The Foreigner: I have a problem with this show
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Topic: The Foreigner: I have a problem with this show
Posted By: pjturner07
Subject: The Foreigner: I have a problem with this show
Date Posted: 5/07/10 at 1:39pm
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Am I the only one who doesn't think the KKK is funny? My board has decided to do "The Foreigner" for next season, and frankly, with the atmosphere in the nation right now, I don't think we should even get involved with having people in sheets prancing around on stage. On top of that, we have been working hard to get a more culturally diverse group of volunteers, and I'm not sure that doing this show sends the right message. I am far from a politically correct person, but when I read the end of the play, I gritted my teeth. I'm told it's a way of making fun of racism and the Klan, but frankly, I didn't see it that way... Am I out of line? |
Replies:
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 5/07/10 at 11:31pm
| I have the same problem with this show, but everyone tells me to lighten up. I say, if I lighten up then I'm implicitly condoning something I detest. Maybe I should just lighten up - and stay away from those shows that do not reflect my values, and which I cannot recommend to others. |
Posted By: pjturner07
Date Posted: 5/08/10 at 12:49am
| My biggest problem is, I'm the theater manager. I don't have a vote on the board, and I've voiced my concern. I hate the idea of having to voice enthusiasm and support for a show that I am offended by. Anyone else struggle with that issue? |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 5/09/10 at 11:51am
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I have done the show several times each time it was extremely well recieved by the audiences. The Klan is represented as undermining decieptful bumbling idiots. They are not even supported by the locals. "if I lighten up then I'm implicitly condoning something I detest." You detest the Klan being humiliated and their scheming being defeated? As for voicing enthusiasm and support, look at reviews where it has been done in the past and present them, you do not have to share your own opinion. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 5/09/10 at 3:53pm
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I, too, see the klan as a disgusting collection of hate filled idiots, and at first glance I was appalled with the thought of doing this show. ...To the point that I demanded my name NOT appear in the playbill for this production, even though I designed and built most of the set myself. Then I watched the show and saw that they are made to look like the small minded fools they are (on stage and in real life), so the message in the show is these people are NOT respectable or credible people. You could also bolster your opinion (as I do) by donating to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that puts many of these people (in real life) out of business through the courts as well as teaching/promoting tolerance in schools. ------------- Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. |
Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 5/13/10 at 11:54pm
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It seems to be similar to the argument against a show like the old "Hogan's Heroes" in TV from the '60's... That show portrayed the Nazis as bumbling idiots, when in real life they were ... well, we know what they were. The KKK may be made up of some ignorant inbred fools, but they also have been responsible for horrors brought down on many innocent people. Producing The Foreigner might be likened to producing the show "The Producers", too. Distasteful, but funny... there is a tightrope to walk it seems. By the way, I love Southern Poverty Law Center, too and have supported it for 10 years. They do GREAT work!! |
Posted By: gelcat
Date Posted: 5/20/10 at 11:21am
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The show is really more about a comedy of errors and secret knowledge than about the KKK, the KKK is just the crisis that is used to carry the show along-
The KKK is not glorified, it is revealed as the group of cowards and idiots it is, and no one finds anything likeable about the characters involved with the KKK, except to laugh at them. As long as you don't have anyone attending that whoops and hollers when the hooded ones show up, no worries! (grin- though we had that worry in our area)
Really, the person with the worst job? The costumer, who has to figure out how make the robes, and has to be really careful about discussing what they are working on.
I don't think we had anyone think the show was approaching dangerous territory.
The worst thing about the show when you are trying to promote diversity is that there are only 2 possible chances of casting outside 'white Southern' for the show to make sense, and they are 'British' men, but that can cover a lot of area, with care. ------------- www.actorsguildonline.org Actors Guild of Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV |
Posted By: godolphs
Date Posted: 5/21/10 at 9:32am
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Hey PJ,
I hear what you say about the racism but I have experience with the show as I played Owen Muser a few years ago. Trust me, the lines I had to spat out on stage made the hair on the back of my neck raise every time I had to deliver them.
However, the KKK is not the focus of the play, it's the "evil" character in the play that is shown to be cowardly and, yes, stupid.
I would not play it as funny but ignorant and naive.
We won several awards for the show so it can be a great show if done right.
I think your concerns are justified but I think if the message sent is that racism is ignorant then I think your theater will send a positive message to audience.
Just my thoughts,
GoDolphs
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 5/21/10 at 9:41am
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I hear the negative that some of you are saying about the whole Klan issue here, and no one is in favor of promoting the Klan or their agenda. And I agree with those of you who are saying that in the Foreigner they are made to look like dolts. I guess my biggest problem with the "discussion" is that there are SO many worse/questionable things out there in the play catalogs, that if you really knew the Foreigner, it probably wouldn't fall into your sights for things that trouble you in the theater... just a thought... ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 5/21/10 at 1:25pm
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I just got done directing The Foreigner.
The play does not, in any way, shape or form, glorify the Klan or make them funny in a "Hogan's Heroes" way. The Klansmen are the villians of the piece. Without bad guys, how can the good guys win?
We worked hard on making the Klansmen (Owen in particular) as evil and realistic as possible - I wanted the audience to be scared of them, so that the victory over them would be meaningful. And there was dead, stunned silence in our theatre when Owen yelled, "Y'all don't #%$* with THE KLAN!"
There's no drama without conflict. Nobody wants to see Frodo kick a puppy; we want to see him defeat Sauron, doggone it! ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 5/25/10 at 2:22pm
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I might like to see Frodo kick a puppy. Is it an evil puppy? Or maybe a zombie puppy trying to eat his brain?
------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 5/26/10 at 9:37am
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It's a Warg puppy. But a cute Warg puppy. ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 5/26/10 at 7:29pm
Did I miss something, or has this thread suddenly lurched toward WEIRD?  ------------- Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 5/27/10 at 8:42am
You most definately missed something.  ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:05pm
Any thread I'm in lurches toward weird.  ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |