Because I sure as Hell don't.
BBC:
The CIA has for the first time publicly admitted using the controversial method of "waterboarding" on terror suspects.
CIA head Michael Hayden told Congress it had only been used on three people, and not for the past five years.
The Horses have left the Barn. Repeat, the Horses have left the Barn. Operation Horse Secure Padlock is no longer a viable option.
He said the technique had been used on high-profile al-Qaeda detainees including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
George W. Bush:
Mon., Nov. 7, 2005
PANAMA CITY, Panama - President Bush on Monday defended U.S. interrogation practices and called the treatment of terrorism suspects lawful. “We do not torture,” Bush declared in response to reports of secret CIA prisons overseas.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Almost Forgotten
For all practical purposes, the event that has by all reasonable reaches shaped every single development worldwide for the past 90 years finds itself with fewer and fewer people that have an active memory of participating in it, albeit tangentially:
AP:
Harry Richard Landis, who enlisted in the Army in 1918 and was one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, has died. He was 108.
Landis trained as a U.S. Army recruit for 60 days at the end of the war and never went overseas. But the VA counts him among the 4.7 million men and woman who served during the Great War.
One has to reflect on the apparent fact that we as a race of beings haven't really learned much from past horrors that we have inflicted on each other when the last vestiges of a generation that endured them are passing away like a wisp of smoke and all we can do is mention them in passing while focusing on persecuting similar and even greater horrors on the latest fellow members of the human race that happen to be in the way of "progress":
Seattle Times:
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military faced complaints Tuesday from its Sunni allies over claims that more civilians had been killed by American forces — amplifying tensions as the Pentagon tries to calm anger over an airstrike last week that claimed innocent lives.
The latest deaths occurred Tuesday when U.S. soldiers — acting on tips — stormed a squat mud-brick house in the village of Adwar, 10 miles south of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. The predominantly Sunni area is home to many former members of Saddam's regime, and has been the frequent site of American raids.
The U.S. military said a gunbattle broke out after the troops came under small-arms fire by two suspected terrorists. It acknowledged a woman was killed and a child was wounded, but said it was not clear who shot them.
Two other men were killed and the military described them as insurgents.
But Iraqi police, relatives and neighbors said a couple and their 19-year-old son were shot to death in their beds. Iraqi police also said two girls were wounded and one later died.
How does that catchy phrase go about history and those who ignore it being doomed to a predetermined path of repetition?
AP:
Harry Richard Landis, who enlisted in the Army in 1918 and was one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, has died. He was 108.
Landis trained as a U.S. Army recruit for 60 days at the end of the war and never went overseas. But the VA counts him among the 4.7 million men and woman who served during the Great War.
One has to reflect on the apparent fact that we as a race of beings haven't really learned much from past horrors that we have inflicted on each other when the last vestiges of a generation that endured them are passing away like a wisp of smoke and all we can do is mention them in passing while focusing on persecuting similar and even greater horrors on the latest fellow members of the human race that happen to be in the way of "progress":
Seattle Times:
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military faced complaints Tuesday from its Sunni allies over claims that more civilians had been killed by American forces — amplifying tensions as the Pentagon tries to calm anger over an airstrike last week that claimed innocent lives.
The latest deaths occurred Tuesday when U.S. soldiers — acting on tips — stormed a squat mud-brick house in the village of Adwar, 10 miles south of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. The predominantly Sunni area is home to many former members of Saddam's regime, and has been the frequent site of American raids.
The U.S. military said a gunbattle broke out after the troops came under small-arms fire by two suspected terrorists. It acknowledged a woman was killed and a child was wounded, but said it was not clear who shot them.
Two other men were killed and the military described them as insurgents.
But Iraqi police, relatives and neighbors said a couple and their 19-year-old son were shot to death in their beds. Iraqi police also said two girls were wounded and one later died.
How does that catchy phrase go about history and those who ignore it being doomed to a predetermined path of repetition?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
WTF, Over?
Ummmm, try swallowing this without choking:
A chilling report prepared by a group of top military commanders from the US and its NATO allies declares that the alliance must be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear first strike because of “asymmetric threats and global challenges” posed to the West.
“The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction, in order to avoid truly existential dangers,” declares the report, which is titled “Towards a Grand Strategy for an Uncertain World: Renewing Transatlantic Partnership.”
Captain Patrick Ramsey: "Attention on deck. Von Clauswitz will now tell us who the true enemy is."
Lieutenant Commander Hunter: "In my humble opinion, sir, in the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself."
--Crimson Tide, 1995
WOPR: "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
--Wargames, 1983
The more countries and coalitions that profess to having the "right" to a first strike option when it comes to the use of Nuclear weapons, the closer the world comes to the vision of Robert Oppenheimer upon seeing the first successful test of an Atom Bomb in New Mexico in 1945:
We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.
--Interview about the Trinity explosion, first broadcast as part of the television documentary The Decision to Drop the Bomb, produced by Fred Freed, NBC White Paper, 1965
If atomic bombs are to be added as new weapons to the arsenals of a warring world, or to the arsenals of the nations preparing for war, then the time will come when mankind will curse the names of Los Alamos and Hiroshima. The people of this world must unite or they will perish.
--Acceptance Speech, Army-Navy "Excellence" Award, November 16, 1945
A chilling report prepared by a group of top military commanders from the US and its NATO allies declares that the alliance must be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear first strike because of “asymmetric threats and global challenges” posed to the West.
“The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction, in order to avoid truly existential dangers,” declares the report, which is titled “Towards a Grand Strategy for an Uncertain World: Renewing Transatlantic Partnership.”
Captain Patrick Ramsey: "Attention on deck. Von Clauswitz will now tell us who the true enemy is."
Lieutenant Commander Hunter: "In my humble opinion, sir, in the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself."
--Crimson Tide, 1995
WOPR: "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
--Wargames, 1983
The more countries and coalitions that profess to having the "right" to a first strike option when it comes to the use of Nuclear weapons, the closer the world comes to the vision of Robert Oppenheimer upon seeing the first successful test of an Atom Bomb in New Mexico in 1945:
We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.
--Interview about the Trinity explosion, first broadcast as part of the television documentary The Decision to Drop the Bomb, produced by Fred Freed, NBC White Paper, 1965
If atomic bombs are to be added as new weapons to the arsenals of a warring world, or to the arsenals of the nations preparing for war, then the time will come when mankind will curse the names of Los Alamos and Hiroshima. The people of this world must unite or they will perish.
--Acceptance Speech, Army-Navy "Excellence" Award, November 16, 1945
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The New Routine and a Trek North
After about seven weeks, I can safely report back to all of you who follow the ravings and rantings that appear here that my decision which was chronicled in the last and possibly most lengthy entry here has been a rousing success so far. The day after my last day at the Alley (which didn't end until about 11:00 in the evening following the second preview of The Scene) I was called to work a Load In at Jones Hall, and work has continued to come my way pretty steadily since then.
As I have had a chance to place my skills on display at various jobs (ExxonMobil Energy Tech conference in the Woodlands, several meetings and events for El Paso energy and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (a certified sleeper) at the Hilton adjoining the George R Brown Convention Center and a few gigs at the union theaters in the downtown theater district my suspicions about the lack of knowledgeable and competent Sound Engineers freelancing here in town are being confirmed.
The latest gig I had at Jones Hall earlier this week was no more stressful or a hassle than a lot of the rentals that came into the Alley, and I treated it as such. It was for the Bayou City Chorale's performance of their holiday concert. The Chorale consist of a Gay men's chorus of about 80 and a Women's Chorus of 30 or so. As is the case with groups like this, it was not very well organized in terms of the scheduled structure of the rehearsal on Monday evening, but I rolled with what they did and as much as they got done I was able to tech and get a good feel for. What made the day interesting was that although I had worked in the building once before on the Load In and Out the weekend following my last day at the Alley, it had been in the capacity of a Stagehand, so I learned nothing about how the house sound system worked, where equipment was stored, and what the room sounded like. The Houston Symphony was loading out that morning, and when I got there around Noon the Symphony sound guy was still there and he was gracious enough to stick around for a little while and show me the three areas where stuff I might need was kept, how the console at the Mezzanine position patched into the house sound system, and he also helped me set up the console at that position. I'm not sure what would have happened if he hadn't have decided to take pity on me and lend a hand. Once things were pretty much in place and working (that's another thing, pretty much everything I plugged in worked the first time, which was kind of amazing, considering that it was a minor accomplishment when I was at the Alley, and I know that space and the system inside out by heart...) I was able to settle down up at the board, eat some sandwiched I brought (another thing I learned pretty quick--always take food to almost every call unless it's a strike, since you never know what's gonna happen in terms of the feces hitting the air handler as far as the schedule or client's wants/needs/demands go) and get a handle on how the choirs sounded in the room with the system I was working with.
After the show, the director and the guy who was acting as the SM were both happy and vocal in letting me know that, which is the bottom line on a gig like that. The facilities guy who hired me (based on a reference from a designer I worked with at the Alley last season who is based here in Houston--thanks, Garth!) was also happy that the Chorale folks were happy as well as being impressed that I was able to accomplish as much as I did on Monday without having to call him or Garth or either of the other sound people who have worked in that building in the past and essentially told me that he had as much work ing the building for me as I wanted to take, which seems to be the case (the building is owned by the city and is booked as much as possible to maximize revenue) between the Symphony and its many different performance series (Broadway, Pops, and regular season), The Society for the Performing Arts, and the various other organizations like the Chorale who are in there on a semi frequent basis.
This is above and beyond the work I've done for AVW, the Production Services company that provides all the A/V/Lighting services for corporate events at a lot of the hotels and the GRB Convention Center here in town. It's even more simple and much more mind numbing than the events at Jones Hall or the Wortham Center, but the constant state of flux is ever present, usually in a much more intense manner. What's great about working with AVW on the corporate side of things is the fact that I'm there to work in the room either setting up or taking down an event or operating it. If I need anything that wasn't on the original list of gear, if something is busted or if the client suddenly changes their mind about what they want or when they want it I can turn to one of the AVW staff guys and presto! it happens fairly quickly. This aspect of working through the local has been one of the most refreshing ones, the aspect of not being in charge, and being able to simply show up, be told what the project or goal is, accomplishing it, and then going away, never to concern myself with it again. One of the most grueling things about my work at the Alley was that I had gotten to a place where I thought about the job ALL THE TIME. When I was at work, I thought about everything that needed to be done (of course). But then I'd go home, and think about work. I'd go down to Galveston, I'd think about work. I'd go up to Annalee's or Amy's or out to Mike and Julie's and think about the job. I'd get on a plane and fly up to Philly (which is where I am right now--actually coming down into the lovely Tri State Area) and I'd think about the job. I wouldn't give up any of the years I spent at the Alley or any of the things that I learned there, but the last seven weeks have showed me how crazy things had gotten. My body has also been telling me how it feels about not being in a constant state of semi emergency mode--there are spates when I am really tired and it's not following any crazy period of work or anything--it's just my body saying "OK, we're going to rest now". It was especially surreal when mid November came around and I wasn't loading in and then teching Christmas Carol for the first time in twelve years. Refreshing, but surreal.
So, a success so far. Also, a chance to spend more than the requisite three or four days up in Philly for Christmas allowing for a few days to spend with my brother Brian above and beyond the Christmas day spent up at his house with our Mom.
As I have had a chance to place my skills on display at various jobs (ExxonMobil Energy Tech conference in the Woodlands, several meetings and events for El Paso energy and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (a certified sleeper) at the Hilton adjoining the George R Brown Convention Center and a few gigs at the union theaters in the downtown theater district my suspicions about the lack of knowledgeable and competent Sound Engineers freelancing here in town are being confirmed.
The latest gig I had at Jones Hall earlier this week was no more stressful or a hassle than a lot of the rentals that came into the Alley, and I treated it as such. It was for the Bayou City Chorale's performance of their holiday concert. The Chorale consist of a Gay men's chorus of about 80 and a Women's Chorus of 30 or so. As is the case with groups like this, it was not very well organized in terms of the scheduled structure of the rehearsal on Monday evening, but I rolled with what they did and as much as they got done I was able to tech and get a good feel for. What made the day interesting was that although I had worked in the building once before on the Load In and Out the weekend following my last day at the Alley, it had been in the capacity of a Stagehand, so I learned nothing about how the house sound system worked, where equipment was stored, and what the room sounded like. The Houston Symphony was loading out that morning, and when I got there around Noon the Symphony sound guy was still there and he was gracious enough to stick around for a little while and show me the three areas where stuff I might need was kept, how the console at the Mezzanine position patched into the house sound system, and he also helped me set up the console at that position. I'm not sure what would have happened if he hadn't have decided to take pity on me and lend a hand. Once things were pretty much in place and working (that's another thing, pretty much everything I plugged in worked the first time, which was kind of amazing, considering that it was a minor accomplishment when I was at the Alley, and I know that space and the system inside out by heart...) I was able to settle down up at the board, eat some sandwiched I brought (another thing I learned pretty quick--always take food to almost every call unless it's a strike, since you never know what's gonna happen in terms of the feces hitting the air handler as far as the schedule or client's wants/needs/demands go) and get a handle on how the choirs sounded in the room with the system I was working with.
After the show, the director and the guy who was acting as the SM were both happy and vocal in letting me know that, which is the bottom line on a gig like that. The facilities guy who hired me (based on a reference from a designer I worked with at the Alley last season who is based here in Houston--thanks, Garth!) was also happy that the Chorale folks were happy as well as being impressed that I was able to accomplish as much as I did on Monday without having to call him or Garth or either of the other sound people who have worked in that building in the past and essentially told me that he had as much work ing the building for me as I wanted to take, which seems to be the case (the building is owned by the city and is booked as much as possible to maximize revenue) between the Symphony and its many different performance series (Broadway, Pops, and regular season), The Society for the Performing Arts, and the various other organizations like the Chorale who are in there on a semi frequent basis.
This is above and beyond the work I've done for AVW, the Production Services company that provides all the A/V/Lighting services for corporate events at a lot of the hotels and the GRB Convention Center here in town. It's even more simple and much more mind numbing than the events at Jones Hall or the Wortham Center, but the constant state of flux is ever present, usually in a much more intense manner. What's great about working with AVW on the corporate side of things is the fact that I'm there to work in the room either setting up or taking down an event or operating it. If I need anything that wasn't on the original list of gear, if something is busted or if the client suddenly changes their mind about what they want or when they want it I can turn to one of the AVW staff guys and presto! it happens fairly quickly. This aspect of working through the local has been one of the most refreshing ones, the aspect of not being in charge, and being able to simply show up, be told what the project or goal is, accomplishing it, and then going away, never to concern myself with it again. One of the most grueling things about my work at the Alley was that I had gotten to a place where I thought about the job ALL THE TIME. When I was at work, I thought about everything that needed to be done (of course). But then I'd go home, and think about work. I'd go down to Galveston, I'd think about work. I'd go up to Annalee's or Amy's or out to Mike and Julie's and think about the job. I'd get on a plane and fly up to Philly (which is where I am right now--actually coming down into the lovely Tri State Area) and I'd think about the job. I wouldn't give up any of the years I spent at the Alley or any of the things that I learned there, but the last seven weeks have showed me how crazy things had gotten. My body has also been telling me how it feels about not being in a constant state of semi emergency mode--there are spates when I am really tired and it's not following any crazy period of work or anything--it's just my body saying "OK, we're going to rest now". It was especially surreal when mid November came around and I wasn't loading in and then teching Christmas Carol for the first time in twelve years. Refreshing, but surreal.
So, a success so far. Also, a chance to spend more than the requisite three or four days up in Philly for Christmas allowing for a few days to spend with my brother Brian above and beyond the Christmas day spent up at his house with our Mom.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Movin' On...
Well, after a long wait between the notice and the final hours (8 weeks, possibly a new record in the annals of resignation...), here it is in all its glory...
The subject of my last post has become even more poignant in that I'll be gainfully employed at Jones Hall less than 12 hours after my last duty has been discharged here at the Alley (notes session for the second preview of The Scene) loading in the Shaolin Warriors show at 8 AM tomorrow morning.
This is not meant to be an indictment of anyone (past or present) in the Alley Organization. It is merely an explanation (to myself as much as anyone else) of the reasoning behind what is the biggest decision so far of my Adult life. I spent about 16 months actively considering the reasons, pros and cons of making this decision.
Initially, my decision was based on the premise that the next two and a half to three years would be very intense and time consuming ones in terms of the operations of the theater and the production department (especially lighting and sound). It was looking like it would go something like this:
After Carol opens this year, the theater kicks into high gear for about five months, culminating with the second of two musicals (Paris) opening after two and a half weeks of tech and two weeks of previews. Instead of taking a week or two to recuperate, the lighting and sound departments will be called upon to pack up everything that they have in the 615 building not in use in Paris and ship it off to one of three locations:
cold storage with limited or no access for the season produced offsite,
easily accessible storage for instruments/speakers and other miscellaneous equipment,
whatever office space we would be using for the 08-09 season.
This would take a few weeks, followed by another frenzied period of packing up everything that was used in Paris and hauling it off to the appropriate location.
Once all of 615 is cleared out and the building is ready to undergo its magical transformation, the grind of the offsite season will be upon us. I don't care how close the venue is or what type of reduced season we produce, it is still going to be a grueling experience, mainly because it is going to involve producing theater in a completely new and foreign manner. We're pretty spoiled here at the Alley in several ways. The facility is ours, and we can do whatever we want, whenever we want and answer to no one but ourselves. Not so wherever we end up. We are self encapsulated in our little universe on the 600 block of Texas Avenue. Whenever we need something, need to build something, it's right there where we can get at it in 5 minutes or less. At an offsite venue it may take someone five minutes or more to get to their vehicle and get on the road to storage or the shop or wherever they need to go.
In addition to that every member of the shop head staff as well as the production office will also be vetting and checking in on the work occurring back at 615 Texas. Clint and I will spend the most time over there, but Jason and Nancy would probably need to take some time away from the shop to make sure things in their world were going according to plan down there as well.
After a season on the road, the summer would (ideally) be spent by everyone moving everything back into 615, feeling out the new amenities, and figuring out exactly how we're going to initially approach producing theater in a totally new environment. This would be followed by the start of a full slate of high profile titles designed to celebrate the return of the Alley Theater company to it's renovated home. As new discoveries are made and new methods of doing things developed the additional layer of stress will no doubt make what would have been a challenging season in the old facility all the more daunting.
By the following May, several shop heads and staff members could conceivably be coming off 30 months of intense production and work without a significant break. Even if a break or two were secured for everyone, the things that potentially slipped through the cracks during those breaks and having to deal with them when they returned would offset any relief provided by the time off. And all the problems probably won't be discovered and solved by the end of that first season back in 615. I can confidently say that we weren't in a comfortable place in terms of producing in the Neuhaus until after about four seasons, and there are still discoveries that are being made.
I didn't want to pass the "point of no return", as I saw the opening of Carol this season, and get sucked into the maelstrom that would be the next two and a half years of my life essentially devoted in some form or another to the Alley Theatre. And once the renovation got pushed back a year, that maelstrom went from being 2-1/2 years to 3-1/2 years (potentially 4-1/2 with the postponement of all of the previously documented activity), essentially putting me in my early to mid 40's before I could look around and even think about doing something like what I've decided to do now.
Twelve years of regional theater at the Alley, and another four before that of freelancing between Philadelphia and New England have taken a bit of a toll as well. The schedule for me as the head of the sound department essentially was a flexible one that altered between a traditional five day nineish to fiveish week format during the period of time when a show or shows are in performance (after they have opened and are being presented for paying audiences) and a six day a week 14-16 hour day format during the period of time we called tech, but which is also known as production, where we are in the space with the actors and all the technical elements coordinating everything before an audience gets to see it.
This fluctuation made it hard to have any kind of stable consistent life outside the theater unless it was with someone from the theater (and even then it wasn't always guaranteed success, especially if the other person wasn't from the production/performance area), and we all know the saying about mixing personal relationships with the workplace. But it went beyond the ability on my part to maintain a romantic relationship while working in the production department of a major regional theater. There have been countless times over the past nine years since I became the department head where I've heard about something happening that I'd really like to attend but had to say "I'm in tech", or I heard about something that had passed (either in a 'that was really great' vein or a 'where were you?' vein, always having to answer, "I was in tech" with a resigned sigh. I'm kinda over that and want to be able to be a part of my friends' lives on a more consistent basis.
Another large part of this decision has been the direction that the theater has taken in the past few years, mainly artistically but also operationally. The artistic mission statement of the theater outlines commitments to "interpret existing dramatic works boldly and with insight," to "bring forth new writers and plays destined to be the classics of tomorrow", and also to be "the collaborator of choice for artists and arts organizations, learning from these exchanges and exporting our work to the nation and the world." While these are inspiring sounding and commendable aspirations, the Alley is still in Houston, which is far off the beaten path of the 'traditional' theater circuit. We haven't had a corps of resident designers since Greg Boyd took over as Artistic Director nearly 20 years ago, and the lofty goal of expanding the resident acting company to 24 members has proven to be a difficult one at best. Much of this can be attributed to the high and stringent standards and demands of Greg (rarely, if ever, is local acting talent tapped for roles larger than that of the 'spearcarrier' category and the decisions of what shows are slotted where in the season are largely dependent on the availability of well established and acredited designers, most of whom are based out of New York where they do the majority of their work), but making the commitment to base oneself in Southeast Texas has an effect on the type of work and the amount of commitments in the rest of the country that one can reasonably expect to secure in a calendar year.
Part of why the renovation has been put off so many times is that there has never been a physical plan in place that satisfies the needs dictated by this mission statement. The consistent philosophy exhibited by all the versions of the physical renovation of the 615 facility essentially state that the Alley aspires to be a self producing theatre with a resident acting company in a facility that can be utilized as a roadhouse, so as to be able to easily bring productions in from other theaters and to send original productions on to other theaters. Unfortunately, Nina Vance didn't have this in mind back in the late 1960's. This was quite on purpose. She had been producing theater in two locations previous to the 615 Texas building for almost 20 years and liked the kind of theater that was coming out of the restrictive atmosphere the Alley company found itself in from 1947- until 1966, when the 615 building was designed. She even went so far as to specify that the size and configuration of the Neuhaus Arena Theater replicate the Berry Street location, which it pretty much did, the exception being that the Neuhaus (pre 2001 Tropical Storm Allison and the havoc that she wrought) had on additional row of seats. Being that the 615 building is about as far from being a traditional roadhouse as you can possibly get (no fly loft, tension mesh grid, modified thrust stage, unconventional seating configuration in a rapidly widening arc that plays hell with sightlines) it does not lend itself to this model of theater outlined in the mission statement. It also does not lend itself to change very well, mainly due to the fact that the whole thing (with the exception of the roof) is poured concrete. Plan after plan has been proposed, drafted, vetted by the production and artistic staff, redrafted, and then shelved or shitcanned. One of the most frustrating aspects of the current plan and its one year postponement is the fact that the new management team is in the latter stages of learning this painful truth about the building as it exists now, which is, in its most basic form:
However the facility is renovated and/or refit, it will never be the ideal facility for the production model outlined in the mission statement. Nothing short of building a new facility in a second location or razing the current one and starting anew will achieve this goal.
No one likes to think about this option for a variety of reasons, all of them valid:
The building is architecturally unique, and while it is relatively young, historic preservation has caught on here in Houston and the proposed demolition of it would result in community heritage organizations protesting vehemently. This has been a concern even when considering actions such as changing the roof line to accommodate a fly loft as part of a renovation.
The construction of any new facility brings up the ugly possibility of a season or seasons when the theater would not be producing. This has been determined to be unacceptable due to the loss of staff over the period of non production and the loss of patronage and community exposure over the same period of time.
The fundamental identity of the Alley would be inexorably altered by the implementation of a new facility, be it a replacement or a second space.
The addition of another facility for production would alter the nature of the mission statement in that it would call for additional programming to justify its creation and existence. The space at the top of the Prairie parking garage was originally slated to be a third performance space. It was re-conceived as a new home for the administrative offices and shops after it was determined that the programming schedule was not going to be expanded to justify the existence of a third performance space in the foreseeable future.
My interpretation of the Alley's intentions as far as the programming choices are concerned has always been that, while they need to be accessible enough to generate significant revenue, they also are relevant to the current social, political, and cultural climate in the world. As recently as two years ago, this was occurring at the theater, with productions of works such as the World War I era anti war play Jouney's End, and the very poignant Pillowman, which highlights the direction that our society finds itself being nudged more and more every day towards a totalitarian police state. The past few years have seen the theater take steps toward more Vanilla, mass appealing, revenue generating programming when there are daily events in the world that require highlighting due to the fact that everywhere else (mass media, political parties) there seems to be an elaborate shell game being performed to keep the general population's attention off what is really going on and where we are headed as a country, a society, and a race.
I don't know if I'm over theater as a whole, but I like Houston and Texas, I have a lot of friends that I care about here, and the Alley is the only real regional theater that I can do what I do at the Alley in Texas.
I feel that there is more that I can be doing as a member of the Human Race in the face of the decidedly un-human practices being inflicted by a very small percentage of the world population on a much greater percentage for the sake of power and monetary profit, no matter what the cost in human life and the health of the planet's fragile ecosystem in it's current state (which is the only reason that we have been able to survive and evolve into the world presence that we are).
One thing I plan on doing is to start working with the Pacifica Radio station that is here in Houston, KPFT. I've been listening to it for years and am a firm believer in what the station is primarily about in the form of a mission to serve the community. I don't necessarily believe in the messages and causes advanced by all of the programming, but that is patently impossible, and it is also a primary tenet of the Pacifica format as a listener sponsored and programmed non commercial radio station. I have a fairly unique skill set that can provide me with a steady living here in town but should also be useful in helping out at the station. I'm not expecting to be slotted in right away as an engineer on some of the higher profile shows and will do whatever they need, but I imagine that once I get an opportunity to exhibit my proficiency in audio that they'll be plenty for me to do.
The subject of my last post has become even more poignant in that I'll be gainfully employed at Jones Hall less than 12 hours after my last duty has been discharged here at the Alley (notes session for the second preview of The Scene) loading in the Shaolin Warriors show at 8 AM tomorrow morning.
This is not meant to be an indictment of anyone (past or present) in the Alley Organization. It is merely an explanation (to myself as much as anyone else) of the reasoning behind what is the biggest decision so far of my Adult life. I spent about 16 months actively considering the reasons, pros and cons of making this decision.
Initially, my decision was based on the premise that the next two and a half to three years would be very intense and time consuming ones in terms of the operations of the theater and the production department (especially lighting and sound). It was looking like it would go something like this:
After Carol opens this year, the theater kicks into high gear for about five months, culminating with the second of two musicals (Paris) opening after two and a half weeks of tech and two weeks of previews. Instead of taking a week or two to recuperate, the lighting and sound departments will be called upon to pack up everything that they have in the 615 building not in use in Paris and ship it off to one of three locations:
cold storage with limited or no access for the season produced offsite,
easily accessible storage for instruments/speakers and other miscellaneous equipment,
whatever office space we would be using for the 08-09 season.
This would take a few weeks, followed by another frenzied period of packing up everything that was used in Paris and hauling it off to the appropriate location.
Once all of 615 is cleared out and the building is ready to undergo its magical transformation, the grind of the offsite season will be upon us. I don't care how close the venue is or what type of reduced season we produce, it is still going to be a grueling experience, mainly because it is going to involve producing theater in a completely new and foreign manner. We're pretty spoiled here at the Alley in several ways. The facility is ours, and we can do whatever we want, whenever we want and answer to no one but ourselves. Not so wherever we end up. We are self encapsulated in our little universe on the 600 block of Texas Avenue. Whenever we need something, need to build something, it's right there where we can get at it in 5 minutes or less. At an offsite venue it may take someone five minutes or more to get to their vehicle and get on the road to storage or the shop or wherever they need to go.
In addition to that every member of the shop head staff as well as the production office will also be vetting and checking in on the work occurring back at 615 Texas. Clint and I will spend the most time over there, but Jason and Nancy would probably need to take some time away from the shop to make sure things in their world were going according to plan down there as well.
After a season on the road, the summer would (ideally) be spent by everyone moving everything back into 615, feeling out the new amenities, and figuring out exactly how we're going to initially approach producing theater in a totally new environment. This would be followed by the start of a full slate of high profile titles designed to celebrate the return of the Alley Theater company to it's renovated home. As new discoveries are made and new methods of doing things developed the additional layer of stress will no doubt make what would have been a challenging season in the old facility all the more daunting.
By the following May, several shop heads and staff members could conceivably be coming off 30 months of intense production and work without a significant break. Even if a break or two were secured for everyone, the things that potentially slipped through the cracks during those breaks and having to deal with them when they returned would offset any relief provided by the time off. And all the problems probably won't be discovered and solved by the end of that first season back in 615. I can confidently say that we weren't in a comfortable place in terms of producing in the Neuhaus until after about four seasons, and there are still discoveries that are being made.
I didn't want to pass the "point of no return", as I saw the opening of Carol this season, and get sucked into the maelstrom that would be the next two and a half years of my life essentially devoted in some form or another to the Alley Theatre. And once the renovation got pushed back a year, that maelstrom went from being 2-1/2 years to 3-1/2 years (potentially 4-1/2 with the postponement of all of the previously documented activity), essentially putting me in my early to mid 40's before I could look around and even think about doing something like what I've decided to do now.
Twelve years of regional theater at the Alley, and another four before that of freelancing between Philadelphia and New England have taken a bit of a toll as well. The schedule for me as the head of the sound department essentially was a flexible one that altered between a traditional five day nineish to fiveish week format during the period of time when a show or shows are in performance (after they have opened and are being presented for paying audiences) and a six day a week 14-16 hour day format during the period of time we called tech, but which is also known as production, where we are in the space with the actors and all the technical elements coordinating everything before an audience gets to see it.
This fluctuation made it hard to have any kind of stable consistent life outside the theater unless it was with someone from the theater (and even then it wasn't always guaranteed success, especially if the other person wasn't from the production/performance area), and we all know the saying about mixing personal relationships with the workplace. But it went beyond the ability on my part to maintain a romantic relationship while working in the production department of a major regional theater. There have been countless times over the past nine years since I became the department head where I've heard about something happening that I'd really like to attend but had to say "I'm in tech", or I heard about something that had passed (either in a 'that was really great' vein or a 'where were you?' vein, always having to answer, "I was in tech" with a resigned sigh. I'm kinda over that and want to be able to be a part of my friends' lives on a more consistent basis.
Another large part of this decision has been the direction that the theater has taken in the past few years, mainly artistically but also operationally. The artistic mission statement of the theater outlines commitments to "interpret existing dramatic works boldly and with insight," to "bring forth new writers and plays destined to be the classics of tomorrow", and also to be "the collaborator of choice for artists and arts organizations, learning from these exchanges and exporting our work to the nation and the world." While these are inspiring sounding and commendable aspirations, the Alley is still in Houston, which is far off the beaten path of the 'traditional' theater circuit. We haven't had a corps of resident designers since Greg Boyd took over as Artistic Director nearly 20 years ago, and the lofty goal of expanding the resident acting company to 24 members has proven to be a difficult one at best. Much of this can be attributed to the high and stringent standards and demands of Greg (rarely, if ever, is local acting talent tapped for roles larger than that of the 'spearcarrier' category and the decisions of what shows are slotted where in the season are largely dependent on the availability of well established and acredited designers, most of whom are based out of New York where they do the majority of their work), but making the commitment to base oneself in Southeast Texas has an effect on the type of work and the amount of commitments in the rest of the country that one can reasonably expect to secure in a calendar year.
Part of why the renovation has been put off so many times is that there has never been a physical plan in place that satisfies the needs dictated by this mission statement. The consistent philosophy exhibited by all the versions of the physical renovation of the 615 facility essentially state that the Alley aspires to be a self producing theatre with a resident acting company in a facility that can be utilized as a roadhouse, so as to be able to easily bring productions in from other theaters and to send original productions on to other theaters. Unfortunately, Nina Vance didn't have this in mind back in the late 1960's. This was quite on purpose. She had been producing theater in two locations previous to the 615 Texas building for almost 20 years and liked the kind of theater that was coming out of the restrictive atmosphere the Alley company found itself in from 1947- until 1966, when the 615 building was designed. She even went so far as to specify that the size and configuration of the Neuhaus Arena Theater replicate the Berry Street location, which it pretty much did, the exception being that the Neuhaus (pre 2001 Tropical Storm Allison and the havoc that she wrought) had on additional row of seats. Being that the 615 building is about as far from being a traditional roadhouse as you can possibly get (no fly loft, tension mesh grid, modified thrust stage, unconventional seating configuration in a rapidly widening arc that plays hell with sightlines) it does not lend itself to this model of theater outlined in the mission statement. It also does not lend itself to change very well, mainly due to the fact that the whole thing (with the exception of the roof) is poured concrete. Plan after plan has been proposed, drafted, vetted by the production and artistic staff, redrafted, and then shelved or shitcanned. One of the most frustrating aspects of the current plan and its one year postponement is the fact that the new management team is in the latter stages of learning this painful truth about the building as it exists now, which is, in its most basic form:
However the facility is renovated and/or refit, it will never be the ideal facility for the production model outlined in the mission statement. Nothing short of building a new facility in a second location or razing the current one and starting anew will achieve this goal.
No one likes to think about this option for a variety of reasons, all of them valid:
The building is architecturally unique, and while it is relatively young, historic preservation has caught on here in Houston and the proposed demolition of it would result in community heritage organizations protesting vehemently. This has been a concern even when considering actions such as changing the roof line to accommodate a fly loft as part of a renovation.
The construction of any new facility brings up the ugly possibility of a season or seasons when the theater would not be producing. This has been determined to be unacceptable due to the loss of staff over the period of non production and the loss of patronage and community exposure over the same period of time.
The fundamental identity of the Alley would be inexorably altered by the implementation of a new facility, be it a replacement or a second space.
The addition of another facility for production would alter the nature of the mission statement in that it would call for additional programming to justify its creation and existence. The space at the top of the Prairie parking garage was originally slated to be a third performance space. It was re-conceived as a new home for the administrative offices and shops after it was determined that the programming schedule was not going to be expanded to justify the existence of a third performance space in the foreseeable future.
My interpretation of the Alley's intentions as far as the programming choices are concerned has always been that, while they need to be accessible enough to generate significant revenue, they also are relevant to the current social, political, and cultural climate in the world. As recently as two years ago, this was occurring at the theater, with productions of works such as the World War I era anti war play Jouney's End, and the very poignant Pillowman, which highlights the direction that our society finds itself being nudged more and more every day towards a totalitarian police state. The past few years have seen the theater take steps toward more Vanilla, mass appealing, revenue generating programming when there are daily events in the world that require highlighting due to the fact that everywhere else (mass media, political parties) there seems to be an elaborate shell game being performed to keep the general population's attention off what is really going on and where we are headed as a country, a society, and a race.
I don't know if I'm over theater as a whole, but I like Houston and Texas, I have a lot of friends that I care about here, and the Alley is the only real regional theater that I can do what I do at the Alley in Texas.
I feel that there is more that I can be doing as a member of the Human Race in the face of the decidedly un-human practices being inflicted by a very small percentage of the world population on a much greater percentage for the sake of power and monetary profit, no matter what the cost in human life and the health of the planet's fragile ecosystem in it's current state (which is the only reason that we have been able to survive and evolve into the world presence that we are).
One thing I plan on doing is to start working with the Pacifica Radio station that is here in Houston, KPFT. I've been listening to it for years and am a firm believer in what the station is primarily about in the form of a mission to serve the community. I don't necessarily believe in the messages and causes advanced by all of the programming, but that is patently impossible, and it is also a primary tenet of the Pacifica format as a listener sponsored and programmed non commercial radio station. I have a fairly unique skill set that can provide me with a steady living here in town but should also be useful in helping out at the station. I'm not expecting to be slotted in right away as an engineer on some of the higher profile shows and will do whatever they need, but I imagine that once I get an opportunity to exhibit my proficiency in audio that they'll be plenty for me to do.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
In demand...
Evidently this change in work situations is going to work out okay. I'm not even out the door at the Alley and am already being secured for gigs through the IATSE local here in town. The Assistant Business Manager just called me a little while ago with something for me this Friday which, regrettably, I had to turn down since it is my last day at the theater. However, he also told me to block out several days starting next Friday for an event at the hotel over by the convention center. I think I'm all set in terms of all the requisite clothing items and tools for any sort of scenario, but I'm sure that there will be the occasional episodes of 'nope, don't have that, but will be sure to get it for next time' biting me in the ass over the next few weeks.
Very exciting...
Sing it, Huey!
Very exciting...
Sing it, Huey!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
It's never worked and never will...
The 'Ultimate Horror' of strategic bombing was realized in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and Poland at the outset of World War II. "Strategic" is a term that has never really applied since the unfortunate law of gravity rules above anything else and the bomb will fall where they will.
It's never worked in the manner in which it was designed to (except when it was designed to do what it does naturally--terrorize and decimate the entire population of its target area) ever since, be it in Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Serbia, and countless other places, including the current targets in Iraq and Afghanistan and potential targets in Iran and Pakistan.
Chris Floyd over at Salon:
Monday, the Pentagon acknowledged a long-unspoken truth: that the bombardment of civilian neighborhoods in Iraq is an integral part of the vaunted "counterinsurgency" doctrine of Gen. David Petraeus. The number of airstrikes in the conquered land has risen fivefold since George W. Bush escalated the war in January, as USA Today reports:
"Coalition forces launched 1,140 airstrikes in the first nine months of this year compared with 229 in all of last year, according to military statistics ... In Iraq, the temporary increase of 30,000 U.S. troops ordered by President Bush in January has led to the increase in bombing missions. The U.S. command has moved forces off large bases and into neighborhoods and has launched several large offensives aimed at al-Qaeda ... 'You end up having that many more opportunities for close air support,' said Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Mueller, director of the Combined Air Operations Center in Doha, Qatar."
"'This could have been done through the infantry,' said Ibrahim al-Khamas, a Samarra city council member. 'But the American Army prefers the easiest solution, which is the air bombardment ... This airstrike was excessive, as usual, which led to the fall of civilians. People here are now carrying great hatred against the Americans after the raid. This airstrike turned their Eid to grief' ...
It's never worked in the manner in which it was designed to (except when it was designed to do what it does naturally--terrorize and decimate the entire population of its target area) ever since, be it in Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Serbia, and countless other places, including the current targets in Iraq and Afghanistan and potential targets in Iran and Pakistan.
Chris Floyd over at Salon:
Monday, the Pentagon acknowledged a long-unspoken truth: that the bombardment of civilian neighborhoods in Iraq is an integral part of the vaunted "counterinsurgency" doctrine of Gen. David Petraeus. The number of airstrikes in the conquered land has risen fivefold since George W. Bush escalated the war in January, as USA Today reports:
"Coalition forces launched 1,140 airstrikes in the first nine months of this year compared with 229 in all of last year, according to military statistics ... In Iraq, the temporary increase of 30,000 U.S. troops ordered by President Bush in January has led to the increase in bombing missions. The U.S. command has moved forces off large bases and into neighborhoods and has launched several large offensives aimed at al-Qaeda ... 'You end up having that many more opportunities for close air support,' said Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Mueller, director of the Combined Air Operations Center in Doha, Qatar."
"'This could have been done through the infantry,' said Ibrahim al-Khamas, a Samarra city council member. 'But the American Army prefers the easiest solution, which is the air bombardment ... This airstrike was excessive, as usual, which led to the fall of civilians. People here are now carrying great hatred against the Americans after the raid. This airstrike turned their Eid to grief' ...
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