A blog about absolutely nothing

I thought you guys might be bored with my weekly rambles.  So here is  guest blog post from my friend Matt Gwynn.    Matt is what people call a triple threat, Actor, Bill Cosby impersonator, and avid MSU Spartan fan.  Matt is a local actor who  recently stared in in Bleeding Red at the Purple Rose Theater.  I hope you guys like is entry!!

Matt in Bleeding Red

I was talking with an acquaintance of mine who is in a band in the Detroit area. I mentioned to him in passing that I thought his band had an edge in the market because they “Do not suck.” He then proceed to laundry list some other Detroit bands that were “fantastic” but lacked exposure to really get the radio play. Some names he mentioned I recognized and liked as well. Most names he mentioned I recognized and knew to be, well, pretty awful.

This is entirely subjective, of course. If I think a band is bad, does than mean that they couldn’t be a commercial success? No. But when about a thousand people think that way, the writing is on the wall. Not every band is a hard luck case. Some just suck. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say must just don’t sound good.

I have been thinking a lot about that conversation as it pertains to others parts of the Metro Detroit art scene. We have a cavalcade of organizations that, right now, are being hit hard with the economic downturn. All are affected, but some more than most. I am a gainfully employed actor in the area and can certainly say that some theaters are right on the brink. I can also say that these same theaters are some of the ones we should push over.

I am not talking about the ones who have had to cancel a show or cut some people. Everyone has had to do that. I am talking about the ones who can’t keep their doors open. There are a handful across the state that come to mind.

While it may be a detriment to have fewer theaters to be employing actors like myself, the quality of the art will be lifted. It is not coincidence that these theaters with severe money problems are the same ones that have grossly mismanaged their situations and continue to churn out a craptastic product. Few exceptions exist. Their actions do not inspire me to help them out in any way. After all, what are you paying for?

Trust me, the void caused by losing these places would be filled quickly. We have too many talented people in this state to leave an audience without a show. Four great companies have opened the doors in my area through the last 6 years and are flourishing. It’s not the star power, or the ads, or even the location that has made them successful. It is the caliber of work they produce. No wonder people want to shoot movies here (that and the huge tax break).

This is not an attack on any particular theatre and, chances are, you’re thinking of a different theatre than I am. Like I said, this is subjective. Unless thousands of people vote with their wallet and use this time to let the comatose theatres rest in peace. Then it’s a movement that will ultimately make the theatre community stronger. Now that would be something I’d go see.