Thespian Musings: Back It Up

My brother has a strong dislike for every single Disney re-make.

He says that they are a horrible idea that should never have been carried out in the first place;

That all they're doing is re-hashing old stories cause they have nothing else to do

And even doing it shot-for-shot("Lion King" specifically).


I would find his opinion totally valid.

But he has yet to see any of them.

Not once.

Ever.



I think the worst food in the world is an avocado.

I don't like the way it smells

Or the way it tastes

Or the way it feels in mouth(which is a totally different thing)

I wouldn't eat one if you paid me

(which hasn't stopped certain siblings from sneaking it into my salad just to see me gag, but that's beside the point)

Here's the difference between these two situations: one of us can back our opinion up, and the other one can't.

This happens so much in life that it's ridiculous. We all have emotions and we all have opinions and we all like to express them(some more than others).

But if we express an opinion based on nothing but emotion and hearsay we tend to go haywire and make ourselves look like complete morons.

And this is coming from someone who has made herself look like a complete moron.

More than once.

In the same day.

(this is why I don't make a practice of getting into any form of political debate, or discussion, or anything to do with politics--well, that and my ADD, but that's not the subject of this post so moving on...)

I took a Fundamentals of Argumentation class back in college and one of the things that was drilled into my head is "have valid and logical backup for what you say".

Ok, fine, they expressed it a lot more eloquently than that, but the principal is the same:

If you're argument/opinion is based on nothing but emotion, we will lose(see "complete morons" above.).

My sister figured that out when she was four years old. Whenever we'd fight or have sibling tiffs, all she had to do was make me mad.



And then she would win the argument/not get in trouble and I was left seething and trying to figure out how she got away with it.

It took me fifteen years to figure it out.

I know!

So what does all of this have to do with being a Theatrical Artist?

Everything.

Casual theatre goers have no idea what it takes to actually "put on" a play.

No. Idea.

Because all they see the the pretty result--or in some very rare cases, the gorgeous-enough-to-make-you-want-to-buy-multiple-tickets-to-multiple-shows-cause-you-can't-get-enough-result.

Whether people realize it or not, theatre and film are almost always based on an opinion(yes, even documentaries) that someone wants to express and feels that the most efficient way to do so is on the stage or screen.


Opinions are formed based on facts gathered, and/or personal and cultural experiences. If someone feels strongly about a certain something, they will either speak up or write it down--and both are equally effective.

However.

Emotion does a great job of bolstering opinions close to the illogical side of the spectrum(I know cause it's happened to me  a lot); and this can get you into trouble.

Do your research--even if it starts on Wikipedia--so that you have a legitimate way to back up your opinion.

There's always the chance that you will still get slaughtered--by critics, and/or your peers--but if you can back up what you think and you can back it up logistically and coherently, then you at least walk away bloodied but unbowed.

Or something like that.