Mr. D's Harsh Mistress | A powerful moment in warm correspondence | I miss Patrick

A relevant bit in a letter from a wonderful friend:

"Theatre in general is proverbially a harsh mistress...generally this comes from the same place that your frustration does: the absolute need for a unified vision in order for the piece to work. It is a hard balance for the various directors to achieve between a unified vision made of many voices and a unified vision in monotone (which is the easier and less fulfilling of the two). It seems that the more traditional the theatre, the more likely that it will lean towards the latter option. I imagine that the same process occurs when you design clothes; no one element can be allowed to over power the others, no one influence either (or it would only be reproduction).



The problem with art so heirarchical as opera is that the person ultimately in charge can get cut off from the producers of the art he will eventually claim as his own. In this way, his decisions can easily exclude the artistry of the producers 'beneath' him."

I could not have said it better myself. I tried...really I did...but it didn't come out as beautifully.