One of the best things about Seattle as a theatre town is that it’s small enough that you can get your arms around it. If you care to, you can get to know pretty much everyone who is active here as an artist. For instance, I have met Yussef el Guindi, chatted and corresponded with him, and very much enjoyed the interaction. But thanks to Vincent Delaney’s interview of Yussef over at HowlRound, I feel like I know him so much better, and admire him all the more for it. His thoughts on the new works scene in Seattle are fervent and hopeful without indulging in the “best-of-all-possible-cities” Pollyannaism that some successful playwrights and artistic administrators like to espouse publically here.*
I . . . wish artistic directors were as brave as their audiences. I think audiences are much more adventurous than some artistic directors imagine. . . .
What’s surprising to me is that you’d think the Seattle theater scene would be more open to riskier choices, in terms of choosing plays that are a little edgier, even more political. Seattle being, for the most part, a liberal city, you’d think that would be reflected in the plays selected. But perhaps more than being liberal or progressive, Seattle is also known for being very civil. We are a polite town. That politeness gene, I sense, seems to influence the selection of plays, as much as anything else. But then I’ve always felt theaters in general are inherently conservative, especially the big LORT houses. . . .
Thanks, Yussef, for energizing and inspiring me to keep working for world class. You being here gets us so much closer.
* Note to said colleagues: singing desperate paeans to perfection is a particularly pernicious form of despair. We can only have hope when it’s possible for things to get better.
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