Cultural Lessons: Drama/Theatre

Going to live theatre was definitely part of my upbringing, especially after I was 8 or 9 years old.  If you include ballet, my first stage performance was The National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker, around Christmas 1987 or 1988 (I’ll do a post on dancing another day).  By my teens, I was going to at least two shows a year (I was a teen during the HEIGHT of British Theatre Invasion of Toronto (Cameron Mackintosh musicals)).  I saw shows such as Les Miserables, Showboat, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, etc, as well as plenty of trips to Stratford.  But when it came to actually being involved in the theatre/drama business (whether it be actor, director, producer or whatever….even if you tell people you want to be the next Ang Lee of the stage), it’s a definite no-no.  No wonder it’s so hard for Asians in this part of the world to be noticed in the film and theatre world!  If you don’t build it, no one will come!

This is what I don’t understand.  Why is it okay to play a musical instrument but not okay to be involved in theatre (with the exception of actually going, of course)?  Can’t theatre be seen as an accomplishment, just like playing piano or violin?  Why is acting, “less proper”?  Does it have to do with the historical connection with prostitution?  Can’t acting or directing be seen as a hobby just like classical music?  I did a double major in drama and history just so I wouldn’t look like I was a rebel.  And the drama part wasn’t even a BFA but a straight BA (Honours).

Cultural Lessons: Music

I’d like to open this topic up for discussion:  Why DO YOU THINK that it’s considered very “normal” and “Asian” for second generation kids of Asian descent to take western classical (using the generic term of “classical” here, not the classical period) music lessons while stereotypically, kids of other cultures who do so are “white-washed”?  I don’t have stats, but I have heard that Julliard and Berklee have lots of students of Asian descent, both American and foreign.   I’ve said in previous posts that it’s class-related.  Would you agree with me?  Would you see more non-Asian students at these schools if more came from middle class families?  What about white kids?  In my experience, white kids who were very serious about music (classical music, not the garage band type) and knew how to read music well in junior high were generally of Eastern European descent.  Usually no more than third generation.  (This was a problem when it came to middle school level instrumental music.  They usually started you from scratch, so it was very discouraging for at least 25% of the students.  While we might not know how to PLAY the instruments we picked up, we already knew how to read and often were frustrated at the slow pace.)  Is classical music just not a priority?  Even if the families are of a similar social class?  I would think that the ability to play piano or violin would be something parents are proud of.  Classical music is more “international” than most sports (other than soccer, anyway), I think.

Would you like your kids to take classical music lessons?

***NOTE:  What I’d LIKE to see are more prominent Asian composers (not music/song writers who do pop…NOT THE SAME THING)…lots of Asian music students (in Asia, anyway), just copy what they hear, making their music more mechanical-sounding…creativity isn’t important here, just as long as you play the right notes with decent expression, you’re okay…..having been trained in piano and voice, mostly be teachers of Eastern European descent, I’ve learned that it’s a big NO-NO.

Boston Pizza Commercial Uses French Opera About Spain

If you’re from Canada, or at least the Toronto area, you might have heard the Boston Pizza commercial on the radio which uses the music of the Habanera (”L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”) to English words about a deal you can get at the restaurant.  My question is WHY?  The opera was written in French by a French composer, Georges Bizet and is set in Spain.  What does that have to do with North American style Italian food?  Do they really think that the general public is that stupid?  That we’d be fooled into believing that Opera=Italian?  I’m sorry, but that really bothers me.