we know ourselves as a nation, as a species. And if you don't recognise the problems of the West in the debate in this blog, then why the hell are you reading?
The issues in the arts are a microcosm of the issues in the nation as a whole. What are the problems, apart from cash? Spin, the use of language to obfuscate instead of communicate, the bloody minded determination to control the media &c. &c. &c.
And, again, if you can't recognise that the Malthouse's actions are, in some small way, courageous, revolutionary, ennobling... then you just aren't paying attention.
Thanks for your comment anonymous (what is it about anonymous comments??)
Have you considered that maybe this blog isn't the one for you? I can recommend a host of others that may talk about issues that you are interested in.
Feel free to contact me and I will email you the links.
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