Steel Magnolias, May 11 at MAT-Great Falls

"Steel Magnolias" by MAT I feel has the right combination of what a good MAT show needs -- emotion, humor, a basic yet distinctive set and a varied cast of characters who work well together.

While I felt "Medea," lacked a certain few key elements to reach a large audience, "Steel Magnolias," for the most part delivers the goods.

"Steel Magnolias," is directed by Krystine Wendt and Jeff Scolley and stars Tiffany Staigmiller as Ouiser, Sarah Raines as M’Lynn, Ali Shildt as Annelle and Jean Hawkins as Clairee. Shelby is played by Casey Ayres and her understudy Sarah Meyers, who was featured Saturday night. Wendt also appeared as Truvy, although she was not on the original cast list. 

Like I said above, I felt the show hit the right notes and leaves audiences feeling for these women. 

"Steel Magnolias," if you're not familiar with the plot, is an adaptation of Robert Harling's play written in 1987. A movie by the same name was produced in 1989. 

The highlight performances for me were Staigmiller's brash, loud-talking Ouiser, Raines' ability to tug at your heartstrings toward the end when, without giving too much away, she is confronted by a great loss in her life.

She has a real presence on the stage in how she moves, the way she becomes M'Lynn and the conviction in her lines. 

I also particularly enjoyed Shildt's innocence portrayed in Annelle. She at times was funny, but never anything but gentle in a somewhat-naive sort of way. It doesn't take long before you start to see people you know like Annelle, who's very much the newcomer to the neighborhood.

Wendt, as well, gave a solid performance as Truvy. It's probably the best role I've seen her in recently, although like the last one it's one she didn't appear to plan to take. Nonetheless she played Truvy well, who is a linchpin character. 

The story spoke to me in a unique way in that Shelby, one of the central characters in the play, is diabetic and suffers through an episode during act one. It's one of the constant pieces of conflict throughout the play, and motivation for Harling to write the piece.  

As a fellow diabetic, I can sympathize what that is like entirely too well, but as such I noticed a few problems. 

Firstly, as any diabetic might tell you, you're never out and about without your blood testing machine. I didn't notice Shelby having it once, which made it a little less believable for me. Secondly , when a diabetic has a low-blood sugar attack, it takes a while for your body to return to normal. 

When Shelby goes into a hypoglycemic attack, however, after she has some orange juice, she almost instantaneously comes out of it. It doesn't QUITE work like that. It would have been nicer to see a little more time between her episode and her recovery. 

Also, Shelby appeared to have flubbed a few lines in the second and third act. It didn't take me out of the scene too much, but it was a slight distraction. 

This show being Meyers' first foray into acting, I might forgive these a little, but a random person who watched the play off the street who wouldn't know that might not. 

Still, she played the part well and there were moments where I got lost in her character. The down-to-earth dialogue, the witty humor and consistent character development all made it easy to forget you were watching a performance. 

While I felt the first act went on a little too long with banter not central to the story, the second act started with a real bang and I instantly got right back into feeling the characters personalities.  

By the end of the play you feel like you know these women and the type of people they are. To me that says something about the script and the women's performances. 

In conclusion, I recommend seeing "Steel Magnolias," which wraps up this weekend and next with shows on May 17, 18 and 25. 

This is a good show to see if you're looking for an emotional journey between six women all at different points in their lives. It has humor, drama, and a touching end. It's a solid piece of theater worth the price of admission despite the few minor issues.  

The Dead Legend at UGF review

Aisha McManus, Kelsey McNeil, Clay Vermulm and Ken Taylor in a scene from UGF's "Dead Legend."

Last week I was invited to see one of the final dress rehearsals of "The Dead Legend," which, is a reprisal of UGF's 2011 production "After Hours at the Dead Legend."

The updated version of the musical has a lot to like -- catchy and layered songs, some funny dialogue and some awesome costumes.

There are a few moments that don't work so well, also, including some off-key singing on one or two songs, one noticeable logical error and a few moments where I could not hear exactly what the performer was saying and/or singing.

But, let's get to the things I like, first.

"The Dead Legend" was written/created by Michael Gilboe, Keern Haslem and Glen Weeks in 2011, with additional help from Amber Koesling, Sarah Raines, Sawyer Edmister, Emily Busby, Jeremy Hudson, Ken Taylor and Dana Jo Forseth.

The updated script stars Hudson as Bela Lugosi/William Shakespeare, Kari Roat as Minnie Pearl, Matt Way as Errol Flynn, April Wendt as Janis Jopliln, Sawyer Edmister as Frank Zappa, Kelsey McNeil as Lucille Ball, Brendon Winston as Sid Vicious, Rachel Altman as Judy Garland, Clayton Vermulm as Harry Houdini, Tamara Greenlief as Elizabeth Taylor/Charlie Chaplin, Ken Taylor as Humphrey Bogart, Jessica Burton as Marilyn Monroe, Glen Weeks as Chris Farley, Kaitlyn Taylor as Eartha Kitt, EJ Moran as Jim Henson, Mary Wilmore as Clara Bow, Amanda Cetnarowski as Ginger Rogers, Sarah Raines as Amy Winehouse and Aisha McManus as the mysterious woman.

The story in a nutshell follows the above dead celebrities who all gather and perform in a nightclub. While there, they slowly start questioning where they are, how they got there and what it all means.

If you leave liking one thing about the show, it will most definitely be most of the songs. They're catchy, they help tell the story in a layered conceptual way, and are fun to listen to, for the most part.

The cast from UGF's "Dead Legend." 

In a way, it's kind of surprising how a story featuring legendary musicians who are singing material that's not their well-known hits can work, but it does in its own way.

Secondly, I loved the costumes each of the characters are dressed in .Some of my favorites were Sid Viscous, Minni Pearl and Frank Zappa. The costumes not only add to the immersion, they lead the way.

If I were to pick my favorite song of all of them, I would say its "Great Escape."
The mechanic between Hudson and Clay, who had to escape the box before Hudson was done singing, worked great.When Hudson would start singing faster and Houdini would start trying to escape faster was a nice touch.

I also enjoyed everything about Kari Roat's performance as Minnie Pearl. She's a bundle of energy, fun and entertainment while she's on stage. Even if you have no idea who Minnie Pearl was, you will enjoy her portrayal anyways.

Glen's portrayal of Chris Farley made me crack up the most throughout the show, I'd say. His and Matt's portrayal of Errol Flynn together hitting on the ladies, unsuccessfully, left me audibly laughing several times. Some of the inventive pick-up attempts through the running gag kept me in stitches.

I also enjoyed Sarah Raines' portrayal of Amy Winehouse. She captured the spirit of Winehouse wonderfully, and Sarah always has a solid singing voice. She makes the character's confused and strung-out mood hers and it shows. I enjoyed her as Judy Garland in the first incarnation, and I felt she did just as great a job as Winehouse.

At the same time I don't think the show lost anything by giving Judy Garland to Rachel. She brings a new energy to the role and she can sing and entertain just as much as Sarah did with her. She's got a great voice and I enjoyed hearing her sing.

With that here are a few things I thought could've been done a bit better.

With Winehouse, one aspect of the script I felt took me out of the story, ironically enough, came when she first appears into the nightclub, however. The scene shows Amy Winehouse appearing later in the story than the rest of the characters. Not knowing she's dead, she believes she's in a dive nightclub somewhere on earth. She's encouraged to perform, which she does, because she's a performer who can't be kept from an open stage.

While I enjoyed the song she sings, logically the whole time I kept thinking, "If Amy Winehouse didn't know she was dead and that she could not sing her own songs, why would she start performing a song we've never heard before?" It's later explained that the reason the singers don't perform their hits is because, "While you are dead, your music is still alive.".

Secondly, I felt while some of the performers' singing most definitely improved even from the first run-through to the final rehearsals, some of them still weren't up to the level of quality I would have liked to see them at.

I know not everybody can have award-winning singing voices as well as anyone. But, perhaps knowing this the writers could have worked more to bring out the actors' strengths.

Instead of giving Errol Flynn a duet with Ginger Rogers, for example, they could have given him a great in-depth comedic skit that allowed for Matt to use his strengths as an actor beyond the ones he already appeared in. I'd say it's easier to do in an original script where writers had the ability to change scenes and songs vs. doing a well-known musical that can't be changed.

I like Matt's portrayal of Flynn. He's funny, energetic and believable. He brings a high level of enthusiasm for every role he performs. On the night I watched it, though, he also was pretty off key through most of the duet.

So, say this were a real nightclub that existed before certain celebrities died.
If this were real, I highly doubt the owners would ask, say, Graham Chapman to sing anything. Everyone loves Graham Chapman from Monty Python, but no remembers him as a great singer. It doesn't make him less of an entertainer, singing just was not one of his strengths.

There also were a few moments where I could not hear what a few of the actors were saying on stage. It was rare enough that it wasn't a big issue, but I did find myself missing what was said because either the performer was speaking too fast or not loud enough. Also, there were a few times where the microphones went out and I couldn't hear the singer as much.

Despite these few moments, though, on the whole I enjoyed the show. I saw the original incarnation when it came out in 2011, and I still enjoyed seeing it again. I recommend checking it out before the cast and crew takes it to the New York Musical Festival this summer.

Plus, the fact that it all was created here in Great Falls by UGF students and staff members should be a source of pride for folks here who also care about the arts.

To sum it up, I found it to be an entertaining show that will leave you laughing and humming the tunes to yourself as you drive home.

Review of Jeff Scolley's "Lessons Learned" spoken word album

To me, listening to Jeff's album "Lessons Learned," is a bit like taking Jeff with you whenever you press play on the device of your choosing.
The poems, the emotion, the words all are faithful adaptations of Jeff's live performances, which isn't always easy.

When you record something that's great in person, there's always a risk that it loses something in the process. But, not here.

"Lessons Learned," opens with "Dear Broken Spirit," featuring Jeremy Hudson on guitar. Hudson also appears on "In Horizon," and "She." At times the tracks he's on sound a little similar. But, the emotional dynamic he adds to the album outweighs the similarity of his contributions.

For anyone who's been to an Open Mic Night, or a Poetry Slam at MAT, you will recognize many of these poems on the album.

Even if you've heard them many times, though, the feeling is still fresh. The best way I can think to describe how Jeff's poems make me feel is by likening it to sitting around a campfire with friends and family as the sun starts to set. That warm, tingly, "everything's going to be OK" feeling as you roast marshmallows and tell stories and laugh together.

Not all of the poems evoke this emotion, but enough of them do that I think it's safe to say when you put on this record, expect to feel something similar.

I think some of the best tracks on the record are "She," "In Horizon," and "Ollie Ollie," the live track featuring  Naveah and Darius Nickels."
If you're looking for three tracks that best represent this album, those are it.
"Ollie Ollie," again, is a poem that's recognizable for anyone who's heard Jeff perform. Adding the singers and the live crowd, however, gives it an extra bounce that elevates it from good to great.

Not everything on the album is great, although much of it is quite good.

Some of the poems tend to sound a little too similar. "She," and "Ursa Major," strike the same notes and seem to cover almost identical ideas.They just feel to be separately creative ways to say the same type of thing.

Another problem might be more in the way performance poetry is consumed more than anything Jeff does here.
The best way to take in this album is to sit down somewhere comfortable, put it on and just listen.
It doesn't seem to have the same effect if you say, put it on while you're working out, or while you're at a party. It's not that kind of album. Not that it has to be.

No, I think this album works well if you're in your car on a long road trip, or maybe while you're reading a book, although, again, this album kind of demands more attention than that.

If, say, every time you played this album Jeff Scolley appeared in front of you and started reading his poems. That's almost what this is like. That's not a bad thing at all.

I was a bit on the fence about whether every track needed musical background. One one level I think it would have helped the album in that it'd give the pieces another element to feel.
But then on another level, I like the way after hearing a music-backed track, that silence behind Jeff almost adds its own intimacy to the piece. I guess it's a matter of personal preference. Maybe some of the pieces just didn't flow as well with music behind them.

In the past I've said I felt Jeff needed to take more risks and try things new and different. I have to hand it to him here in that he did take a few risks. Adding the singers, and performing it live, could have gone horrible. If one of the singers was off key, or if Jeff misread one of pieces, even in a tiny, hardly-noticeable way, would have affected the track in a bad way.

But, he pulls it off. The singing works, the live crowd reactions work, you can hear Jeff clearly throughout the track. It's likely the one piece that will get the most attention, and justifiably so.

In conclusion, then, I liked the album and enjoyed hearing the poems again, even if I've heard most of them multiple times before.

If you have a few minutes to yourself, put this album on and find out for yourself what emotions it evokes. That's one of the coolest things about spoken word poetry, in my mind.

The only limit to what you can feel is you.

Medea, March 16 at MAT-Great Falls

Last night Lana and I went to see Medea at MAT and I thought while the individual performances were solid, particularly those of Bethany Mason, who plays Medea, and Jeff Scolley, who plays her husband Jason, the whole production lacked a qualitative connection to the audience.

I felt the cultural gap between ancient Greece, where this play was originally performed, and current day was a little too big to bridge here.

Firstly, a few words on what I liked.

The scenes between Bethany and Jeff were legitimately dramatic, with real human emotions at play. Medea plays a woman scorned who's searching for a solution to her situation. She might be a bit crazy, yes, but viewers can almost see where she's coming from.

Jason, her husband, has taken up with another woman, and has seemingly cast Medea aside. This in of itself is something that's instantly relatable, and always will be no matter how much time has gone since the scene was originally written.

I thought Jeff really shined in the the final scene, as well.

Without giving anything away, Jeff delvers a healthy dose of anguish and when he delivers the lines, you can't help but feel that emotion, as well.

Bethany, too, did a great job in delivering each of her lines, which were many.

 It never felt as if she were stumbling through a scene to get to another one, or that she was out of character at any moment. As soon as the lights went up, she was Medea through and through.

With that, I'll say my main criticism with the show was that throughout the entire show I never received an answer to a basic question -- why?

Without sounding harsh, I'm not blind to the hard work it takes in producing any show, I couldn't help but feel as if I was unsure of why this play was being shown in front of me.

To better explain what I'm getting at here, I'll share a bit of a conversation I had with Ed Moran not too long ago.

Ed, as you may or may not know, has long been a play director in Great Falls. Some of his recent plays he's directed include "No Sex Please, We're British," and "I Hate Hamlet."

Ed and I talked a few months ago about how the one thing a successful theater must do is get people in the seats. The balancing act comes in holding your artistic integrity intact while giving audiences reasons to see the show.

Meaning, while you certainly don't want to pander to the lowest common denominator, you don't want to do something that's totally over their heads, either.

Audience members here in Great Falls, the ones who regularly attend plays, at least, are fairly easy to please.

In my opinion, a theater should not have to cater to them because they love almost anything you do.
The goal, if I were in charge, would be attracting people who don't regularly come to your theater.

Now, back to Medea, I had a difficult time deciphering who this play was geared toward. Is it young couples? Young men? Women? Children?

I don't think it would be women as Lana told me one thing that bothered her was the misogyny rampant throughout the play.

In one scene Medea "attempts" to mend her relationship with Jason, saying she should have been supportive of her husband's decision to find another wife and that she should have been helping plan the wedding.

Our modern sensibilities say that's not okay. Indeed, a play of this nature hearkens back to times when women were treated differently from men. It was a different cultural acceptance where men were supreme masters over women. It's not like that anymore, so perhaps to see a play go through those scenes seemed a little absurd.

Next, I felt the music chosen to back up certain scenes only put the question mark of who this play was for into greater focus.

At one point during a scene between Medea and the King, played by Dyllan Strom, which got a bit romantic in tone, smooth jazz was played in the background.

You don't need to be a music expert to know that jazz didn't exist in ancient Greece. It probably wouldn't distract many, but if you think about it, it seems a little strange.

The same goes with the use of Beethoven pieces played intermittently throughout. Beethoven was a 16th Century composer.

But then, if one questions why more modern music was used, you have to start to think what music would have been more appropriate. They could have found some non-time specific music or music from ancient Greece, but then how is that any more relatable? Rarely anyone will appreciate or recognize music from ancient Greece.

If you extend that line of reasoning further out, how can one assume modern audiences will relate to a play based in ancient Greece?

Yes, the emotions are still being felt today, and yes, this type of show was not being done anywhere else in town, and finally, yes, it was a chance to explore some interesting relations between a man and woman. All of this is true.

But, when a theater already has several hurdles to jump over in terms of getting people into the seats, because, let's face facts here: it's not an easy feat to sell out shows in Great Falls; why would you choose to place more hurdles in your way with a script that was written thousands of years ago?

I say this out of a place of love, concern, admiration and respect. While we had some misgivings about possibly why there weren't more butts in the seat, both Lana and I enjoyed the show. The performances were good. There was plenty to like here.

I just felt that this play was a bit too outside the realm of average people to understand. Maybe that was the point. But, as Ed told me, and I might be paraphrasing a bit here,  but he said basically,
"We all do this to see people in the seats. We all enjoy that feeling of a packed house and a standing ovation. It's why we do what we do."

So yes, you CAN present an ancient Greek horror-tragedy. You CAN even have several great performances within that play. But, my question still remains. Why should you when you risk performing it to half-empty rooms?
Especially when we have, even in Great Falls, multiple entertainment options.

If I'm a typical Great Falls native, looking to spend $30 on entertainment, is it unreasonable to think that I'd rather go to a nice dinner, see a rock band, buy a video game or a new DVD than go see an ancient Greek tragedy, even if it is live theater and I know about the plot?

The answer should be fairly obvious.

Junior Cascade of Talent showcase, March 3

By Sarah Raines
Raines is a classically-trained vocalist with a degree from NYU. She currently teaches private voice and piano, and she is also the choir director at the University of Great Falls.

Sarah Raines

The first thing I noticed about the 2013 Junior Cascade of Talent show was the MC. What I liked were the tidbits about the performers that he shared with the audience. For example, a little boy and girl who did a dance together are best friends. The MC also told us that a girl who danced to an acoustic version of “I Need A Hero,” dedicated it to her grandfather.

Unfortunately, the MC’s energy wasn't as engaging as the performers. Perhaps that’s because a group of kids under the age of 14 has more energy than any full-grown adults.

The MC seemed lost, forgot portions of his introductions, and mispronounced several names. I was also distracted between sets because the stage hand was dressed almost too scruffily. In my experience, stage hands wear solid black in order to be less distracting as they move set pieces

The young performers, however, were excellent.

There was a variety of acts: from piano to saxophone, ballet to hip-hop. They performed songs by artists from Etta James to Adele.

The dances, mostly from students of Miss Linda’s school of dance, were amazing. I would expect no less from Miss Linda’s, especially since I had the chance to work with Miss Linda’s dance teacher Jackie Newman when she choreographed UGF’s Chicago last fall. Another thing I especially liked about the dances were how age-appropriate they all were.

That leads me to the singing.

I would never discourage a young person from singing and performing, but I am partial to age-appropriate songs. Young singers who perform adult songs sometimes fall into the trap of imitating instead of showing their own unique voices. Yet it was obvious that every singer chose a song that she (all the singers I saw were female) really loved. That is key. Watching those singers truly enjoy themselves on stage is what makes the audience enjoy it.

The instrumentalists were awesome as well. Each of them played high level pieces with better technique than many adults.

The saxophone rendition of “Duel of the Fates,” from Star Wars was well-done and a cool song choice. I appreciated its uniqueness. In general I felt the acts that stood out most were the ones that brought something unexpected. For example, it was unique to see a dance duet between a little boy and girl that had a park bench as a prop/set piece.

From a stage tech stance, the lighting was really great. The lighting design really added to the performances and was a subtle, but important touch that added a feel of professionalism to the show. The young performers will get a real treat seeing how cool and professional everything looks when they see themselves on the DVD.

If I were to give any advice for next time, I’d ask the organizers to consider presenting a piano accompanist and offering every singer, dancer, and instrumental soloist the chance to perform with a live musician.

Maybe this opinion is just my old-school classical training showing, but I would hate to see live music become a lost art. Live music has a very organic and rich sound to the audience member.

As a performer it is a different and more refined skill to collaborate with live accompaniment as opposed to memorizing an exact timing of a recording.

In that same line of thought, I would also encourage future participants to experiment with collaboration. Sing duets and trios. Get instruments together. Choreograph a dance to your friend’s piano solo. Ask someone to accompany you on guitar. Dance teams offer a great avenue for collaborating and working in groups, but I think it can add more variety and a stronger learning experience if you work with other performers.

All in all, I found the entire show quite enjoyable and entertaining. I went to watch and support one of my private voice students, and I fully expected to be bored during everything but her song. However, I learned not to underestimate the young talent in this town. It was fun, and we should all look forward to next year.

Magnficent Seven Part II, March 2, 2013

The Magnificent Seven show returned to Montana Actors' Theatre-Great Falls last night and although I had to leave early, I do have a few thoughts about the evening.

The first thing I noticed was the giant spread of food as we walked into the theater, which Joe Ryan's mother provided. Her deviled eggs were delicious. So were the meatballs. The food was a serious upgrade this time out, most definitely.

Tales from Ghost Town

As for the show, most of the acts we saw killed it.

The first group, Lucky Valentines had a tight sound that perhaps only two people who understand each other intimately can have.

Lana said the melodies they sang were some of the hardest to perform, and they did them well. They did several Patty Smith covers and mostly originals.

Plus, I always love me some fiddle songs. They did several. It was a great way to start the show.

Another of the highlights for me was Tales from Ghost Town from Bozeman.

The guy, a one-man band who played drums, guitar and harmonica, and also singing, got it done with some upbeat down-home barn dance anthems that had the whole room rocking. He could have played for much longer than he did and no one would have minded.

I also must say that Tyson Habein did an excellent job at organizing the artwork behind the stage. Each of the pieces were both separate but fit together in a theme with similar shapes and colors. Whether the artists were the same or not, it was a cohesive display of art that made the stage shine.

Moving on, I was a little torn on Patty Hearse and the Mortician.

Saif Alsaegh performs poetry

Yes, at times the vocals got drowned out by the instruments and yes it was loud. But, as their set progressed I kind of got the feeling that was the point. Like I told Lana, you don't listen to Metallica for the amazing vocals. You listen to them to hear them rock the f@*$ out. Patty and the Mortician had that feel to them. Hopefully they can get the vocals to come across better in the future.

Plus, Joe Ryan did a decent job of adjusting the levels to help Paisley's voice project.

Before Patty and the Mortician, Saif Alsaegh performed some of his best spoken word poems.

The original plan, as I gather, was to have Joe Ryan play with him on guitar and Josh Wilkinson on drums. Before Saif started, Joe apologized and said he had to help one of the bands set up so he couldn't play..
I was a little bummed, mostly I feel he does a better job of playing behind a poet than Josh did on this night.

I'm not saying Josh did a bad job. His sound is so unique it's always a treat to hear. I'm just not sure it worked with Saif for some reason.

And, before Saif came up, Josh did a good job with his own set. It was fun, interesting and included several songs I've never heard him do before. I would have loved to hear "Jessica Simpson," but I suppose that's kind of an "Open Mic" song. Josh still has a little of that Open Mic sound, meaning when I hear him I think of the times I've heard him play there.

Aside from "Jessica Simpson," which really we wanted to hear for nostalgic reasons, perhaps, it might have been fun to hear him play a few other different songs than ones we've heard a lot in the past.

Then, with his playing together with Saif, all I'm saying is I felt like they weren't quite on the same page last night. At times Saif would be performing a dramatic piece about his relationship with god and religion, and at the same time it felt like Josh was playing it a little too positive and a LITTLE too loud for my liking.

Perhaps it could have used some more minor chords, I'm not sure. If they had more time to prepare together it might have worked better, but, it was by no means a bad performance. Anytime Saif reads it's a treat because his poems are so good!

All and all it was a fun night and the room was packed during the entire time we were there.

One final thought is that I think people still aren't quite sure how to dress for the event.

Some people dress casual, some people dress up and others still wear semi-casual clothes. And indeed, that's true of almost all events in town, it seems. It's not a huge thing, but I suppose Tyson and Joe could give people a dress code guideline for next time. I might suggest giving a gentle suggestion so folks have an idea of what to wear, (or what not to wear.)

Finally, I look forward to seeing what the Habeins and Mr. Ryan present next month. :-)

Quick clarification about this blog

I'm sure that most people who read this can connect the dots here, but if not I'm taking this chance to make it explicitly clear if it ever becomes fuzzy in the future.

This blog is 100 percent mine and mine alone. I speak for myself here, that's it.

If anyone has a problem with anything written in this blog, which no one has yet but it's certainly possible it could happen, the views expressed here come from me, Jake Sorich. I do not speak for any other party either implicitly or explicitly stated.

When you visit this site, you're doing so understanding it's a place where I state my personal opinions about cultural events and releases I find interesting enough to write about.

I'm also not trying to compete with anyone else's opinions about the same types of things happening around town.

 I'm of the opinion that the more opinions we can bring to the table about any given subject, especially as subjective as art and culture, which very much leans more subjective than objective, the better.

Finally, I'm not profiting from this blog at all, either. I write these views as a way of promoting arts in our community with the attempt to help raise awareness, and create an honest dialogue about what we're creating. The more we can be honest with each other about our creative undertakings, the better. We can never grow until we learn where we must improve, first.