Nick Sebastian's "Very Like a Whale" blog has brought an issue of sorts to our attention. Apparently, the UK has taken an albeit tiny and obvious step in the right direction by inviting actors to read the winning poems at the Forward Arts Foundation awards ceremony. Anyone who can follow a tautology must be asking: "Writers write. Performers perform. End of 'controversy', right?"Apparently not. It seems that some people think only the author's intent matters, even if he or she is incapable of communicating that view to anyone else.
Only poets should read their poetry? Now there is a marketing strategy!
And should only designers model their outfits?
More fundamentally, if interpretation is so important and only the poet's intent matters, what role is left for the audience? Oh, right. This stuff doesn't have an audience. Moving along...
If I quickly conclude that 2 + 2 equals 5 and others take their time to calculate that 2 + 2 equals 7 I have achieved greater efficiency than they. Better speed and accuracy. I'm still wrong, though.
Yes, the Forward Arts Foundation have moved from bad readers to good ones, but they're still readers. If you're going to bring in performers, have them perform.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!
Your feedback is appreciated!
Please take a moment to comment or ask questions below or, failing that, mark the post as "funny", "interesting", "silly" or "dull". Also, feel free to expand this conversation by linking to it on Twitter or Facebook. Please let us know if you've included us on your blogroll so that we can reciprocate.
If you would like to contact us confidentially or blog here as "Gray for a Day" please use the box below, marking your post as "Private" and including your email address; the moderator will bring your post to our attention and prevent it from appearing publicly.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Happy Thanksgiving, Earl! I too think that a product that is worthy of its purchase/consumption should be presented in the best possible manner and to as many people as possible.
ReplyDeleteThought you might appreciate this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7jh7ElfJY. There are more poems performed as well. I'm attracted to the concept of the reading of a poem with its simultaneous interpretation through music and dance.
ReplyDelete