Art vs. Money

Ahhh, one of the eternal questions, what makes something art? Does selling it or being popular "cheapen" art or cause the art itself to be lost?

This is one of a number of questions that I have been trying to work out for a long time.

In University we were taught about "for profit" and "not-for-profit" models in theatre. Basically, these are two separate worlds, one, focused on pleasing share holders, has a tendency to look at work through the lens of profitability...will this show sell tickets...the other, strives to choose works based on how good they are, not looking at the bottom line. In theory there is a strong line drawn between these two groups one group is focused on money, the other on pure art. We often further divided these two groups by claiming that "for profit" was mostly entertainment (and by entertainment (imagine a sneer on the word) we meant poorly conceived slop designed to part people from their money with as little effort as possible), while "not-for-profit" was pure art. While exceptions were given there was always a connection between selling tickets and the absence of art. Not surprisingly, wanting to be part of the for-profit world in any form was looked down upon, and as a result a lot of the streams of theatre that were more "popular" were seen as second rate and "entertainment." So, comedy, musical theatre and even plain story telling were not encouraged.  Also, many of us had serious guilt and problems when entering the work force. Did we sell out? Should we live more penitent, monk like lives? Why was our devotion to art not enough? And why, oh why, has our audience deserted us? As I see it, part of the problem is found in the practicality of art vs. money ("not-for-profit" vs. "for profit" models) and the resulting definition of art:

1) Making art, while you love it, is also a profession. You do this to live. You need to get paid in order to eat, sleep in a decent place and even keep the physical building that houses your art over your head. In either model this is a reality that must be dealt with. Art isn't penance. It's a profession. At some point you must consider making money on a show. If this is true than making money cannot in and of itself negate art, also not making money does not prove that you have made art.

2)We are assuming that we can define art by money.

3)You need an audience, so you need to sell tickets. Is theatre actually theatre without an audience? In my opinion I don't think so. The audience is, in a sense, the final collaborator. The show is not alive, it is still in rehearsal, until it is in front of those wonderful eyes. Guessing what they'll like is hard, you don't get to pick who your audience is, and frankly tastes change from day to day, but there isn't anything wrong with trying to please them. Maybe it's a bit like a marriage, you want to be there for them, laugh with them, cry with them, talk about important things, you want them to appreciate you, love you and, I think, you should want to love them. I don't think it would be good to pretend that you are only dating for the rest of your life (you know, spend big bucks on a fancy car, go out on the town, pretend that everything in the world is solved by having a good laugh and a little romance) it would feel fake after a while. When something important came along it wouldn't really matter. Just like something crafted only for entertainment. But a good marriage has a little of the "dating" moments in it, roses, date nights, vacations, romance, laughter. It's not wrong, it's necessary, sometimes the way you can deal with problems is to forget them for a while. That's ok. On the other side of the coin you want to talk about things that are important. Try to figure out how to solve difficult situations, sometimes calling them on a bad decision before they get hurt. After all, you love them, you want them around. But you wouldn't want to mope around all the time, only talking about terrible issues, yelling at your spouse every time they came into the room. A little fighting clears the air, sometimes shows that you care, but fighting all the time, ignoring their wishes, alienating them? That's how marriages end. That is, I think, what has happened with our modern theatre, we fight a lot, we push our audience around, we alienate them on purpose (don't believe me, check it out, there is an actual form of theatre called alienation) there's no fun, no romance and so our audience has left us, the only thing they are interested in doing is dating us because at least there they can find the possibility of caring.

4) Both sides must care about money and about the interests of their audience at some point. We need to live, so we need to get money, so we need to sell tickets, so we need an audience. All that is really left is deciding what priority each thing we need will get...and then deciding how we are going to make it happen. Clearly, these cold calculations aren't pure Art, in and of themselves. We cannot allow this process to define for us what art is.

 Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this Art vs Money thing has been going on for quite some time, since the early 1900's at least. My husband bought me a book for my birthday (told you I was crazy about art) that has essays on theatre from an old magazine called "Theatre Arts Magazine". I wanted it because it had articles by Konstantin Stanislavsky, Lee Strasberg and Michael Chekhov but I discovered that it contained some insight into the roots of the whole art/money argument and even some insight into film vs. theatre. (And, for anyone interested in design, it was the start of lighting so lots of interesting back and forth on that.) It was interesting to hear those arguments at their genesis, given how, a century later, we are living with the results.

I'll likely talk about this a lot going forward as it has been rumbling around in my head for years now. For anyone interested I have found this particular book on Amazon (I know I'm always looking for such things.)  I'll eventually get round to talking about a few others that have helped formed these ideas...but here's the first one.



Although...I have the paperback version of this book so it's not nearly that expensive! I'm sure you may find it around the site if you look, or there's always the library! (one of my absolute favourite places, I know, I'm a nerd.) If you want to borrow it from me you may have to wait. I'm still busy working my way through to the end...
Til then!

Sunday Intellectual Question: Good Intentions

One of the biggest topics in theatre school concerned the nature of communication. Often our words say one thing, but our tone, body and situation would convey another. I'm not sure if this is a particular problem of the English language but I suspect that it is not. One of the more humorous situations that occurs on a regular basis is this:

While walking down a street you meet an acquaintance . Without stopping the person waves and says, "Hi! How are you?"
"Good." Is the general response. Now, just a sec. Did we answer in all truth and honesty? Likely not. Did they really want to know? ... well ... In our culture this the "how are you?" question is just a greeting ... most of the time. Imagine how startled the person would be if instead of "Good." you answered ....
"Actually, I have a splitting headache, the kids ripped my pants on the way out the door so now I have to wear my coat around my waist, I'm almost in hypothermic shock, I locked my purse inside the car, and I think I'm going to cry now. How are you?"

Should we ask the question if we do not want the answer? What do you think?

BTW thank you all for your concern. I am getting a little better. The pain is not quite so mind numbing and I have been receiving physiotherapy which seems to be working. Not quite up to scratch though and speaking of scratching ... I have an itch on my left leg ... or is that too much information?:)

Sunday Intellectual Question: Art Soothes the Savage Beast?

In light of my new injury I thought I would ask some questions about pain relief ... the art kind.

Could the enjoyment of art or the act of creating art give a kind of pain relief? I would argue that it could, to some extent. Being able to express a little of our experience gives us the chance to validate what we are going through. Reading, watching, listening to, or otherwise experiencing someone else's expression gives us the knowledge that we are not alone. Knowledge like that can be a powerful healer and motivator. In Steven King's book on writing he says that after his tragic accident, writing, his art form, helped him to get through the pain. It gave him motivation and an outlet. The bible even records how King Saul was soothed in his terrible temper by David's playing on the harp. Now, I don't know if hanging a Matisse at the dentist office would help take away the pain of a filling ... or if art therapy would help with cancer treatments but it would be interesting to throw some ideas out there!

What do you think? Can art soothe the savage beast?

Sunday Intellectual Question: Music, Self Expression?

Does a look at your music collection express to the world who you are? Wow, I'm not sure what mine would say ... lately I've been leaning towards cheesy dance music ... but it is an interesting thought. I assume that if someone buys a musician's work it must resonate with them emotionally, mentally or otherwise, and yet, can another person's art be a true reflection of who we are? Do we love music for the memories it brings to us, for the understanding it gives or just because it makes us happy? Interesting.

What's your favorite song, album or group? Does music and art have the ability to express who you are or where you've been?

Sunday Intellectual Question: Spooky Stories

I am a big chicken. I scream at jumpy things, I can't go to sleep until I am sure all the doors and windows are locked, and I have been known to lay eggs. Well, I don't actually lay them, I buy them in a carton and put them carefully in my fridge, but it's pretty close! If I watch a horror movie, or even a "thriller" I have nightmares for weeks and can often recall the details clearly years later ... Evidence: the silly "horror" movie my friend's big brother rented when I was seven. I can still see clearly a little kid in the woods jumping in his sleeping bag away from a plastercine monster. Even though I know it's fake, and plastercine monsters who are slightly out of focus around the edges do not haunt the forests of Canada (but possibly Borneo, lots of strange things happen there) I still don't want to sleep without a tent in the middle of the woods. Given the number of bears, wild cats and feirce porcupines up here that is probably a good thing.

This leads me, finally, to a question: Why do some people, like myself, translate even the silliest horror movie into jumpiness and long term fears, while other people are able to watch the movies "just for fun"?

Is there a horror movie moment or campfire story that just won't leave you alone?

Sunday Intellectual Question: School Curriculum

The education of our children is a touchy topic, and why not, it involves our most precious treasures. We all feel strongly about what we want them to learn and the things we want them to avoid. There are those who trust the school system to do this for them, there are those who teach children at home, and a whole spectrum of parental involvement in between. Personally, I feel that most schools, depending on the teacher of course, do not encourage classical reasoning and thought. It was often my experience that in order to receive good marks I needed to parrot what the teacher said as opposed to formulating an argument and proving it reasonably. So, I would definitely add classical logic to the curriculum. That, and I would still like to take a course on grammar ....

What courses would you add to the curriculum and why?

Sunday Intellectual Question: Food Choices

It has been brought to my attention that Mahi Mahi is just fancy island talk for dolphin. Now, I'm pretty sure that a platter of Flipper meat served with a tossed salad wouldn't be a big seller, but is it really the same thing? For that matter, what about hot dogs? I have heard many stories about exactly what is inside that little bag of mystery, and yet, shamelessly, I still eat them.

Does knowing what is in your food make it impossible to eat?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Thanksgiving

This weekend in Canada we are celebrating Thanksgiving. It is a time to reflect on the year and all the people, and things we are thankful for. We also eat a lot of turkey.

Today’s question is a simple one:

What are you most thankful for?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Worst Childcare Item

This question is inspired by the terrible clutter I have found myself in. How, after all the research, did we end up with toys that my children do not play with ... and products that are not only bulky but also refuse be operated by the sleep deprived? By far the worst baby item we have ever bought was the diaper genie. Sure it may have worked wonders for some other PHD holding smarties but we just couldn't get the thing open, or once it was open, we couldn't get it closed. It ended up a glorified waste basket hanging half way open all day until we could stand the stench no longer. It has since been sold in a yard sale and been replaced by grocery bags that are quickly tied up and wisked outside before people pass out.

What is the worst baby or childcare item that you have ever purchased for yourself or someone else? (This could include annoying toys bought for unsuspecting friends...naughty :)

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Just War

For Canadians the last few weeks have shown an escalation in the number of our soldiers who have been killed or injured in Iraq. It seems that a "safe" operation that few considered to truely be ours is now thrusting itself into our corporate consciousness. Questions about war and peace and how go about both are all around us, so it seems only right to ask a few questions of my own.

Is there ever a good, honorable reason to go to war? Where do you begin to draw the line? In defense of human rights? To curtail a possible threat? To gain more land etc? In final defense of your country? Or never?

Martin Luther wrote a few interesting words on wether or not there could ever be a just war ... and on the responsibilities soldiers carry in a war ... let's chat, what do you think?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Best Food Memory

Well, another week has gone by … sometimes it is so difficult to get to a computer! Thanks to all of you who have weighed in recently on the various topics I have so enjoyed your comments! Now, to the task at hand. My brain feels like it has been eaten by some very small, and tenacious, rodents. There are some serious holes happening! So, in honor of this situation I’m not going to ask anything intellectual this week … it would be too taxing … instead I’m going to ask something emotional … last I checked all my feelings were still intact.


I love ice cream, especially milkshakes. To me they are the ultimate comfort food and, with real cream, a true indulgence. Slowly licking a spoon full of ice cream and letting it melt in my mouth makes time drag to a halt. For a moment I am as pampered as a princess.

My Grandpa on my mom’s side used to love ice cream too. In fact, I can remember riding in the back of the car with him.

“Stop!” he shouted as we passed a Baskin Robins sign, “The kids want ice cream!”

I was about to explain that I hadn’t said anything, (what can I say, not too quick on the pick up) but he quickly leaned over and whispered, “Shh, play along and we’ll all get some!”

My parents stopped the car and we were given a couple minutes to run to the store. There were so many flavors, but we quickly chose, “2 large cones and a dish please!” I think our eyes popped out of our heads … my brother and I had never had a cone that big before … it was like someone had handed us a whole container! We started to lick furiously.
“Hurry up!” Grandpa said, “we can’t take it back to the car. And here…”
He pulled out his wallet from his pants pocket and handed us each five dollars. “Don’t tell Grandma I got one too.”

The funny thing is … I pretty sure she knew.



What is your favorite food memory?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Sans Electricity

Today we were without electricity until the middle of the afternoon ... hard not to go into the shakes! A situation like that makes you sit back and concider what would I do if electrical power was suddenly gone ... forever? Would I survive? I might have to wash everything by hand ... including the dishes! I've watched lots of Survivor so I would probably be great at making a fire though.



What one thing would you be best at if you had no electricity to aid your day?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Best Job

What, in your opinion, would be the best job ever? Why?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Money, Money, Money

If you had $1, 000, 000 at your disposal what you do with it?

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Love and Lost

For my first question in a long time I thought I would take my cue from the poets:

Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

I think we may be of varying opinions depending on our stage in life but that would make it all the more interesting. Let me know what you think.

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: Hate and Revenge

Now that I’ve done the “love” topic (and by the way you can still respond to that one) I’ll have to look into hate. I don’t know about you but when I was little I was told that “hate is a strong word” so I was taught to curb my usage of it even for little things like, “I hate school,” and “I hate this dinner.”  Even so, in adulthood I find true hate unavoidable. There are so many things that happen in this world that seem to justify hate and to justify revenge. People are gravely hurt, injustices abound, cruel individuals ruin lives or even kill to gain petty things for themselves. Many belief systems declare that taking revenge is justifiable, that the hurt self must be appeased in order for healing to begin. This revenge is often bound by regulations and rewards. Others preach forgiveness as the only path to healing.  

Now, it’s true no matter what you believe, revenge happens and so does hate. So, for this week, you can either comment on your beliefs regarding revenge and hate or you can give us your most clever story of revenge. Is it a “dish best served cold” or is revenge best immediately? Should it be quelled or allowed to run free? I’ll see if I can post some stories of my own.

Sunday Intellectual Discussion: What about love?

What does the word love mean? In Ancient Greek there were several words to describe the various states of being, today we have one word and we use it for many meanings, Affection, Lust, Faithfulness, Parental kindness, even nice feelings for inanimate objects or experiences all fall under the same term. Most often the word love expresses a vague emotion that, naturally, varies in meaning with the speaker. Talk about confusing.

So let’s chat:

What is love? What does that word mean to you? Should there be more than one word used to express love clearly? Let me know what you think.

Sunday Intellectual Question: Shoes

Ok. I am offically veering off the intellectual freeway, past the muddy cow path and into the bush, however, I like the question. After all I'm supposed to be in charge here. (I'm supposed to be in charge of a lot of things ... all of which remain to be seen!)

I've heard several times that you can tell a person's personality by their shoes. I'm not sure I buy into it. It could be because I wear runners. Do you agree with this philosophy? If so could you explain how it works? (So I can wear nicer footwear when we meet!)

Do you have a story about your favorite shoes and what you loved about them? I'd love to hear it!

Sunday Intellectual Question: The Da Vinci Code Questions

The Da Vinci Code seems to be a hot topic these days. A number of the people who love the book and it’s ideas have said that “the questions opened their minds”, “made them think”. Thinking is good. One shouldn’t just stumble around hoping the person talking the loudest also happens to be right. One should definitely ask questions, but questions themselves are tricky things. I don’t think they are benign entities giving any number of  answers out of the ether. Questions can provoke thought, spark lively debate, and bring to light truth. However, questions can also point straight to the answer giving little room for thought at all.

Should questions themselves be examined? Should they be made to prove their worth before being answered? Can even leading questions be useful for learning? Ah ha! Now, let’s see if anyone finds this question worth answering!  

Sunday Intellectual Question: Mother's Day Best and Worst

In honor of Mother’s Day it would be great to discuss the best and worst parts about being a mother. Guys you can chime in too and let us know the best and worst parts of being a parent or a child.

I’ll start. The best part is definitely the smiles, love and hugs from your kids when they do something wonderful that you haven’t asked them to do. It makes you so proud. The worst? I was going to say lack of sleep but I think the worst is when your kids and the world around you ignore your hard work. Or are just plain mean about it. It doesn’t happen often, thankfully, but at the moment it happens it definitely qualifies as the worst.