This Can't Be Broccoli

This week, I'm talking with one of my really good friends. No big controversy this time around, just a discussion about how doing theater can be exhausting even when you're not doing it. Here's the interview: ME:  How long have we known each other? THEM:  Too long. ME:  (Laughs.)  It's going to be one of THOSE interviews. THEM:  I'm going to wreck you. ME:  Bring it on. THEM:  The Wolf's got nothing on me. ME:  It's true.  You probably could destroy me. THEM:  I know so many things. ME:  But I know a lot about you. THEM:  We're not really friends.  We just know too much about each other and now there's no going back. ME:  (Laughs.)  I want to talk-- THEM:  Are you in New York right now? ME:  I am. THEM:  How's that? ME:  It's raining.  I hate everything. THEM:  It is not fun there when it rains. ME:  Take a city covered in garbage and add water....

For this special edition of "Kevin Talks to Anonymous People About Controversial Stuff and Then Posts It On a Saturday Afternoon Instead of His Usual Tuesday Because Less People Are Paying Attention and He Doesn't Feel Like Arguing...That Much," I decided to bite the bullet and talk with a Bernie Sanders supporter about how terrified I am that we're going to have to have all the same fights we had in 2016 because life is a cyclical trash tornado. Here's the interview: ME:  Just so people know that I went out and found the most avid Bernie supporter I could find-- THEM:  Uh oh. ME:  --You worked on his campaign in 2016, right? THEM:  Not THE campaign, but a branch of it, yes. ME:  Great.  I just wanted to let people know I didn't get someone who's like-- iffy on Bernie.  You're a big Bernie fan. THEM:  I am very much all in on Bernie. ME:  And do you hate Hillary Clinton? THEM:  (Laughs.)  You're not wasting any time. ...

My interview this week is indirectly related to last week's interview, so if you haven't read that one, click here-- http://thiscantbebroccoli.blogspot.com/2019/10/theater-and-arts-funding.html When the interview came out, I was contacted by someone who left a position at a respected regional theater a year ago, and has been debating whether or not to speak about their experience at that theater ever since. Due to the nature of this interview, I felt it was important to hear the theater's side of things.  After speaking with the person being interviewed about it, I contacted the theater and asked if they'd like to speak with me about some of the allegations in this interview. Not only did they not  want to have me speak with a representative, but they have since threatened legal action if I published this interview. I wish them luck with any legal endeavors they decide to pursue. Here's the interview: ME:  I don't want to get into too...

I'm a little nervous to write this, because for most of my life, I've been made to feel badly about the fact that I don't drink very much. Actually, for most of my life, I didn't drink at all. Now, I do it every so often, but it's still not something I really get a kick out of--mainly because I can't get past how medicinal most alcohol tastes, and I'm a control freak who can find no joy in the idea of purposefully putting myself in positions where I'd be dependent on other people or just unable to take care of myself. But I've grown accustomed to making it super clear to everyone around me--including people I've dated--that drinking is totally cool with me. In fact, I've probably gone overboard, because I've always been told that I have a problem because I don't drink.  That it's something I should feel weird about. Years ago, I went out on a date with a guy and when he found out I wasn't planning on drinking, he got...

A few months ago, I was contacted by someone who works for one of those organizations that helps fund the arts in their state. Arts funding can be a crucial part of a theater's survival, but like anything else, it can sometimes feel extremely politicized. That's why I was so interested in speaking with someone who recently left their job at one such organization, especially when I heard the terms weren't all that amicable. Here's the interview: ME:  I have never been so excited to get dirt as I am right now. THEM:  (Laughs.)  See, now this feels very tawdry. ME:  It is tawdry.  The views are going to be outrageous. THEM:  The wild world of arts funding. ME:  But it IS wild if you're a theater person--or an artist--or someone who's had to try to get money from one of these places.  There's a lot of mystery surrounding them, I think. THEM:  Is there?  I find them to be pretty transparent. ME:  Bu...

It really became clear to me when NBC announced what would be going to its streaming service. Probably because, up until then, I didn't realize NBC was launching  a streaming service. That's when I began to fear there was no coming back for network television. Should I have started worrying sooner? Probably. But culture, like everything else, is cyclical, and every time people write off the networks, they pull out the invention of reality television, or the rebirth of scripted, or This Is Us or something else to justify their existence all over again. So even though streaming is more popular than ever, I assumed that the networks would eventually get it together, and start competing the best way they know how-- By copying everyone else. But by that I mean--copying the kind of content on streaming.  The nurturing of talent.  The hands-off approach to creativity.  The niche series. It never occurred to me that they might just copy the medium itself and l...

Today we're talking about a celebrity. It's actually the second celebrity we've talked about in these interviews, and I can't tell you who either one is, because I have no interest in being sued...again...so... Just google "Acting School" and "Oscar Nominee" and whatever scandal pops up is probably the one we're talking about here. When this scandal arose, I reached out to one of the women involved on Twitter, and within a few hours, we were on the phone. Here's the interview: ME:  Thank you for getting back to me. THEM:  Thank you for contacting me. ME:  How has the past twenty-fours been? THEM:  Stressful.  I'm--This is all pretty stressful, but it's--It's about what I expected. ME:  I'm going to be really careful and, um, tread carefully with what we talk about here, because I don't want to get either of us in too much trouble. THEM:  Okay. ME:  So if there's anything you'd rather not answer ...

My interview this week is with an artist I admire from a community that's currently embroiled in a debate over gender representation.  When this person reached out to me asking to do an interview, I read up on the situation, and immediately got her on the phone. Here's the interview: ME:  How are you holding up? THEM:  It's been a trying few months. ME:  This has been going on for months? THEM:  Yes, it has. ME:  Can you tell me where it all began? THEM:  In the way that you--with this series of interviews--were trying to showcase some of the issues that are going on right now in various communities, I wrote my own blog post about what I was experience in my community and why it had gotten me to a point where I felt like I wanted to just, uh, walk away from it--the community. ME:  So basically, I got you in trouble. THEM:  (Laughs.)  This is all your fault, Kevin. ME:  What were the issues you wrote about? THEM:  ...