Who said life was fair?
I've been reading Benjamin Johnson's What's the Deal with being an actor? posts over on the Theatre is Territory blog, where he tries to give professional English-speaking thespians some tips on taking their chances on the Tokyo theatre scene. He is quick to point out the "culture shock" that us over-coddled Westerners should brace ourselves for, and there's definitely a twinge or two of dismay in his voice when he talks about some of the working conditions over there, and how ordinary Japanese, for the most part, simply seem to sit there and take it. He takes particular issue with the "the culture of unfair business practices towards artists (and employees in general)" and that particular phrase was enough to toast my cookies (as the world's greatest fiance is so fond of saying).
As my Grade 8 French teacher, an immigrant who had escaped the poverty and political oppression of his native Haiti, was so fond of saying to us - Who said life was fair! You could be putting on a play in Tokyo, Toronto or Tukiaki Fails and there would still be people and politics unfairly standing in your way. Just because you should be treated with respect and decency doesn't mean you should be surprised when it isn't there. In Canada we have a repressive, regressive arts granting and funding system, heavy-handed censorship (or at least we will if they ever get the bill passed) and a hopelessly disconnected academia that refuses to teach our aspiring actors, producers, directors and designers any of the skills they actually need to earn a living wage. Not fair! Damn right! Will complaining about it or moving to Tokyo fix things? Hell no!
I write extensively on this blog about what I think are the problems of Canadian theatre, and I guess Mr. Johnson's experiences suggest that many of the challenges we face manifest themselves in similar ways around the world. However, I take issue with leaving things at a simple "poor us" whine-without-the-cheese party. As theatre people we have an obligation to change things, to make them better, for ourselves and others. So please, to all the bloggers out there, stop with the whining already. Let's hear some actual solutions to empty theatres, ballooning costs and the inability to feed a family of four on a theatre person's income.
It might not be easy, but if we want to survive, it's necessary. In Japan, much of the willingness to log countless hours of unpaid overtime, forego luxuries like theatre tickets and put up with unscrupulous business practices in order to work comes from the tragedy of Japanese history, where a once-proud, never-defeated people were obliterated, immasculated and forced to endure occupation and rule by a foreign govenment. Lacking economic, political or moral authority, Japan still rebuilt from the ashes to become a leading power in less than two generations. Perhaps we theatre people, relegated to the cultural margins by TV, Movies and the Internet, could learn a thing or two about rising above what's fair and unfair, and turning what we have into something amazing.
As my Grade 8 French teacher, an immigrant who had escaped the poverty and political oppression of his native Haiti, was so fond of saying to us - Who said life was fair! You could be putting on a play in Tokyo, Toronto or Tukiaki Fails and there would still be people and politics unfairly standing in your way. Just because you should be treated with respect and decency doesn't mean you should be surprised when it isn't there. In Canada we have a repressive, regressive arts granting and funding system, heavy-handed censorship (or at least we will if they ever get the bill passed) and a hopelessly disconnected academia that refuses to teach our aspiring actors, producers, directors and designers any of the skills they actually need to earn a living wage. Not fair! Damn right! Will complaining about it or moving to Tokyo fix things? Hell no!
I write extensively on this blog about what I think are the problems of Canadian theatre, and I guess Mr. Johnson's experiences suggest that many of the challenges we face manifest themselves in similar ways around the world. However, I take issue with leaving things at a simple "poor us" whine-without-the-cheese party. As theatre people we have an obligation to change things, to make them better, for ourselves and others. So please, to all the bloggers out there, stop with the whining already. Let's hear some actual solutions to empty theatres, ballooning costs and the inability to feed a family of four on a theatre person's income.
It might not be easy, but if we want to survive, it's necessary. In Japan, much of the willingness to log countless hours of unpaid overtime, forego luxuries like theatre tickets and put up with unscrupulous business practices in order to work comes from the tragedy of Japanese history, where a once-proud, never-defeated people were obliterated, immasculated and forced to endure occupation and rule by a foreign govenment. Lacking economic, political or moral authority, Japan still rebuilt from the ashes to become a leading power in less than two generations. Perhaps we theatre people, relegated to the cultural margins by TV, Movies and the Internet, could learn a thing or two about rising above what's fair and unfair, and turning what we have into something amazing.
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