[NEohioPAL] CWRU: Their S*** Don't Stink?

[James Kosmatka]

I hate to jump to conclusions and make inferences without any facts to back
me up


 

BUT

 

Take a look at this, CWRU’s MFA Acting Program postcard for their production
of All’s Well:  

http://www.twitpic.com/b02ri

“No insipid takes on the script.

No mosquitoes.

Just well trained actors and a great director.”

 

I find it impossible  to believe that this isn’t a slight directed at the
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, and perhaps the Ohio Shakespeare Festival.
They are very clearly comparing themselves to outdoor Shakespeare
performances (“mosquitoes”), of which there are only two in the region and
only one in Cleveland.  The postcard then links “insipid takes on the
script” and a lack of “well trained actors and a great director” to the
aforementioned outdoor Shakespeare company.

 

This may be one of the most brazen, shameless pieces of advertising I’ve
seen in Cleveland theatre.  It displays a total lack of class on the part of
department chair Ron Wilson, director Geoff Bullen, and whomever else at
Case signed off on this.

 

There are certainly valid criticisms to be made of Cleve Shakes, but let’s
face it: a $35,000/year university beating up on free Shakespeare in the
park is pretty crass, and amounts to nothing more than bullying.

 

I like to operate under the naïve impression that Cleveland’s theatre
community IS a community.  It’s a pretty rich and diverse community, too,
considering the problems Cleveland faces.  We have a lot of great theatres
to fill all kinds of niches, from CSF to Theatre Ninjas to the Play House to
CSU Summer Stages to Cleveland Public Theatre.  And to see an organization
say “We’re above all of that.  We are separate, we are better, and we don’t
want you philistines dirtying up our Shakespeare” just gets my blood
boiling.  At this point, my rant’s starting to lose focus, so I’ll close
with this:

 

I think Ron Wilson and Geoff Bullen owe CSF a big public apology.

 

Sincerely,

James Kosmatka, never affiliated in any official capacity with CSF, but
thinks they’re good people and good artists.

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