Subject For A Future Jamespeak

A real problem I have with these Jamespeak entries is that I’m trying to find a balance between writing a quick, fun and to-the-point blog-like entry and a much more serious, analytical essay. When I come up with an idea for a new post, it’s either something that would require a 10-15 page essay that would be very dry or a 50-word entry that’s not worth anyone’s time.

These things aren’t quite in the vein of LiveJournal entries, nor are they in the vein of scholarly pieces.

In other words, should I be writing biting yet amusing 2-page comedic rants about why everything sucks, or laconic, academic yet vaguely depressing pieces on the current artistic and financial trends in today’s theatre industry?

The other problem is that I end up having five entry ideas at once, and they all tend to both contradict and overlap one another.

So, do I spend my time responding to other theatre blogs? That could help with the concept of creating a theatre community (which we DON’T have; a subject for a future Jamespeak). Or do I carve my own path out? That would lead to fewer readers (a subject for a future Jamespeak). Or do I try to expunge the idea of a theatre community, and just promote my own stuff? That could help with the concept of helping Nosedive (a subject for a future Jamespeak).

Qui Nguyen of Vampire Cowboys fame went on hiatus with his blog because he believed he wasn’t being mused, didn’t find blogging particularly fun anymore and saw his blog just being part of his theatre company’s PR site. I understand the frustration Qui feels, but for me, there’s a side of “suck it up and finish whatcha started, bitch” (I’m saying that to myself about Jamespeak, not to Qui).

Another problem: I’m having trouble budgeting my time. I have to write something reasonably insightful and funny about something immediate (I held off posting the last entry that mentions the first Presidential debate until right after the Vice Presidential debate—my post was already out of date). When you start a new job, and are in preproduction for a show, and writing new plays, sometimes the Web site journal entries suffer (when they should be worked on the most).

Eventually, I’ll get the hang of it.

Or maybe not. I may end up just wanting to spend more time writing, producing and promoting plays.

(But James: isn’t the reason you wanted this Jamespeak link was so you could promote your plays?)

(Shut up, shut up!)

(Dude, seriously, you’re typing out loud.)

(I am? Oh, fuck. Uh…)

Ahem.

Here’s some shit I’m working on for Jamespeak:

1.) The intention of mass media to deteriorate our frazzled collective unconscious and theatre aiding this process rather than fighting it,
2.) The symposium I went to last night with the founders of the Off-off-Broadway theatre movement,
3.) Dispelling any deluded notion of there being such thing as a theatre community,
4.) The passing of the baton (or not) of the “old school” playwrights versus new generation.
5.) The New York Times’s and The Village Voice’s decisions to cut their theatre coverage

Yes, all of these ideas overlap into one big Jamespeak. But I’ve already written one of them, and have to tell myself to stop re-re-revising (if you’re maintaining a blog of sorts, you need to do two things: keep it short and keep posting).

So, I guess think of the next few Jamespeaks as perhaps one big lecture from an addled lecturer.

Well, clearly I’m opting for academic term papers for the Internet.

Sucking it up,

James “Whiny Little Bitch” Comtois

October 12, 2004