This is my first foray into blogging, and I'm quite hesitant about the whole deal. Dr. Toby Emert invited a few of the Agnes Scott College MAT grads to participate in a year-long professional development opportunity this year in which we see several plays around Atlanta and discuss ways we can incorporate drama into our classrooms. As part of the deal, we have to blog about our experiences, which sounded fun at first, but now I'm having second thoughts. I enjoy reading blogs, but actually writing one myself for potentially anyone to see is intimidating. I don't like the thought of putting myself out there and being vulnerable to criticism.
Which, in a roundabout way, brings me to my actual post. Recently I went with Toby and the other Scotties to see Around the World in 80 Days. I cannot fathom the courage it takes for the actors, directors, and crew to put on a show and open themselves up for criticism, which is why I won't comment in depth about the show itself. It was alright, but it's not a show I would see again. We live in such a culture of negative criticism, yet we forget how much work it takes to create. What I most enjoyed about our group's visit to the the Balzer Theatre at Herren's was getting to talk to the crew and theater director before the show and getting to tour backstage. I hadn't been backstage since my theater days in high school, and I had forgotten how much work it took to put on a play. I wish that more people could have experiences like this before seeing the final product. Sure, it might take away some of the awe of seeing a play, a final version of a film, a finished novel, or any other form of art, but it would enhance one's appreciation of the work that went into creating that art. It might also take away the knee-jerk reaction to criticize what went wrong rather than praise what went right.
