Channel3 Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 The choreography is easily tweaked, it's not that big a deal. But the standard rule in production circles is don't play children, and don't play child-like. It's disengenuous and cutesy, for one. (Putnam County Spelling Bee is a little odd, Avenue Q is justifiably twisted.) It also makes adult performers appear crazy and of limited intelligence. And limits the potential in a scene because of appropriateness issues-- some scene possibilities just don't work for child characters. Also, once you play a child (or childlike) in one portion of a scene, are you stlil a child later in the show? How do we know if you're portraying an actual child, or if you're just child-iike? Playing child-like doesn't work for adults, as a rule. I'd turn the volume knob down on the child-like behavior idea. A million other attributes offer so much more depth and complexity. Basic design pitfall for newbies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 The choreography is easily tweaked, it's not that big a deal. But the standard rule in production circles is don't play children, and don't play child-like. It's disengenuous and cutesy, for one. (Putnam County Spelling Bee is a little odd, Avenue Q is justifiably twisted.) It also makes adult performers appear crazy and of limited intelligence. And limits the potential in a scene because of appropriateness issues-- some scene possibilities just don't work for child characters. Also, once you play a child (or childlike) in one portion of a scene, are you stlil a child later in the show? How do we know if you're portraying an actual child, or if you're just child-iike? Playing child-like doesn't work for adults, as a rule. I'd turn the volume knob down on the child-like behavior idea. A million other attributes offer so much more depth and complexity. Basic design pitfall for newbies. OT... I never thought of "Avenue Q" as being about children or even child-like. Even though the characters are all puppets, they are decidedly adults. For any who do not know..."Avenue Q" won the Tony for Best Musical the year it was eligible...over "Wicked"! . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 But the standard rule in production circles is don't play children, and don't play child-like. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 This is the true issue. It's staring us right in the face. Cadets, no doubt, have more talent in the ranks. They also have a show concept that would have been shrugged out of the room in any organization in which the CEO was not also (wait for it) the program coordinator AND the corps director. Great. So the real issue is that don't like Hopkins. Now that we got that out of the way, the fact that you dislike the director does not a terrible show design make. And for those who dislike him, you guys sure make more than enough of an effort to come onto this thread and complain about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exitmusic Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Great. So the real issue is that don't like Hopkins. Now that we got that out of the way, the fact that you dislike the director does not a terrible show design make. And for those who dislike him, you guys sure make more than enough of an effort to come onto this thread and complain about it. Dude... he's the program coordinator, and the program is lacking. The only reason he is program coordinator is because he hired himself. George Hopkins wouldn't get a job as a program coordinator at any other corps in the world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Dude... he's the program coordinator, and the program is lacking. The only reason he is program coordinator is because he hired himself. George Hopkins wouldn't get a job as a program coordinator at any other corps in the world. of course, he and Dan Farrell could exchange places... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Dude... he's the program coordinator, and the program is lacking. The only reason he is program coordinator is because he hired himself. George Hopkins wouldn't get a job as a program coordinator at any other corps in the world. In YOUR eyes it's lacking. And even if it is "lacking" there is still time in the season to make changes. Funny. When they come out with programs when they're winning, that same statement wouldn't even be applied. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 post++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exitmusic Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 In YOUR eyes it's lacking. And even if it is "lacking" there is still time in the season to make changes. Funny. When they come out with programs when they're winning, that same statement wouldn't even be applied. Yeah, everything about drum corps is opinion. My opinion, and I believe it to be widely held, is that this program is middling at best, and yes it will probably sparkle by August, but programmatically, it's a loser. Changes are band-aids. The entire aesthetic of the program is second rate and half baked for reasons that other posters have ably articulated in this thread. There hasn't been a winning design since 2011, and before that maybe 2007. Two in ten years is... not great, competitively. More importantly, I wouldn't characterize any of these programs as particularly memorable or truly enjoyable, with a couple coming in as downright cringeworthy. (Namely 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Well, technically, by definition, NO corps has had two "winning designs" in the last ten years, except Blue Devils. So I guess every program director should immediately step down except Blue Devils. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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