Breaching the Fourth Wall

Searching through the social networking site delicious is like playing six degrees of separation. One search word can lead to a full chain of practical and even entertaining connections.

I began my hunt with “theatre production management” in the search field, which resulted in an advertisement assault peddling everything from speakers to pyro effects. The first diamond in the rough was eProduction, a site that helps to manage many of the paper heavy tasks of production management including contact list and rehearsal schedule distribution, notes for actors and designers, and reminders for deadlines and meetings. This site would be a valuable tool for stage and production managers alike and may also single handedly slow the deforestation of the planet with their intensive love for paperwork….

Through the user who tagged eProduction, I also found the SMNetwork. A social forum for stage managers of all levels of experience, it is a place for members of a very specialized profession to ask questions, establish friendships, and find professional opportunities. Forum topics include everything from what type of flashlights people prefer to use, different types of blocking notation for dance, and how to handle that finicky director that just doesn’t want to cooperate with the rest of the production team.

And for those of us who are interested in sheer entertainment rather than networking or productivity, Broadway Abridged is a fantastic find. A sure love for anyone who is interested procrasting a la YouTube or Facebook, the site contains parodied scripts of shows that are currently on the Great White Way. My personal favorite was the parody of the revival of A Chorus Line, harsh but hilarious look at the show much like an online version of Forbidden Broadway. After all, everyone needs a good chuckle when trying to avoid getting work done…

It only takes one post to know that David Cote is a theatre veteran.   Throughout his blog, Histriomastix, I am reminded of many a headset conversation with fellow crewmembers during less than engaging productions.  His dry sense of humor, irreverence, ego, and proper appreciation of a well-placed expletive all strike me as characteristically theatrical.

Published author and freelance writer for periodicals as varied as The New
The New York Times to Maxim.   His self-proclaimed love for Indian food, blasphemy, and alternative historical fiction immediately struck a chord with me, and his eccentricity and audacity as a writer punch to the forefront of websites centered on the New York City theatre scene.

David Cote does not worry about appearing controversial or confrontational, and in fact, may even relish it.  His avatar, a cartoon of himself in Elizabethan garb, is upstaged only by the drawing’s prominent middle finger, sending out a warning to readers that Histriomastix will not be a strictly academic or analytical blog, and those people who are easily offended need not read any further.  The tagline below the site’s header is “sound and fury from a New York theatre critic,” furthering the idea that rippling the pond should be the expected norm in his blog.

Beyond merely having a flare for the controversial, Cote seems to enjoy riling up his readers, especially if it leads to a strong reaction.  In “Catechism on a Hot Tin Roof”, a lengthy segue from theatre which touches on the author’s views on religion we get the idea that this site is meant to spark dialogue, not a one way diatribe. Capping off his hot post, Cote finishes by summarizing, “I don’t tell people they can’t believe, they can’t worship and they can’t try to convince other people of their beliefs. Much as I logically and ethically deplore religion, I don’t do that. I may ridicule, cajole and make sweeping rhetorical gestures.”  I’m sure these words were penned knowing that they would lead to the outcry of comments in response.

Histriomastix stands out from other sites that employ the same incendiary tactics, because it is clear he respects his readership.  Although he comes across as extremely opinionated and set in his ways, he dutifully and thoughtfully responds to each reader comment without the condescension that leads to a loss of credibility.  Such behavior is indicative of professionalism towards his readers despite differing viewpoints, and for that he earns my admiration.

For all of the debate fostered at Histriomastix, Cote maintains his image as a respectable theatre critic through well-developed reviews of New York City based productions and updates about the goings on of theatre companies and major awards.  His analysis of the 2007 Tony Awards and how the success of its broadcast versus other television programming that night and its correspondence to the role of theatre in American society was particularly notable.  The peppering of posts recommending which shows are worth seeing (and the lists are fairly comprehensive), one gets the sense that Cote is sees a lot of live theatre and has enough experience to speak authoritatively on the topic.

The design of Cote’s site furthers his image as a theatrical authority, especially concerning any New York City based productions.  His main page includes a healthy list of links to websites for artists, theater festivals, venues, news, and blogs.  The page’s layout emphasizes content: there are no large visual distractions on the page, and the large, black on white posts make text easy to read and  maintain the same visual that might be viewed at sites of accepted news authorities like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

Beyond being both controversial and content-driven, I enjoy reading this site because the language is entertaining while still having something to say.  Anyone who can use the transition “speaking of fucked up families” and have it segue into a coherent piece of writing deserves praise.  Posts with titles like “When the Fat Blogger Sings,” a post about hybrid theatre/opera productions further adds to the wittiness factor of the site, and reminds readers that Cote may be opinionated, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

All in all, Histriomastix is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in theatre, even if they are not familiar with or interested in the New York City theatre scene.  David Cote develops his online identity as one that jives with the theatrical types who might be visiting his blog.  Opinionated, controversial, but not without sense of humor, a reader gets a clear and consistent understanding of Cote’s persona throughout his posts, and although his voice may drip with a bit of sass and irreverence, Histriomastix is a worthwhile journey into bloggerdom.

Amidst the many, many blogs of amateur theatre critics online (and trust me there are many, covering the full spectrum of level of interest and quality), Violet Vixen stands out as a entertaining an informative read. Violet Vixen’s self titled blog is a mix of Los Angeles performance related analysis and reviews with the occasional commentary of films, television and current events, with a particular focus on queer theatre and those issues that most directly effect the gay community. A Los Angeles based graduate student with an affinity for theatre and performance art, Vixen’s post are a mix of informal familiarity, wit, and personal anecdote.

The front page of Vixen’s blog create the identity of a progressive thinker and a taste for the eccentric. Her blogroll includes site like A Daily Dose of Queer and Neil Gaiman’s Journal, neither of which are sites that would be considered mainstream culture.

Upon my first view of her site, the inconsistency of post topics of Vixen’s site turned me off. Not someone well versed in blogs, I like the more streamlined content found in print materials. Yet after my initial negative reaction to fluidity of subject matter, I found the potpourri of topics to be a healthy remedy an attention span I might describe as lacking. The variety of Vixen’s discussion ensured when my interest wanes from a particular post, I know the next one will bring a slight change of pace that may grasp my interest.  Additionally, each post brings a new surprise as your are never quite sure about what the next post will entail.

Not that Vixen’s posts are boring.  Her greatest strength is her ability to catch my attention within the first sentence of her posts.  I enjoyed the opening to her most recent post, What’s a Girl to Do? , which begins with the punch, “What do you do when a friend writes to say that there’s a fabulous queer femme performance artist you don’t know about who wants to perform in LA?” Not a dilemma I face too frequently, the question leaves me wanting to know more.   Many of her posts open similarly, piquing enough interest right away to keep me reading.

Violet Vixen successfully creates a memorable blog, most noticeably by making the connection between her name and the layout’s raging fuchsia color scheme. Although the design of Vixen’s site may visually support her two sentence identification as a Los Angeles based lesbian theatre student and aficionado, the onslaught of pink upon the entrance to her main page undercuts her credibility. Perhaps I am conditioned to appreciate sleek, simple designs and associate them with intellectual authority, but appreciating someone’s text, no matter how well written or insightful, is difficult to take seriously when confronted with a wall of text I most quickly associate with packaging for a Barbie Doll.

All in all a well done site with engaging writing created by a memorable persona.  Although Vixen may not be an “authority” she draws readers in with her well developed identity and entertaining reads.