[NEohioPAL] Opinions & Matters of Consequence

Sat Jun 26 18:08:31 PDT 2010

Our theatre community is like a large family - there are the naysayers and backbiters, and there are also the poets and lovers. You cannot be part of such a volatile atmosphere as live theatre performance and expect ho-hum reactions and impressions. There are patrons out there, wealthy and poor, who would give their eyeteeth-and more- to be as emotionally involved in their work as we are involved in the theatre. Note which word was highlighted as opposed to purely intellectual fodder. If you want that, go to the library and read in the science and engineering sections. 

The First Amendment guarantees all of us freedom of speech. We only have to accept the consequences of that free speech. If you are going to talk about something you know very little or nothing about, be prepared to be called a fool - or worse. If you think you can review live theatre performances, throw your hat in the ring when Tony, Fran, Christine, Linda and the others go on vacation. By all means put your 'review' on NEOPAL But be sure you dot the i's and cross the t's, grammatically speaking. Try to be as charitable as you can- and put yourself in that actor's shoes before you trash him or her. There is nothing wrong with 
voicing your thoughtful, reasoned, and balanced opinion of a running show on this forum. That is one reason Fred put it here in the first place. 

Or would you rather handwrite letters and send them?? When will you have at your fingertips nearly 6,000 pairs of eyes to read your pearls of wisdom? Don't look the gift-horse of NEOPAL in the mouth - or abuse it. 

To those of you who have very short fuses-it makes no difference who you are, as 
Noah and many others have constantly noted - that's why the D - E - L - E - T - E 
button was made for computers - especially for you!  

There are inveterate theatergoers on this site, and your off-the-cuff,half baked, 
thoughtless and plain stupid remarks will go over here like a fart in Church!!!
This IS church, a sacred place where minds and hearts are opened for some fresh air. That you cannot tolerate other people's opinions speaks volumes about what state of "CLOSED" your mind and heart are already in !! 

If you don't feel like you want to do that for the artists and theatre folk here, then don't clutter this site with your banal verbiage. Maybe you should try the National Enquirer the next time you think you have something momentous to say.  I am sure they will be all ears. 

Martin Cosentino

--- On Sat, 6/26/10, Noah Budin <nbudin at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

From: Noah Budin <nbudin at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] If We Want To Read Critiques, We'll Ask Your Opinions
To: "neohiopal" <neohiopal at listserve.com>
Date: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 10:30 AM

This is why you have a delete button.

Noah
www.noahbudin.com
noahbudinsongs.blogspot.com

--- On Fri, 6/25/10, Jim Jarrell <jarrellje at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Jim Jarrell <jarrellje at gmail.com>
Subject: [NEohioPAL] If We Want To Read Critiques, We'll Ask Your Opinions
To: neohiopal at listserve.com
Date: Friday, June 25, 2010, 10:04 AM

I absolutely CANNOT take it anymore...to everyone who feels compelled to fill our email inboxes with unsolicited theatre reviews...

By what divine right do you suppose you are given the authority to pollute our inboxes with your unsolicited opinions?  Good or bad, if any of us on the NEohioPAL list wanted your opinions, we would ask for them or we would go pick up the magazine or newspaper the should be published in.  

Before I get accused of being defensive over someone's opinion, let me point out that I just recently moved back to Northeast Ohio after a 10-year absence and I have not yet appeared on a local stage again to be critiqued by anyone.  So, my words aren't mixed with the bitter taste of a director/performer scorned (nor am I one of the BFFs rushing to their defense). Ill-tempered though they may be, my words ARE mixed with shock and awe that people have the audacity to think they have the right to send hundreds of people (some they may not even know) their unsolicited opinions straight to their email inbox.  As if that weren't bad enough, the opinions are filled with errors and give the impression that they are written for no other reason than to embarrass anyone and everyone associated with the theatrical production in question.  

I'm all for "freedom of speech."  By all means, please, exercise your right to have your own opinion.  Everyone is entitled to have their opinion, whether I agree with them (or anyone else agrees with them) or not.  What I don't agree with is polluting my inbox with your opinions if I don't ask for them (especially if they're poorly written plagiarisms - as one recent diatribe was).  If you want to express your opinion, do it responsibly.  Write something of quality that a newspaper or magazine would be compelled to publish...and if you cannot manage that, there are any number of a zillion free websites where you can start and write your own blog.  Even KJK has a blog, for goodness sake!  It can be done!!

Then, once you have found a PROPER home for your unsolicited opinions, you should feel free to share with the listserv a LINK to your opinion so that we may have the CHOICE to visit it or ignore it.  But, please, if we don't ask for your opinion, don't force it upon us.  Especially not these embarrassing expressions that denigrate into online "flame" wars.  It's just not cute.

Respectfully,
Jim Jarrell

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