For those of you that didn’t catch it in the comments, my last post struck a nerve with Lee H. over at Guthrie Corporation’s Big Blue Blog.  Apparently, sarcastically claiming that he pushes the blogging envelope wasn’t very nice.  To make it up to him, I figured I’d address his comment directly in this post.

Lee starts,

“Jay strikes again … Whether or not you particularly care for Rohan and Graydon’s back and forth piece, at least they signed their names to it and have an email address where people can comment.”

Lee, you can email us at “author [at] fringefamous [dot] com”.  We also have a phone number where people can call us and leave a message.  That information has always been listed on our About page.

“Anonymous commenting and unsubstantiated shit-throwing is just the mark of very small people.”

Ah, yes…the anonymous thing.  The classics never die.  The logic that opinions and/or ideas lack merit without a “real” name attached is just plain silly.  Besides, Lee, if I told you my real name, you’d still have no idea who I was.  I’m a guy in town who follows theatre.  That wouldn’t change if my name was John or Ben or Sam or Ron.

“Honestly, I don’t care who you really are or what you do, and I can tell by your ongoing slander of “LeeH” that the feeling is mutual.”

Actually, I do care what you do.  That’s why I’m so often commenting about the Big Blue Blog.  Also, slander is a spoken-word situation.  I think you meant to use “libel”.  But I knew what you meant.

“Does it suck that major news outlets are continually covering the Guthrie?”

No.

“Does it suck that the Guthrie and CTC have figured out a way to rent costume stocks to create another source of revenue?”

No.  It’s pretty awesome.  It’s something I’ve been taking advantage of for over ten years.

“Does it suck that my fellow Guthrie employees and I get paid a living wage to work at one of the country’s top theater orgs?”

No.  Why would that suck?

“Absolutely not. I’m blessed to have a job that affords me luxuries that colleagues at other local organizations will only ever dream of … I stand by the quality of work that I’ve been tasked to complete, and will continue to offer my knowledge nuggets via a variety of platforms.”

See, now this is where our road forks, Lee.  The argument I’m making is that the Big Blue Blog should aspire to more than mere nuggets of knowledge.  I’m saying that the blog belonging to one of the greatest theatres in the nation (assuming that’s how you guys over there like to think of yourselves) should include much more than “check out our review” or “here’s where you can find your next Halloween costume”.

“I’m sorry that Jay can’t find a more productive way to support theater in the Twin Cities.”

I’d be sorry about that, too, if that’s was what I was trying to do.  This blog is for entertainment purposes, Lee.  I don’t get paid to do this.  I’m not trying to change the world with my mighty blog.  I post when I’m bored…to pass the time…usually in my underwear while sitting on the couch half-watching Project Runway.  You’re giving this blog way too much credit.

“It speaks mountains about the type of person he is and the company he keeps.”

My friends would be totally bummed to hear that you’re judging them based solely on my blog.

“I am always welcome to engaging in a discussion that offers constructive criticism … your blog, however, offers something that is frankly far different from that.”

I’d call it snarky discourse.

“Jay (and other posters/readers) if you have a beef, comment and/or idea for me and/or the Guthrie you can contact me directly leeh@guthrietheater.org, 612.225.6142 or via webmaster@guthrietheater.org. You’ll find that, unlike Jay, I’m not afraid to take full ownership of my work.”

Got it.  Users of pseudonyms can’t fully own their work.  You know, people like Moliere, Dr. Seuss, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Jane Martin, Voltaire…

Look, I get it, Lee.  You’re upset that I pick on you and the Big G.  And it’s true.  I do give you lots of grief without any helpful ideas of my own.  I just bitch and bitch and bitch, and then leave it to you to do your job all by yourself.  That sucks.  So, today I’m turning over a new leaf.  Here are three things I think the Big Blue Blog — the blog belonging to one of the best regional theatres in the country — should and could be doing:

1. Writing Blog Posts — This one might seem obvious, but you guys haven’t been doing it and it’s what makes a blog a blog.  As of right now, what one gets if s/he visits the Big Blue Blog is a bunch of links that direct the user to someone else’s content.  Click here to see a review of this show, click there to read our mention on this blog, etc.  You might as well just use your Twitter account and call it a day.  With all the crap on the Internets, you can be sure that if people are taking the time to visit G Corp’s blog, it’s because they’re interested in what G CORP HAS TO SAY.  Which brings us to number two…
2. Giving Us Something Interesting — There has got to be an absolute shit ton of awesome stuff going on at Guthrie Corporation.  I mean, it’s a theatre corporation, right?  But we’d never know that from reading the blog.  When a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright is hanging around for three weeks, how about throwing us a quick (exclusive) interview with the guy?  Can we maybe get a costume designer to show a sneak peak of the designs for an upcoming show?  Or a set designer?  And then can said designer talk a bit about the how/why of the designs?  Can we hear from the actors?  The directors?  The administrative movers and shakers?  Can we hear from ANYONE besides Lee H.?  If the Big Blue Blog did some of these things, it would instantly be one of the most interesting (and probably most frequented) theatre blogs in the country.  No shit.
3. Letting People Talk — Number three is another simple one:  comments.  Give your readers a way to post comments on the actual post.  Without a way to post comments, I’d never have known how you felt about me, Lee…and that would’ve been sad.  It would be a cake walk for your web developer to install.  Plus, the more you can do to make your blog a social experience, the better.  Readers will be more likely to come back if they know they can have a discussion with the peeps on the inside as well as each other.  And if more people are reading the blog, it makes it more beneficial to G Corp. if/when you occasionally decide to drop that dumb-ass “click here to read our awesome review” link.  Eh?  Eh??

There you go, Lee.  That’s three beefs/comments/ideas.  And you’re still the one who gets the money.  Look how well you’re working the system!

Now…back to Project Runway.

Hey, gang!  Didja happen to catch the dumb-as-fuck very enlightening Rohan Preston/Graydon Royce recap of TC theatre?  If not, please do check it out.  It’s just the best ever.  And lucky for us, they happened to swing by FringeFamous to extend their silly little back-and-forth*.  Enjoy!

Rohan Preston: Oh, Graydon.  I do so love the theatre.  Love it, love it, love it!  Don’t you just loooooooove it?

Graydon Royce: Well, I normally like to be a little grumpier than you, Rohan.  But, yes.  I must admit that I, too, so love the theatre.

R.P.: Oooooh!  Just hearing you say it makes my tummy excitedly upturn!

G.R.: Theatre.

R.P.: Ooooh!

G.R.: Theeeeaaaaatre.

R.P.: Ooooh, stop!  You nasty little cock smootch!

G.R.: But seriously, Ro-Ro, there’s only one thing I love more than [whispers] theatre.  Know what that is?

R.P.: Skinny jeans?

G.R.: No.  Although I do love skinny jeans, the one thing I love more than theatre and skinny jeans is…Halloween!

R.P.: Oh, no.  No way.  Too scary for me, Graydon.  Stop scaring me.  Uh uh.

G.R.: Now…hear me out.  Do you enjoy parties?

R.P.: Yes.  Yes, I do enjoy parties.

G.R.: What about candy?

R.P.: Delicious with a capital D!

G.R.: And costumes?

R.P.: I.  Love.  Costumes.

G.R.: Well, there you go, Ro-Ro.  That’s Halloween!

R.P.: You know, I never really thought of it that way before.

G.R.: That is because you are fucking stupid.

R.P.: I certainly can be sometimes, yes.

G.R.: Wanna know something else?

R.P.: I always want to know things.

G.R.: Well, I follow Guthrie Corporation’s Big Blue Blog —

R.P.: Big Blue Blog?  What the deuce is that?

G.R.: Oh, it’s Guthrie Corporation’s blog.  They post all sorts of juicy G Corp. inside information — like what USA Today said about them, or what KARE 11 said about them, or what we’ve said about them.  Sometimes they’ll even tell you when one of their shows is opening.  You know, stuff you can’t find anywhere else.

R.P.: Guthrie Corp. has a blog?!  What a thrilling piece of news!

G.R.: I know, right?!  Blogs are cool.  So Guthrie Corporation is cool because they have a blog.

R.P.: Makes perfect sense to me.

G.R.: Anyway, I read on the Big Blue Blog that Guthrie Corporation rents out costumes for Halloween.

R.P.: Oooooooooooh!  I can’t believe they revealed such a valuable gobbet of information.

G.R.: That’s Lee H. for you; always pushing the blogging envelope.

R.P.: But, there must be so many habiliments in Guthrie Corporation’s storage.  How will I know which is the most bizarre?

G.R.: I’ll help you, Ro-Ro.  That’s what best friends are for.

R.P.: That and making out.

G.R.: Let’s kiss.

G.R. & R.P.: HOORAY FOR THEATRE!

*nope…no, they sure didn’t.

THIS SOUNDS COOL

Lovingly filed under the How The Hell Did I Not See This Sooner section of FringeFamous is a little something called Theatre Arlo.  Their mission statement — “Theatre Arlo wants a pony” — is something any artist can easily get behind.  But better than that, is their promise to mirror Guthrie Corporation’s season over at the Bryant Lake Bowl with warped, de-glamorized interpretations of each play.  And they vow to produce every show on a budget of $50!

So head on over to the BLB on October 11th, 18th, or 25th to check out their “really, really, extremely gay” version of The Importance of Being Earnest.  With an idea this fantastic, they deserve a good crowd.

HEY, IVEYS…YOU DIDN’T TOTALLY SUCK!

After taking a day to reflect on Monday’s Ivey Awards celebration, I’ve come to an odd conclusion:  it didn’t totally suck.  I know, right?  I expected it to 100% suck.  I’m used to it 100% sucking.  I even kind of wanted it to 100% suck.  But it didn’t.  In fact, I’d only put the suck factor at about 47%.  That’s 53% less suck in only one year!  How’d they do it?  Let’s look at the math.

• Lady Eifrig — Okay, now here we go!  If we in the Twin Cities want to play dress-up and pretend like we’re celebrities, Kate Eifrig showed us all how to do it:  be a blatantly drunk awards presenter.  Duh.  It’s so obvious, I’m surprised somebody didn’t think of it earlier.  Now next year, if everyone presents like they’re Paula Abdul with a concussion, this would really be a party.  Much kudos to Ms. Eifrig for blazing that trail.
• After Party — Although I heard some complaints about the location of the after party, I have to admit that I kind of liked it.  Not having to walk eight blocks outside to get to the fun stuff was definitely an improvement.  And let’s face the facts; a lobby is a lobby.  Sure, this lobby was a little tighter for a crowd that size, but it still got the job done.  Side note:  a great place for this entire event might be…wait for it…Guthrie Corp.
• No Fashion Show — Perhaps some people missed this little escalator excursion.  I am not one of those people.
• Greta Oglesby — She won an award and then “sang” a song from Caroline, or Change.  I used quotes because what she actually did was smash us all over the head with a gigantic club of awesome.

Now if you’ll recall, I still felt there was a good 47% of suck floating around out there.  Here’s where I found it.

• No Host — I pulled this one from last year because it’s still not working.  Yeah, the job was turned over to locals and that’s great; much better than people from NYC who have nothing to do with theatre in the TC.  However, they were on stage…um…I think three times.  Maybe.  And as much as we all love Claudia Wilkens and Richard Ooms, they’re not the funniest people in town.  Dearest Iveys, we do have some performers in our community who make their living solely by being funny.  Sure, they don’t work at Guthrie Corporation, but people still might recognize their names.  Grab an actual comedian to host your shindig and let them write their own jokes.  The End.
• Advertise the Lifetime Ivey — I don’t understand why this is a big secret.  It seems pretty obvious that if you let people know ahead of time that you’ll be honoring Dudley Riggs, you might sell a few more tickets to people who want to come out and help you honor Dudley Riggs.  ”Come to the Ivey Awards next month, where we’ll be honoring Dudley Riggs with the Lifetime Achievement Ivey”.  What’s wrong with that?
• No Categories/Nominees — Here’s another one that I pulled from last year’s list.  This is the single stupidest thing about the Iveys, and until it’s corrected, these awards will continue to make my butt itch.  The lack of clear categories makes the show frustratingly difficult to follow.  The lack of nominees creates a fun little moment of surprise, sure…but it comes at the expense of the artist receiving the award.  I think I counted four acceptance speeches that included something like “I would’ve invited family and friends had I known I was being considered” (yet another way the Iveys could easily sell more tickets).  The justification I keep hearing for this no-nominees decree is that without it, people would feel like they’ve lost.  If this truly is the reason, it’s adorably dopey.  Having nominees — aside from giving even more people a reason to buy tickets — would give the Iveys a chance to honor an entire group of artists instead of just one.  I have a feeling that even after the initial disappointment of “losing”, artists would still be quick (and proud) to add “Ivey Award Nominee” to their bios.

Okay, okay…this post is becoming MN Playlist-long, so I’ll stop here.  When all is said and done, this annual dispensation of little green lava lamps is certainly improving.  Finally.  And who knows?  Maybe someday, it will 100% not suck.  My fingers are crossed.

BEDLAM IS HIP AND COOL, JUST LIKE…

Graydon Royce recently posted an article about the folks over at Bedlam.  And it was really rather nice…until he felt the need to force a Guthrie Corp. connection.

Social experience is just what it sounds like: get people in the door and let them have fun. It’s interestingly similar to another theater not far upriver from Bedlam.
“They don’t mind being compared to the Guthrie,” said Vickie Benson, arts program officer at the McKnight Foundation. “When Guthrie was opening, one of the messages was to come here even if you’re not going to a show. That’s what Bedlam is saying, too.”

Yes.  Guthrie Corp. is exactly the theatre in town that Bedlam reminds me of.  They totally stole the G’s “social experience” model.  In my defense, I probably would’ve noticed this resemblance earlier had I not been hanging out every night at the Guthrie.

SEA CHANGE IS THE BEST RESTAURANT IN THE HISTORY OF FOOD

As you can see from the pic above (I included a screen shot in case clicking over to the Big Blue Blog is as annoying for you as it is for me), the Twin Cities local press is totally ga-ga for the new Guthrie Corp. restaurant, Sea Change.

See?  Look how many stories there are.  The local press hardly ever does stories on G Corp. happenings.  That’s how you know the restaurant is good.

Also, please take note of the fact that the logo is a cuttlefish…not an octopus.  Hellllllooooooo!!

Mmmmmmmm, cuttlefish.

DEEEEEEELISH!

Bored at work?  Head on over to the Big Blue Blog for more proof that the Guthrie Corporation brain wizards have absolutely no idea how useful and entertaining their blog could be.

The big news today:  you can make reservations to their new restuarant online!

I don’t understand why they felt the need to blog about something that’s sure to be plastered all over the Huffington Post, but…that’s why they’re Guthrie Corporation and I’m just li’l old me.

Two more things:  1.)  That logo makes me sooooooo hungry, and 2.)  spelling “menu” with an “e” (must’ve been a typo, huh LeeH?) was perfect.  Very Guthrie Corp.  Now, remind me — which fork do I use to gag myself?

YOU GUYS ARE WINNERS!

In their Grand Prize winning wedding video, bride-to-be Gretchen Bierbaum says that the couple had always wanted a “sophisticated, elegant wedding”.  And I say mission accomplished.  Nothing says “sophisticated” and “elegant” like selling your special day to Guthrie Corp. for $60,000 so it can promote a play.

Funny story: a friend of mine was chatting with Mr. Nichols and mentioned Joe Dowling.  Nichols had no idea who that was.  Tee hee!