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From a thought posted in the jazz thread...

Is the necessity of a theme getting in the way of designing a show that's fun to play, fun to watch, and still competetive? I'm sick to death of themes, myself. I can see something like Spartacus or a Broadway show like "Fiddler on the Roof", but some of the more "esoteric" themes seem to back designers into a self-made corner. Thoughts?

Follow up question: If a corps decided their theme was agoraphobia, would they lose GE points for showing up at the stadium? :tongue:

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No, I think the designers are getting in the way. The themes and programmatic materials are fine.

Let's not forget, Beethoven wrote an entire symphony on that little four-note motive of his.....

So no, there's nothing wrong with the themes and all that. If a design team backs themselves into a corner, its their fault for lack of creativity/technical prowess, no more no less.

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I just keep thinking (for example) "is there anyone that does NOT want to hear Boston play Conquest again?" But if it doesn't fit the theme, they can't, right?

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Absolutely! Don't get me wrong, there are many shows with a concept that I like, BUT, I feel like this have been shoved down the throats of the activity as a whole.

I love VK's show this year, and they play "Thriller" and then the next song they play is "Strangers in the Night." heck! That's fits a "Constantly Achieving Absurdity" concept and I am just fine and dandy with it.

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Most of the time but I think it's worked quite well for Crown and Phantom this year. You may not like their theme or how it's implemented visually, but I think the blue stars have quite a bit of lyrical melodies and complete musical thoughts this year.

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There are plenty of "themes" that are working well this year (from what I hear), such as Spartacus and Finis, so clearly having a theme isn't holding those corps back. If those corps are making it work, why can't everyone else?

A theme isn't something that is assigned, it's something that a design staff decides on ahead of time. If a design staff can't create a show to fit with the theme that they themselves picked out, then I'm guessing that design staff wouldn't create a stand-out show regardless.

Bad design is bad design; it exists totally independent of whether a show has a "theme" or not.

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Why don´t we try having less intellectual show designs? In 2005 we did Broadway... that was a fun, easy theme. Why do we always have to preach to the audience or do themes that would rely on very abstract music or visuals? Why not, say, a Japanese warrior theme? ;)

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