On Wikileaks

Okay, so this isn't at all a post about theatre. Instead, today I'm writing about something you're probably all sick of reading about by now - yes, Wikileaks. But the truth is that what's been happening over the last week is setting some really dangerous precedents for the future, things that I can't help but feel the need to address and talk about, even if it is only on a blog that maybe ten people read.

So by now you all know, unless you've been living under a rock, that the site Wikileaks has been publishing a host of American diplomatic cables ranging from nonclassified to secret/confidential. These cables have mostly depicted the the workings of US diplomats overseas, from simply frank assessments of other nations' leaders to discussions of defense tactics around the Balkans in the case of a Russian offensive. And Wikileaks is releasing these cables slowly, there's still a cache of hundreds of thousands of cables that have not yet been seen that are to be released over the coming days/weeks/months. There's a good timeline of this whole Wikileaks situation HERE.

First of all, I think it is very important for people to understand that there is absolutely nothing illegal about what Wikileaks is doing. The leaking of classified information is illegal, yes, but the receiving and publishing of it is not. See here for further clarification. If the publishing of classified information was itself illegal, the Washington Post would not have been able to publish the Pentagon Papers, or would have been prosecuted for doing so. The breaking of the Watergate scandal would have been far more difficult, and Nixon might never have been impeached.

The truth is this. Wikileaks is now providing us with something that we've as of late been lacking. Oversight. And we've been lacking it because in this 24/7 big business media world in which we live, any notion of true investigative reporting/journalism has been thrown out the window. If Watergate had happened last year instead of thirty-five years ago, we'd never learn about it. There just isn't the mind frame of keeping tabs on the government. In the rush towards patriotism since 9/11 we as a culture and media have abandoned very key notions of what exactly the fourth estate exists for. It isn't simply to inform us of the day to day goings on, although that's certainly one function. In a society where free speech is the expectation and freedoms are supposed to a given, there are startlingly few ways to fully guarantee that those freedoms are truly being protected, that the government we as a people have elected is truly working in the best interest of its constituents. The media as a whole is the entity responsible for ensuring that this is taking place. Why, in third world nations and dictatorships is media the first thing to be restricted? Because a free flow of information is an extreme danger to tyrants and to those abusing their power.


Which brings us back to Wikileaks and today. The media today has no spine, not really. There's no goal of oversight and there's precious little effort made at exposing corruption anywhere throughout either federal or state level government. But Wikileaks is willing to publish the information that other groups and newspapers aren't even willing to search out (disclaimer: Wikileaks also doesn't search out the information, they only act on submissions they get from sources all over the world). They are providing the government itself with a sense of being watched. Which is important. Because without that sense the government will continue to act as if it can do anything and everything. This is not at all a partisan issue, both sides of the aisle engage in these sorts of acts. And I'm also not an idealist or an idiot. I understand that some corruption is going to exist and could even be necessary for the government to run smoothly. But as long as there remains the possibility that this corruption will be uncovered, it will not spread to the point where it becomes dangerous to the American public.Or even smaller things - for instance - the US is pointing out that all these documents are doing is embarrassing the government and the diplomats and making them look bad. And that's certainly happening. But why is that happening? Because American governmental employees were mocking international leaders in DIPLOMATIC CABLES! Would you send an email to your boss describing in very frank terms the physical appearance of your coworkers? Probably not. And so if the US diplomats are being embarrassed by these leaks, maybe shouldn't they also be embarrassed for saying the damn things in the first place? Because that makes sense to me. 


I'm not even going to go in to the smear campaign that's been going on with regards to Julian Assange. It's just important to understand that this whole issue is not about him. It is about our governments inability to handle freedom of speech when it is speech that they find undesirable. 


Edit: To those of you who point out that the cables may cause damage, here's a link for ya. Wikileaks hasn't caused any deaths. 

Long story short, the way Obama and the US/World leaders have responded to this is deplorable, and all it really shows is that they truly fear what Wikileaks might know and what they might reveal to the world.

"You Guys are Masochists"

"You guys are masochists" - Sam Gold speaking to a room full of interns attempting to make a career in the theatre.

So, I found this funny. Sam Gold came and talked to the NYTW interns today - and it was fantastic. Really interesting guy, fascinating career, and it was really informative to hear how he works and how he got to where he is now. But it was this statement I found interesting. He meant it in the sense that to go into theatre is, as well all know, a bit insane. He literally stated that there is no such thing as a directing "Career". Meaning that there's no path, there's barely a way to even support yourself purely based on your work. Only a few people are ever really 'comfortable' when it comes to directing as a profession. But he sees directing/theatre also as something the artist is subsidizing - the artist is sacrificing something for the art, to create it, and it is just as valuable as a monetary subsidy/grant. Interesting stuff. Also talked about media branding and the effect it has on a piece and a director's career. That was realllly interesting stuff.

And just as a quick note, I just got an email asking me to direct a piece at Emerging Artist's Theater for their short play festival in March! Very exciting, this will be an equity showcase, meaning I get to use real equity actors! This should be very fun, and the spring semester is shaping up to be a really busy one. Also got accepted into a workshop program called XPass: Go! With the Exchange Theatre and three other off-broadway theatre companies. There were only five people accepted into the program, and I was one of them, so again, I'm excited.

Yeah - as far as this spring goes, busy might end up being an understatement.

Too Many Actors in this Town

So that was nice - just returned this week from Iowa, where I was visiting the alma matter (who doesn't like saying that?) and some old friends, now I'm back in the city and it feels like there's more going on than ever.

First of all, that whole festival I got my play BROKEN in to? Yeah, well, now I'm actually having to put things together, and there's definitely a lot to do. Put up an audition on Playbill and have been deluged with actor submissions to the point where I can hardly go through them all myself, definitely don't have the time to thoroughly look at all of their headshots, much less give their resumes a detailed look. I can only imagine what it's like when a well known theatre puts up a call - oh wait, I guess I can do more than imagine, seeing as how I'm a casting intern at a well known theatre and have to go through god knows how many actor submissions... good preparation I suppose.

Actually, it has been great prep. I've been able to narrow down what I'm looking for and, having sat in on many an audition at NYTW, am much more prepared to deal with running one myself. I'm excited, I've gotten submissions from actors with some really good credits. And this is a non-paying gig. And most of them won't even get cast in it. That definitely hits home to me how difficult it is to succeed in this business in any capacity, because EVERY production has a massive pool of actors to draw from. Must be intimidating for those actor types.

And as I said, things are getting busier - I have a meeting to discuss a really interesting play with a playwright from Iowa, whom I know through several oddball connections. Before that, though, I am lucky enough to be going to an intern lunch (where all of the NYTW interns get together with a professional in the field to talk with them) where we'll be talking with Sam Gold! For those of you who don't know, he's a director who has worked at places like The Roundabout, Playwright's Horizons, etc... should be awesome.

Got to run to an artistic meeting so have to cut this short. More soon!