doyle079 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 giving a show title, might make it easier to remember what the show is about. "themed" shows arent going anywhere and if anything thanks to spartacus, will be even more popular now. if thats at all possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 giving a show title, might make it easier to remember what the show is about. "themed" shows arent going anywhere and if anything thanks to spartacus, will be even more popular now. if thats at all possible I guess my question, then, is why does it have to be about anything? I will stipulate that this will be another generational debate. My generation didn't need a theme to understand or enjoy a show. Current marchers know nothing else. So it's really a point of view thing. I'm more interested in great playing, marching and visual than story-telling, no matter the era. That's something most of us can probably agree on. As far as themes go, you gotta go back further than the 80's. (Cue MikeD) Try 1971 and the Garfield Cadets. Garry in Vegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontwan2know Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I guess my question, then, is why does it have to be about anything? I will stipulate that this will be another generational debate. My generation didn't need a theme to understand or enjoy a show. Current marchers know nothing else. So it's really a point of view thing.I'm more interested in great playing, marching and visual than story-telling, no matter the era. That's something most of us can probably agree on. As far as themes go, you gotta go back further than the 80's. (Cue MikeD) Try 1971 and the Garfield Cadets. Garry in Vegas I believe Garfield's "No More War" show, complete with libretto, was 1972. Cavies and Madison featured theme shows in 1971, one being a circus show and I can't recall the other. As to "why does it have to be about anything"? The short answer is simply that it doesn't. There's no rule that requires an inherent meaning. SCV 98-00 are shows which are not, as far as I can tell, "about" anything other than playing cool music and marching and spinning their butts off. I can't come up with more recent examples off the top of my head, but I'm sure they are there. There are shows which feature a particular type of music or composer(Cavies' Billy Joel show, Appasionada 874), there are shows which tell a story(Faust, Spartacus, The Knockout, etc.), and there are "concept" shows which are more or less abstract but related to a particular idea(Frameworks, Angelus, etc. etc.). Each of these are different types of shows, but all have themes. A theme allows you to communicate more and more subtly with the audience by providing a framework of reference for what's happening on the field. It allows you to program a whole show with contrasting musical and visual elements that relate to each other in a meaningful and obvious way to generate greater effect. It's like the difference between watching a whole football game, which has context and a "storyline" and inherent drama(if it's a good game!) versus watching three hours of football highlights. A themed show has greater potential to generate effect...that doesn't mean they always do, but the potential is there. I do think there's some truth to the idea that modern shows challenge the viewer to try to understand them in-depth, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayH Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Oh, I can just hear the staff trying to convey to a judge that just gave them a low score, and the judge says, "I didn't understand your theme". The staff says, "We don't have a theme", and the judge reply's "There's your problem" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 How can anyone say he is “against” themed shows? That’s saying you are against Cavies “Machine” or “007” which to my mind represent two of the finest themes ever executed on the drum corps stage. Suppose Phantom ’08 had, instead of Spartacus, done a show of Roman-inspired music. Could it possibly have inspired us the same? Granted some of the themes we are subjected to are as lacking in concept as the music and drill they use. The fact is for many of those shows the same would have been true without the theme. It’s not the theme that’s the issue. As in all things, it’s the vision and the execution. Do it right and it works like a machine. What could be better? HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 It's not themed shows I'm against, what I'm against is that every show nowadays HAS to have a theme. I'd love to be able to go to finals and watch six themed shows and six shows with no theme whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I believe Garfield's "No More War" show, complete with libretto, was 1972. Cavies and Madison featured theme shows in 1971, one being a circus show and I can't recall the other. Close. 1971 was the Garfield show with the libretto, and it was based on The Revolutiuonary War. 1972 was the "No More War" show, but the theme was not as story-like as 1971...more like today's themed shows. In 72 we passed out a placement sized poster with some pictures on it. If memory serves, the first pic was a small boy and girl playing together (like 5 or 6 years old). Then the poster had them as grownups in uniform, obviously lovers...as the guy prepared to go off to war, leaving his girl. The last pic was of the girl looking sadly at a casket, with the guy's shako and gloves on top, I think. 71 the Scouts did an Alice in Wonderland show, with director Bill Howard's 10 year old daughter as Alice. Cavies 71 actually was a "half" circus theme...the first half of the show was not a specific theme (to my recollection, anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stryfe Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) SCV 98-00 are shows which are not, as far as I can tell, "about" anything other than playing cool music and marching and spinning their butts off. '98 was Copland music. '99 was modern/somewhat abstract. '00 was "religious." I wouldn't say they're strongly binding themes that really define the show, like "Samurai" or what have you, but they're certainly themes. But I don't think today's shows are overly thematic. I'm also apparently biased, but I think themes vary as was pointed out. Shows are basically still mostly about entertaining the crowd, playing cool music, marching and spinning butts off, etc. I'll still never understand how corps today are not playing to the crowd. They're not playing to the same crowd [that's very inevitable given the dynamic history of the activity], or perhaps their old crowd hasn't adapted with the corps and more accepting fans, but they're playing to the crowd nonetheless. And I think some themes are more vague than others. I couldn't tell you what 3hree was really about. I don't consider the Phenomenon of Cool to be too intense of a theme besides "lol here's some jazz." "Niagara Falls" wasn't really about the waterfall to me, the theme was just "that's what this music is, plus some original extra stuff." "Harmonic Journey" is the total absence of a theme. So perhaps if one has criticism of the idea of a "theme," they ought to be more specific as to what they don't like. "wtf i haet themes" is nonsensical. As for the "themes are getting too prominent" crowd... I can kind of relate. But I don't come across too many shows where the theme hurts the show. It mostly happens if it's obnoxiously distracting and doesn't integrate well with the musical/visual ideas. Edited January 23, 2009 by Stryfe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyle079 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 mmm drum corps, i cant wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baritone13 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) it shouldn't be that important now, but without it the modern judging community will kill you in GE because they didn't "get" the show Edited January 25, 2009 by Baritone13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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