Admin Note: A Response to NewYorkCentrism

I’m taking a momentary break in the story to respond to Poor Player’s essay about NewYorkCentrism. In doing so, I’m going to address a few grievances of my own, and provide an explanation or two.

First of all, I don’t live in Austin anymore. A little over a month ago, I moved to rural Alabama. Now, you want to talk prejudice? The rest of country believes that people in the Deep South are bigoted hicks who live in trailers. How do I know this? People tell me – especially those in LA and NYC.

Will a play sent out with a return address from rural Alabama get produced? Or will geographic snobbery cause my work to be tossed in the trash? Guess I’ll soon find out.

I chose to live here because this is where my fiancé lives. There are also a tremendous amount of professional opportunities here. I live within walking distance of a theater. Will that theater be written about in the New York Times? No. Do I have an opportunity to develop my work with them? Absolutely.

I used to live in NYC, and as I’ve mentioned here before, I would’ve never written my latest project if I had continued living there. To conduct the kind of research needed, I would’ve had to have gotten a very sizable grant to cover my expenses. Plus, my original source documents aren’t in New York. And if that’s not enough, a handful of my characters are mid-western. I needed to interact with people from the Midwest so I could understand the values.

Living in NYC took a toll on my physical health. I knew by leaving that I’d be missing opportunities. But when a doctor tells you that you’re internally bleeding and he can’t figure out why, then perhaps a less stressful existence would be a good thing.

As far as Poor Player’s concern about New York theater bloggers crowding the rest of us out… I’m not sure that’s an issue. I do, however, understand his concern. In a world that is still dealing with the idea that people in theater blog, I expect them to focus on things happening in NYC. It’s easier, and it promotes the local talent.

I don’t condemn theater bloggers who live in NYC. I think those of us who live elsewhere should remember that they are no better or worse than the rest of us. I do have to admit, there’s a certain cache to having New York City on my playwriting resume. That’s not my fault. It’s just the fact of the matter.

Now for the explanation…

The mission of Gasp is to provide insight into the creative process. Through doing this, others will be able to understand the nature of creativity better. Writers and artists can identify with the challenges, and non-creative types will learn what goes into writing a play. Further down the line, I’ll be talking very specifically about my research at the LBJ Presidential Library, so amateur historians will be able to glean something out of it. Finally, when produced, directors will understand why I made the choices I did with the material.

Each entry is another piece of the chapter. I decided to write them in past tense because perspective provides wisdom in a way that “progress reports” don’t. Gasp is written with longevity in mind.

I’m not concerned about NYC theater bloggers crowding the rest of us out. I am concerned that 99% of the theater bloggers out there are writing the same stuff. Theater journalism is a good thing. I want to know what’s going on elsewhere. But I don’t need multitude of blogs talking about the same damn productions and having the same damn opinions.

It’s frustrating when people are chatting about the plays that you can’t see. But when you shed light on the process, everyone wins.

Gasp is part of a new generation of theater blogs. Intermission is another terrific blog where you can go and view the process. I hope others out there join us.

Comments

[Joshua James]

New York City makes me bleed, too, but in ways different than afflicted you. I've come to appreciate the city, but I've never loved it like others I know have.

I'd like to live somewhere else, but I have to admit, I've gotten opportunities as a writer here that I know I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else.

Plus, my lovely lady loves this city, she really does. She's a city girl (Tokyo originally) and when I took her back to rural Iowa (to see from whence I sprang) she was a bit overwhelmed by it. she could never live in an area like that, I know.

I've spent time in LA and liked it a bit more than nyc, but I don't know that is where I could love to live, either. Probably i haven't found that place as of yet.

I'll keep looking, I have some goals as a writer I want to reach, first (and hopefully LA will play a part in that) and then I'll start searching.

We're all looking for home, one way or another, aren't we?

[Scott Walters]

I am a Yankee living in North Carolina, and I am constantly shocked by the anti-Southern stereotypes that are waved about apparently without shame. Apparently, people think if they've seen "Deliverance" they know the South. Southern stereotypes are one of the last forms of bigotry allowed in the US, and it is time it stop.

[Joshua James]

Scott,

While I'm sure not all Southerners are bigoted and ignorant, one must certainly acknowledge that far too many do, to wit, George Allen, one who loves the confederate flag and has been burned in the press for his prejudiced and racist remarks time and again over recent weeks, who used to be Governor of Virginia and was in a relationship with the largest white supremist group (largest that is not the Klan) in the country. He is not helping anyone in the south plead their case that the south represents the interests of all its citizens, not just the white ones.

And he's not a just an exception, we could go on and on (Trent Lott, for starters,) - I have relatives in Texas, and while not all people there are bigoted, enough of them are to make casual bigotry common in every day life, more common than it should be - enough that it's hard to argue that holding the south accountable for bigotry is bigotry itself, as you say, that's not even an argument. It's not bigotry to say too many folks in the south have racial and cultural issues. It's plain observation.

I'm sorry, but when the south wakes up when it comes to gay rights, women's rights, civil rights, then you'll have an argument. right now, I don't think you do.

Bob Jones University, when I was in college, didn't allow interracial dating for its students. Now it does, but only if you have permission from school authorities. That's ignorant bigotry, in my mind.

Plus, bigotry happens when you discrimnate against someone because of their race or creed, in other words, how they are born. It's not bigotry to think less of someone because of how they choose to think or believe, sometimes that's just good sense - if someone is willfully ignorant on a subject and I think less of them for it, that's not bigotry.

And one last note - Southern stereotypes are, to what I've observed, embraced by Southerners more than anyone else (confederate flags on state and federal property, not to mention houses and cars and lockers) and if people in the south don't want to be viewed that way, they need to change the southerners who embrace that way of life (see George Allen) and not yell at those of us who comment on it.

I remind you, I'm a country boy, born and bred, and no fan of new york city. There's ignorance and bigotry here, too. But I have no patience for those who trumpet bigotry in the form of a frigging confederate flag and talk wistfully of the days of segregation. None whatsoever. The south has earned any emnity it receives on this matter.

Sorry, but that's what I've learned. Come on, Scott, we're old enough to remember that in our lifetimes there were laws in the south barring interaction of the races. Those attitudes and beliefs haven't disappeared and they won't unless they're stamped out.