#can we even survive without the 80s fashion glory?? i think not

[drawthething]

I found this (80s aesthetics!!!) zekina piece that @rascalmath on instagram commissioned me a while ago (check out their art if you haven't already THEY'RE AMAZING) and thought you guys might enjoy it too

Seeeeee, I'm not the only one who wanna promote the short king Zeke agenda, you know?

[ruavermelha]

So, here we are once more. Gathered again in Spring, 55 years since our inaugural meeting, to celebrate World Theatre Day. Just one day, 24 hours, is dedicated to celebrating theatre around the world. And here we are in Paris, the premier city in the world for attracting international theatre groups, to venerate the art of theatre. Paris is a world city, fit to contain the globes theatre traditions in a day of celebration; from here in France’s capital we can transport ourselves to Japan by experiencing Noh and Bunraku theatre, trace a line from here to thoughts and expressions as diverse as Peking Opera and Kathakali; the stage allows us to linger between Greece and Scandinavia as we envelope ourselves in Aeschylus and Ibsen, Sophocles and Strindberg; it allows us to flit between Britain and Italy as we reverberate between Sarah Kane and Prinadello. Within these twenty-four hours we may be taken from France to Russia, from Racine and Moliere to Chekhov; we can even cross the Atlantic as a bolt of inspiration to serve on a Campus in California, enticing a young student there to reinvent and make their name in theatre. Indeed, theatre has such a thriving life that it defies space and time; its most contemporary pieces are nourished by the achievements of past centuries, and even the most classical repertories become modern and vital each time they are played anew. Theatre is always reborn from its ashes, shedding only its previous conventions in its new-fangled forms: that is how it stays alive. World Theatre Day then, is obviously no ordinary day to be lumped in with the procession of others. It grants us access to an immense space-time continuum via the sheer majesty of the global canon. To enable me the ability to conceptualise this, allow me to quote a French playwright, as brilliant as he was discreet, Jean Tardieu: When thinking of space, Tardieu says it is sensible to ask “what is the longest path from one to another?”…For time, he suggests measuring, “in tenths of a second, the time it takes to pronounce the word ‘eternity’”…For space-time, however, he says: “before you fall asleep , fix your mind upon two points of space, and calculate the time it takes, in a dream, to go from one to the other”. It is the phrase in a dream that has always stuck with me. It seems as though Tardieu and Bob Wilson met. We can also summarise the temporal uniqueness of World Theatre day by quoting the words of Samuel Beckett, who makes the character Winnie say, in his expeditious style: “Oh what a beautiful day it will have been”. When thinking of this message, that I feel honoured to have been asked to write, I remembered all the dreams of all these scenes. As such, it is fair to say that I did not come to this UNESCO hall alone; every character I have ever played is here with me, roles that seem to leave when the curtain falls, but who have carved out an underground life within me, waiting to assist or destroy the roles that follow; Phaedra, Araminte, Orlando, Hedda Gabbler, Medea, Merteuil, Blanche DuBois….Also supplementing me as I stand before you today are all the characters I loved and applauded as a spectator. And so it is, therefore, that I belong to the world. I am Greek, African, Syrian, Venetian, Russian, Brazilian, Persian, Roman, Japanese, a New Yorker, a Marseillais, Filipino, Argentinian, Norwegian, Korean, German, Austrian, English – a true citizen of the world, by virtue of the personal ensemble that exists within me. For it is here, on the stage and in the theatre, that we find true globalization. On World Theatre Day in 1964, Laurence Olivier announced that, after more than a century of struggle, a National Theatre has just been created in the United Kingdom, which he immediately wanted to morph into an international theatre, at least in terms of its repertoire. He knew well that Shakespeare belonged to the world. In researching the writing of this message, I was glad to learn that the inaugural World Theatre Day message of 1962 was entrusted to Jean Cocteau, a fitting candidate due to his authoring of the book ‘Around the World Again in 80 Days’. This made me realise that I have gone around the world differently. I did it in 80 shows or 80 movies. I include movies in this as I do not differentiate between playing theatre and playing movies, which surprises even me each time I say it, but it is true, that’s how it is, I see no difference between the two. Speaking here I am not myself, I am not an actress, I am just one of the many people that theatre uses as a conduit to exist, and it is my duty to be receptive to this - or, in other words, we do not make theatre exist, it is rather thanks to theatre that we exist. The theatre is very strong. It resists and survives everything, wars, censors, penury. It is enough to say that “the stage is a naked scene from an indeterminate time” – all’s it needs is an actor. Or an actress. What are they going to do? What are they going to say? Will they talk? The public waits, it will know, for without the public there is no theatre – never forget this. One person alone is an audience. But let’s hope there are not too many empty seats! Productions of Ionesco’s productions are always full, and he represents this artistic valour candidly and beautifully by having, at the end of one of his plays, and old lady say; “Yes, Yes, die in full glory. Let’s die to enter the legend…at least we will have our street…” World Theatre Day has existed for 55 years now. In 55 years, I am the eighth woman to be invited to pronounce a message – if you can call this a ‘message’ that is. My predecessors (oh, how the male of the species imposes itself!) spoke about the theatre of imagination, freedom, and originality in order to evoke beauty, multiculturalism and pose unanswerable questions. In 2013, just four years ago, Dario Fo said: “The only solution to the crisis lies in the hope of the great witch-hunt against us, especially against young people who want to learn the art of theatre: thus a new diaspora of actors will emerge, who will undoubtedly draw from this constraint unimaginable benefits by finding a new representation”. Unimaginable Benefits – sounds like a nice formula, worthy to be included in any political rhetoric, don’t you think?… As I am in Paris, shortly before a presidential election, I would like to suggest that those who apparently yearn to govern us should be aware of the unimaginable benefits brought about by theatre. But I would also like to stress, no witch-hunt! Theatre is for me represents the other it is dialogue, and it is the absence of hatred. ‘Friendship between peoples’ – now, I do not know too much about what this means, but I believe in community, in friendship between spectators and actors, in the lasting union between all the peoples theatre brings together – translators, educators, costume designers, stage artists, academics, practitioners and audiences. Theatre protects us; it shelters us…I believe that theatre loves us…as much as we love it… I remember an old-fashioned stage director I worked for, who, before the nightly raising of the curtain would yell, with full-throated firmness ‘Make way for theatre!’ – and these shall be my last words tonight.

World Theatre Day Message 2017 by Isabelle Huppert

https://www.world-theatre-day.org

[kujengaupya]

Rob Veith in his natural enviroment

If I have my years correct, Rob Veith (and his wife) were moving out of Botswana around the same time that I was moving into Tanzania. Although we've both made our rounds in some of the same professional circles, we formally met through what is now the Inspiro Arts Alliance (formerly Heart Sounds International). Since then I've been honored to admire his skill set while working alongside him in both Kenya and Tanzania. Learn more about him in his own words, below.

Who are you? Basic information you're willing to share.

Born in upstate New York, I spent almost half of my life living in southern California and the rest all over the place, including a decade in Africa. At this point, I’ve been on this planet approximately half a century. Home is currently the Pacific Northwest, where I live in a 100 year old repurposed farmhouse with my wife of 19 years. All of my windows look out on trees and I have relatives who live just down the street.

At this point in my life, I am above average in height and below average in hair length.

Tell something unique about you.

I don’t have a favorite color.

(I don’t know if that is unique, but I’ve often been asked as to my favorite color and I have a hard time answering that question. I spent many years working in graphic design, so when I think of color, I don’t think of green or red, I think of Pantone 3102 or something like that. And there are so many colors and they all have their value. I don’t have a favorite.)

Who is Jesus to you in your life?

This is one of those questions I could spend days on. The short answer—the Sunday school answer—is that he is my Lord and savior. And this is true! But we all find personal meanings in these two words. What does it mean to have a lord? What does it mean to have a savior?

I came to Jesus after a period of seeking. I investigated many religions and philosophies. Jesus impressed me with his wisdom and practicality. I saw in him a uniqueness that I admired.

In my teens I identified with the punk aesthetic, not so much the fashion of punk, but the underlying ethnic: be yourself, do your thing, do what matters. Religion didn’t fit into this; religion is in many ways the opposite of punk; it’s do what we’ve always done when we tell you to do it. Religion is bulleted lists; do all these things and you’ve done religion right. I admired Jesus, but didn’t follow him because I did not know how. Jesus appealed to me, but the religion which grew up after him did not. Towards the end of my teens, I heard a speaker quote Acts 17:6, “These guys who have turned the world upside down…” and this idea exploded in my mind. Jesus wasn’t about creating a bulleted list. Jesus turned the world upside down. Which is a very punk thing to do. It was in this spirit that I began to follow him.

Now, there are all kinds of ways we can talk about how Jesus challenges the status quo. That’s probably another big conversation.

What do you like to do when you're not in the office?

Most of my work occurs outside of my office. And I like my work. So, when I’m not in the office, I like to work.

My work involves creating new things and helping others create new things for the glory of God. In my best days, I get to come along side people who love music but have never composed a song before and help them compose a brand new song that helps them better understand God and His Word.

For fun, I love to eat good food and explore nature. One of the things I miss most from this era of self-isolation is getting together with my parents twice a week to have a nice meal at one of the many awesome restaurants in our area (my parents live on the far other side of the county).

What do you think about your life right now? What hopes and plans do you have for yourself, your family, your work, etc…?

It’s hard to have hopes and plans right now.

I had big plans a month ago. March, I was going to be teaching in Thailand. April, I was going to be representing my mission organization at a conference in Greece. June I had a series of song creation workshops in Kosovo and Bangladesh. July, I was going to be the worship leader at a conference in Missouri, then go immediately to the Global Consultation on Music in Mission in Dallas. I had six or seven CD production jobs to fit into the spaces.

I don’t expect any of these things to happen now.

I’m still processing some of the grief of a 2020 without plans.

I plan to survive… to thrive in place. My new 2020 goals are a thing in progress.

I’m writing and recording music. I’m working on the second book in my graphic novel series. I’m attempting to collaborate long-distance with some folks on a few other creative projects still enough in their infancy that I’m not ready to talk about them yet.

I’ve been encouraged to start work on a PhD and am in the application process now.

What advice do you have for a person coming to the USA for the first time?

Now isn’t the best time to come! Ha!

But seriously. Come to the USA with an open mind. Whatever you think it is, it’s something else. This is just as true for people from the USA who travel to other parts of the country. Los Angeles is as different from New York is as different from Seattle is as different from Dallas. I never had such culture shock as I had moving from Seattle to Dallas. More than moving to Botswana. And that’s just big cities.

Do you consider yourself a creative person? If yes, in what way? (Describe your creativity)

Yes.

I do all kinds of things.

Lately, the two big ones involve music and graphic novels.

As a musician, I play a dozen or so instruments competently. I also write, produce, and arrange. I have credits as a song writer, musician, producer, or engineer on 50 or so projects. People you probably haven’t heard of. I work on stuff I value, not on things which will give me significant money or exposure. I play all kinds of different styles. My own “native” style incorporates elements of freak folk, folk punk, jam rock, and low fi. I front a band for which I am also the backing band called One Finite Monkey (onefinitemonkey.bandcamp.com). I am also the principle song writer for an EDM project called The Space Mice. While at this time, isolated as I am in my home studio, I’m working primarily on solo projects, I welcome collaboration and enjoy filling the missing pieces of other people’s musical projects.

As for graphic novels, I’ve loved comic books since I was a small child and started drawing them even before I could write words (I made my mom put the speech bubbles in for me). Last year, I published my first full-length book, The Long Walk: Dragons in Civilized Lands, Volume 1 (available on Amazon, Comixology, and DriveThruComics), which is my love letter to the sword and sorcery genre and independent comics I discovered from the 1970s and early 80s. I’m currently deep into book two and hope to finish it by the end of this year.

Anything else you'd like to add, on any topic?

Seek joy. Be blessed.

Thank you Rob, this is beautiful, probably because you are beautiful. It's been an honor to feature you here, and I'm praying that God continue to glorify Himself through you. He's given you a good heart and a world of skill that make this world more like His.

[thecastingcircle]

Republicans are putting on their “smug faces” and scoffing at the raft of celebrity performers, Rockettes and now even a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who are refusing to raise their microphones, kick up their bare-legged heels or otherwise perform for Donald Trump at his inaugural.

Bristol Palin, despite her own tenuous grasp on celebrity status, took to her blog to snipe at the refuseniks as ”sissies”.

But make no mistake, this disdain drips with envy (and Bristol would be snapping selfies with those A-listers in a heartbeat if they’d have her.) Republicans and conservatives know full well that denying Trump the celebrity and cultural imprimatur he so desperately craves matters, and not just because of the awkward headlines after each new rejection.

America is, in many ways, as much an idea as it is a country. And Americans have long marketed that idea around the world through our popular culture. From jazz, the blues, country and rock to Hollywood movies, culture has in many ways been our greatest export (or our most obnoxious one, depending on your point of view). In decades past, “The Western” defined the image of a cowboy nation; something both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush revived to their domestic political benefit and to the world’s chagrin. The Hollywood of Frank Capra’s era, when Reagan became a minor star, sold the world an image of American pith and patriotism in many ways as defining as the moon landing or the A-bomb.

Our love of Hollywood-style glamour helped elect two presidents: JFK and

Reagan, who fulfilled the prophecy that a country so enamored of actors would eventually make one their president. “All in the Family” chronicled the racial and cultural upheavals of the Nixon era. Bill Clinton captured the zeitgeist of young voters in the early 1990s by playing his saxophone on the “Arsenio Hall” show and survived sexual scandal and impeachment in a country reared on “Dallas” and “Dynasty.” It’s arguable that without the mainstreaming power of entertainment shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and the “Cosby Show” and portrayals of black presidents that became routine in film and on television, it would have been that much harder to get to a real first black president.

Reciprocally, presidents have always sought to rub elbows with celebrities.Actor-singer Gene Kelly served as a master of ceremonies and performed at Harry Truman’s inaugural gala in 1949. Old Blue Eyes crooned “High Hopes” for Jack Kennedy’s campaign and was among the Kennedy boys’ famous pals. Charlton Heston was cultivated by Republicans and the NRA for decades, and not because he looked good hoisting a rifle over his head. Even Richard Nixon relished his Oval Office photo with Elvis Presley, while Ronald Reagan welcomed associations with as varied a bunch of stars as John Wayne and James Brown.

Obama, though, has taken celebrity association to another level. He has been a darling of Hollywood, the music industry and popular culture from the time he declared for president in 2007, when Oprah herself anointed him “The One” and a year later, pop singer/rapper Will-I-Am turned his iconic “Yes We Can” speech into a remixed Youtube hit. Michelle Obama, like Jackie O before her, has become the toast of the fashion world, and a patron of the arts, from Broadway to great American music which she brought into the White House in all its multicultural glory.

As the entertainment world has gone from a bipartisan sphere to an overwhelmingly liberal one, Republicans and conservatives have come to view it with disdain. The Obamas in particular drive the right to distraction. Calling Obama a “celebrity” was considered a real, live epithet during the 2008 campaign, when a bitter John McCain saw his own political star status eclipsed. It infuriates Republicans that this elegant black family is celebrated while, for example, the Palins are ridiculed as rubes and bumpkins (though that could have something to do with the latter’s penchant for street brawls).

Conservatives rail at Hollywood movies that make them feel alienated by presenting capitalists, corporations and moral traditionalists as the villains, and sexual libertines, iconoclasts and the godless (or godlike, in the form of superheroes, witches and warlocks) as the heroes.

They lash out at popular music that they feel coarsens the culture and steers their kids away from Christian dogma. One wonders at the angst in far-right households as their white teenaged children blast hip-hop music on their expensive devices and in their nice cars. It’s a fear of cultural contagion that has driven parents crazy since the sock-hop kids of the 1950s discovered the gyrations of black rock-and-roll.

The Christian right has even been known to attack cartoon characters, from Tinky Winky the Teletubby to Spongebob Squarepants, whom they view as grooming a generation of young Americans to tolerate such presumed sexual heresies as open homosexuality, gender ambiguity and same-sex marriage.

These complaints are not incidental. They’re viewed as part of an existential struggle between traditionalists and an abortion- and birth control-legalizing, secularism promoting, sex-before-marriage practicing, drinks and weed imbibing, “happy holidays” left that long since won the culture wars; and against whom the cultural right has been fighting a half century-long insurgency.

Beyond racial hierarchism and plain old partisanship and hypocrisy, the 80 percent of white self-professed evangelicals who voted for Trump purportedly did so to lay claim to the courts, where they believe they can yet win out on banning abortion and birth control, forcing women back into traditional roles, and undoing gay marriage (or at least exempting themselves from being forced by law to photograph or bake cakes for them.)

Trump, who has spent a lifetime cultivating celebrity status — and not cultivating traditionalists; far from it, in fact — owes his election in large part to the sense of familiarity that being a reality TV star afforded him. That status allowed many of his voters to put aside his misogyny and vulgarity, and to ignore information about his business failings, chicanery and Putinism, because they think that having watched him on “The Apprentice” and at his rallies, they know who he really is.

Now, a man who clearly craves the adulation of the famous; the Queens rich kid who desperately desired the respect of the Manhattan and Palm Beach elite, is being denied it, publicly and in humiliating fashion. The mad scramble by his team to secure famous players for his inaugural festivities coupled with his ad-hoc photo ops with a fading Jim Brown, a bizarre, unmedicated Kanye West and huckster-cum-murderer Don King makes Trump’s existential yearning clear. He can try to deflect with pathetic tweets about really wanting to be surrounded by “the people” on his big day, but the truth is transparent: the germaphobic pouter who lives in an all-gold penthouse built from cheap materials by undocumented Polish migrants wouldn’t wipe his nose on his core supporters. Just look at his billionaire cabinet for a clue.

And yet his vicious campaign, which opened with racism and closed with a bizarre anti-Semitic screed, and which dined out on vows to discriminate against Mexicans and Muslims while unleashing a resurgence of racist hate groups and just plain haters is reaping the cultural opprobrium it sowed. And it’s making The Donald miserable.

Even the proto-Nazis unleashed by Trump’s campaign, some of whom are organizing an inaugural event pitifully dubbed the “Deploraball,” seem to crave pop culture normalization, based on their apparent desire to have Kanye as a special guest performer. One wonders how awkward it would be for the rapper to be on stage when the “Sieg Heiling” begins.

So far, the reaction of the creative community, from Broadway to Los Angeles and from hip-hop to Radio City Music Hall, has been to say a resounding “no” to Trump. It’s not a dismissal born purely of partisanship, but rather a rejection of the entire underlying ethos of his divisive, revanchist campaign. Maintaining a unified front against authoritarianism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and misogyny is no laughing matter, no matter how much Trump’s apologists try to snide it off on cable TV.

Ultimately, denying Trump and Trumpism the cultural cosign they crave is an important statement. It does what so far, the collective media have been unable or unwilling to do: rejecting the normalization of the utterly abnormal. It tells not just the country, but the world, that Trumpism may have a hold on our politics, but it doesn’t have a hold on us. America’s ascendant majority will not so easily slink off into that good night, and will not quietly ingest what Trump has foisted on the electorate.

He and his bilious, Russophile Twitter and comment-section trolls, his apologist surrogates and his zombified, partisan enablers on Capitol Hill will have to do their dirty work — including the horrors of disappointment and lost healthcare and social safety net programs soon to be visited on Trump’s own working class supporters — without the shield of popular cultural will.