About theater
Is pretty obnoxious
‘Here’s what we think about ourselves’
Really?
Who cares
But the reason I chose to write
About the Orpheus Theater
Is because I think
It speaks to more
Than just
People doing theater
Here’s what it’s about
Get ready
Because I’m about to hit you
With the phrase most used
When anybody talks
About what something is
About
It’s about—
America
Yeah, I know
But in this case
It’s appropriate
This theater
Has been around
Since 1962
We’re talking pre-Kennedy assassination
Right up until the present-day
And in that time
We’ve had a major cultural shift
In this country
And at the same time
There’s been this company
This acting company
This core constant
That’s stayed in place
And not only weathered the cultural changes
But actually embodied
And adapted to them
I find that fascinating
But—
And this is the only reason
I’m writing about them now
As opposed to—
Well, whenever I could have written about them
--Is because they used to point a mirror
At the culture
At what was going on
And somewhere along the way
That mirror cracked
And now they’re just trying to keep up
With this thing
This rapidly moving thing
That they’re never going to get a hold of
And that’s always been the case
That’s nothing new
They just think it is
Because what they actually used to do
Is say ‘To hell with it!’
We’ll just stay ahead of it
We’ll just stay ahead
Of whatever it is
That’s coming next
And by doing that
You stay critical
To the conversation
This place it’s not…
It’s out of the loop, you know?
It’s…sad
Really
Look, I didn’t just come here to summarize my play for you,
okay?
I, uh…
Well, we’re all here to share memories right?
About the theater?
I don’t even know where to begin
My parents started taking me there
When I was eight-years-old
And I never stopped going
The thought of that place not being there
It just…
It’s difficult to imagine
But all I can think about is
How much longer can they ride this wave?
This wave where they’re invincible
To the fact
That the shows suck
And the money’s drying up
How much longer can they just go on
Living on their legacy?
Not long, right?
I need them, whoever they are
Whoever’s in charge
To wake up
To start turning this thing around
Because theaters that close
Don’t reopen
They don’t come back
One the show’s over
It’s over
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