Alice in Wonderland

This Friday, my roommate and I had the opportunity to attend the ballet, Alice in Wonderland, put on at BYU. We were very excited to see it, because we both love ballets.

The house opened 30 minutes before the show, and we arrived 15 minutes early so we could enjoy the atmosphere and peruse the program before the show started. (Useful, because after reading the scene-by-scene descriptions, I was merely mildly confused by the dizzying strangeness that is Alice in Wonderland)

The lights dimmed, introductions were made, and the show began. I was swept off into a fantastical world full of imagination and vivid colors. I was no longer in Provo, Utah. I was in Wonderland, off on an adventure.

Just as I began to truly feel for Alice, crying and despairing at her situation, my illusion was shattered. I was unwittingly dragged back to reality by a harsh, gaping hole of light that appeared at my peripheral vision. One of the auditorium doors had been opened, admitting a large group of latecomers into the show.

They stood in the doorway, oozing light into the auditorium, while they attempted to find their seats. They climbed over a dozen people before they found their seats in the middle of their row. Try as I might, I was unable to focus on the dancers again until they were settled. I, and many others, missed almost an entire scene of the ballet because of this, and several other, intrusions.

These people might have had a very good reason for being late. Or, they may have simply not given themselves enough time to get there. Whatever the case, one thing they, and the ushers, failed to take into account, was everyone else already in the theater. Not just the audience members, like myself, but the performers.

Live entertainment media is very prone to distraction. It is so enjoyable, and very engaging to be a part of something as it is being created. The dancers on that stage put hours and hours of practice into this final production. The stage crew practiced until they got all of the scene changes fluid and barely noticeable. The hair, makeup, and costume designers put so much effort into making believable characters that would pull the audience in. The choreographers spent countless hours agonizing over what steps would best convey the story. Dozens of people invested themselves in creating this beautiful illusion. And it worked.

Until all of their hard work was negated by a group of 5 or 6 people who showed up 20 minutes late, shattering that illusion for all of the other audience members, for whom the illusion was created.

Now, I am not necessarily blaming this group of people. Nor am I blaming the ushers who let them in (although, maybe I am a bit on that one - that is poor etiquette on the part of the ushers. They should know better)

I am, however, despairing at the lack of consideration toward the performers. This group of people put no thought into anyone else in that auditorium when they stepped in. They did not consider everyone else who made the effort (like my roommate and myself) to be early so they would not risk missing any of the performance. They did not consider the family member of one of the performers who had been anxiously waiting to see their daughter perform for months. They did not consider the dancer on stage who could see that light just as well as I could in the audience. They didn't consider any of these things.

As we live in a world where the majority of media is able to be consumed at any time and in any place, I hope that we can appreciate the types of media that cannot be viewed at any time or in any place. I hope that we can give greater consideration to those performers who are creating something just for us to enjoy, and make an effort to respect them and their art, as much as they respect us as an audience.

Black Sheep of the Family

 Growing up, Harry Potter was a fact of life for my older brothers and me. We went to the midnight book releases, midnight movie releases, and talked about it all the time. It was a family thing, and we liked it that way.

Then my sister came along.

She is a lot younger than us, and wasn't a part of many of those experiences. By the time she was old enough to appreciate the Harry Potter story, the books were finished, and the movies were dominating the Harry Potter world. She grew up more familiar with the movies than the books, and she liked it that way.

One night, we were all in the kitchen, and Madison stated that she didn't see the need to ever read the books, since she had seen the movies. My brothers and I were shocked and dismayed by this. We even went so far as to disown her (only mostly joking). We suddenly understood what it felt like to have black sheep in the family.

Fast forward a year.

It was a beautiful and satisfying moment when my mom called and told me that Madison had been caught reading the books in secret. She read the first one out of desperation (school related), and was hooked. She was finishing the third one by the time we found out.

This was our basic reaction when we confronted her about her closet enjoyment of the books:

Basic, unadulterated gloating. It was one of the highlights of my adult life.We have now un-disowned her, and she is a fully fledged member of the family once more. 

As I despaired over my sister's honest thoughts about books vs movies, I thought about what would make my sister think so differently than the rest of my family. I came to the conclusion that much of it has to to with familiarity, exposure, and the blurring line of media. Madison was more exposed to the movies, and they were more familiar to her. And not just Harry Potter, but all movies. Movies and TV shows are coming to dominate the entertainment media world these days. Books are always being made into movies, and one form of media is converted into another. By the time a book is known well enough, its movie already has previews airing. And, instead of reading the book, my sister's generation goes to see the movie. The two forms of media are becoming intertwined to the point that they aren't seen as separate. Once you have seen the movie, the book is unnecessary. 

Has anyone else noticed this?

What-ifs and And-thens

According to legend, the ruler of Vietnam died because of a tree. As was common, the right for the throne was much envied and many people were jealous of its occupant. A plot to murder the king was hatched - he was to die by poison. Now, the king was not stupid. He knew poisoning was a possibility, and so he took precautions. He and his sons always dined using chopsticks made from the wood of the tree that is now planted at his shrine. The wood from the tree is said to have the ability to change color when it comes into contact with poison. Thus, the king would know the food was poisoned before taking a bite. However, one day he forgot to use the chopsticks, and he, along with his two sons, died. The tree is planted as a reminder to those who visit his shrine about the dangers of not being cautious.

This legend tries to make me believe that chopsticks can change color. That is most likely a ridiculous falsehood, but I like to think about the "what if" all the same. What if it were true? Or, what if Camelot really existed? What if there really are wizards who walk among us or magical creatures that can breathe fire and fly?

These what-ifs are the core of all stories. They draw us in and make us lose ourselves in a possibility. They make us explore that possibility. Maybe the wood of that tree really DOES change color when it comes into contact with poison. Perhaps warp speed is actually possible. Maybe the Jedi exist.

We all like to think about what-ifs. I know I think about them all the time. I imagine scenarios. Good. Bad. Possible. Impossible. What if get in a terrible car accident tomorrow, or what if the guy I like asks me on a date? Or, what if the zombie apocalypse really happened - would I be a zombie, or would I fight them off and try not to die? (I would be a zombie - let's get real)

Media is simply stories. Movies and books are started by people thinking "What if _______ were to happen?" Phone apps are created by people thinking "What if phones could tell me what song I just heard on the radio?" Video games: "What if a boy from the woods went on a quest to save the kingdom (and the princess) from evil - and what if you could play him?" The list goes on.

I hate what-ifs. I want them resolved - I don't like to sit with them. Media lets me explore those what-ifs and turn them into "and thens". Instead of wondering, "What if a genius and his best friend decided to solve crime for fun" I can read a series of books, short stories, watch dozens of  movies, and a BBC show about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I can find out about how they solve crime after crime, and then how Sherlock fakes his own death. Basically, I take part in media because it fulfills this uncomfortable space within me that doesn't like to have anything unresolved, and it allows me to go back to that original what-if and explore it as much as I want until I am satisfied.