(readers say) Abolish Live Theater--It's just not Green

NPR does story on Oregon Shakespeare Festival

It was a good day of news for our little town of Ashland Oregon. NPR Weekend edition did a niece story about how even in this economy, theOregon Shakespeare Festival had a record setting season last year. Fearing the worst, they cut the budget last year, and against predictions sold more tickets than expected.

You can read and listen to the news story HERE.

Now, I have to decide if I am going to break up my comments on this subject into multiple parts, or just rant.  If you go to the news story on NPR.com, you can scroll to the bottom and read the comments of the listeners. Let me start by saying that being able to post anonymous comments on the internet is one of the worst features of the internet. The vile that is expressed on some comments makes me really question the goodness of humanity at times. So as a general rule, I do not read anonymous comments.

But, I thought what kind of hatred or vitriol could possibly come as a result of this story. It's just going to be people saying how much they love Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Again, I was slapped by the bizarre face of  what people will say when they don't think people know they are writing it. It wasn't really hatred, like you see in news stories about politics...but it was.....well.......odd.

Essentially, the comments started with

Mark  wrote:  "Why don't they hold their events during the day time? This way they can use sunlight to illuminate the stage and they can feel good about being green?"

David wrote: "Sorry, been there and this production doesn't pass the "green" sniff test, or even close.....There is no reason these productions can't be recorded and replayed via the internet. There is no place for productions like this in our "green" society. Using precious energy to repeat the same performance, over and over, is counter to "green" beliefs, I mean realities. Save the planet, abolish theatre.

Now where do you even start with that?

REALLY? Abolish live theater to save the planet? I have been known to be on the left fringe of what I see as politics. I believe that global warming is real. I believe that there needs to be a conscious effort to make this country a more sustainable place, and even in many "radical" ways to make that happen. But abolish live theater?  Or only hold theater events outside in the daytime? When does that start being kooky.  And what makes people get on the internet after hearing a story about a theater company being successful and start ranting about how they are not "Green" enough.

Mark goes on to rant about parking and valet service and lit parking lots at the OSF....obviously never having been here. Which makes it even stranger to me. At least that David dude said he had been to the Festival before. So does this Mark dude just go on every NPR story and accuse all business of being anti green because they have indoor offices? I wonder if the computer he uses runs on electricity, and if he pedals his bike powered generator to make it run.

Okay, I admit, I am on a Rant. And some people took up the cause on the site and refuted the people I am complaining about. I am not interested in giving them the satisfaction that I read it on the site.  But I couldn't let that go without comment.

But for those of you who are interested in Real Estate in Ashland Oregon, and are interested in this green leaning town with the highest proportion of hybrid vehicles of anyplace that I know of, lets go find us a solar, straw bale house with a rain catchment systems, and plenty of land to grow your own vegetables. Maybe even room for chickens, a cow, a couple of sheep and bee hives. That's my idea of how to save the environment...not Abolishing Live Theater. Honestly