If someone were to ask you the top 5 rap artists of today's times, whom would you choose?? First off, I imagine trying to limit yourself to only 5 rap artists would be nearly impossible! Secondly, people have such strong feelings over their favorites, that trying to determine who is number one or even number two or three may not even be a possibility. Who cares!?
The moral: If someone today was presented with this question, they would muster up an answer. But if someone were to ask you who the top drama writers of today's times are, would you be able to name even one?
The answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
I sure couldn't...
We are in a golden age for music. Even if you are not necessarily a rap fan, the genre is so highly publicized, that it is impossible to be completely oblivious to it. But why is it that as a golden age comes and goes, so does our knowledge of that era?
From the 1930s to the 1950s, Broadway and drama were themes that could be found in the lives of all of the American people. Broadway and drama were driving forces for glamour, entertainment and status. Everyone who was anyone was seen and heard at the Theater, but as the 50s came and went, so did the bright lights of those productions.
I am an English and Political Science major here at USC and to have to say that I know absolutely nothing about a particular genre in a field that I am supposedly understood to have mastered by the end of this year...well that's just embarrassing! That is why I have decided to take it into my own hands to become the Broadway and drama era guru.
The Golden Age of Broadway aficionado if you will.
I plan to explore the period in its entirety during its Golden Age. I plan to uncover the hot spots for such events, major themes of works from the period, as well as the major players. Who really is Thorton Wilder? or Clifford Odets? There is a reason why this genre was such a hit in the 1930's and my job is to determine why and uncover the legacy that it left us with.
But not only am I curious about its legacy, however, but why also why is it that throughout my three, and now going onto four, years here at USC, Broadway and drama have never been genres that were even given a mention in any of my classes? To be declared an English Major, you have to first take introductory courses in the genre of Fiction and Nonfiction. You have to take courses where you discover the Romantic and Gothic Periods, yet has anyone even heard of the period of drama and Broadway?!
There seems to be some sort of anti-theatrical bias in the English world, whether that prejudice stems from a fear of the theater or simply a disregard for the genre as a whole, I'm not quite sure, but there seems to be a pretty clear and universal consensus that Broadway doesn't matter.
From here on out, Broadway and drama are my life and I plan to discover everything there is to know about the Golden Age of Broadway!
Profile
When I decided to write a blog on literature, I figured there would be DOZENS of boring and informational blogs on the subject. I knew there would be blogs discussing new and emerging best authors or blogs specifically focused on the genre of fiction or nonfiction (trust me, those lit people loveee their genres!), but I wasn't quite sure I'd find one that was a specific as mine...
That's when The Broadway Pulse - Broadway Blog jumped out at me!
Although this blog doesn't focus specifically on the idea of this "dying" age of Broadway, Robert Diamond's Broadway blog focuses on making his readers aware of Broadway today looking at various different aspects of life. From the debate of theater in Iran, in Diamond's most recent post titled Movie Actors on Stage...in Iran, to his post on New Audiences of the Broadway forum, Diamond offers a unique insight into the world of Broadway. But why does this Diamond guy's opinion or analysis even matter?? Well for starters...Robert Diamond is editor-in-chief of this very blog, where supposedly there are
Over 100,000 unique visitors a day.If that doesn't prove to you that Broadway is not a dead genre, I'm not really sure what would!?
Now to the specifics!
What I like most about broadwayworld.com, and specifically The Broadway Pulse blog by diamond, is the efficiency in which all of its information is presented. Not only does this blog offer a corner for one to read about what new productions are happening around the world, but Diamond takes Broadway to a national level and reminds his readers that issues, even ones that may seem insignificant and trivial, such as Broadway, are ones that are being fought for not only here, but everywhere!!
Take his review on an article covering the debate of actors in the theater in Iran. First of all, who knew that in the middle of a war zone, the people of Iran would even have an inkling of Broadway on their minds, but nonetheless, Diamond exposes his readers to this astounding information. And yes, Diamond presents loud and clear that
Iranians have known success in establishing theater in the hearts and minds of people through traditional performances.Who doesn't love the theater? And I'm sure in a time like this, when the world seems to be in a state of such chaos, having theater as an outlet isn't such a bad idea...
Anyways, back to the blog as a whole.
Another aspect that I really enjoy about Diamond's blog is the fact that it not only offers a place for interested readers on the subject, but you could come here to listen to music from different productions, find shows going on in your area, and chat with other Broadway junkies about the wonderful world of Broadway! (A little too much...?) Diamond does a really good job of making a community for those of us who want to learn more on the topic.
Looking at this blog has given me insight into the hopes for my own blog. I think the visual aspect of a blog is pretty much a #1 priority. The fact that Broadway Pulse has pictures of articles, of various productions, and COLOR makes this blog so much more attractive than the ones that are all writing and all black and white. BORING!
Voice Critique
Everyone is always interested in what "the voice" of a blog is. No one is going to sit on the computer and search for a blog on The Golden Age of Broadway, my blog, if I don't offer some incentive for them to keep reading...
I could introduce my amazing wit...
Or I could astound my audience with my immense knowledge...
Since I've seen so many productions, I could offer insight with comparisons...
I have absolutely none of that! Which is why I turned to the web, where there are hundreds of thousands of different blogs on my subject, which have followers, which means they each HAVE to have some sort of voice of their own!
In my search for "broadway blogs" (no joke, I really put that into the google search box), I came across one called Broadway & Me. Just from the title, I already knew that this was going to be the perfect place for me to start the search for a blogger voice because I hadn't even jumped into it and I already knew what the blog was going to be about; Broadway & Me was going to be a blog about an actor and his experiences in Broadway...
Okay so my first guess was wrong, but close enough!
Broadway & Me is a blog from the perspective of an avid theater goer and his experiences as he sees various productions. Each post introduces a new performance and his viewpoints on every aspect of the production, the actors, the staging, the setting...EVERYTHING. Seeing as this blogger was not a critic, what gives him the right to analyze these plays that are put on for his enjoyment, and an even better question, why would anyone read a blog that offers criticisms on productions, coming from someone who doesn't even "matter"?
My guess: HIS BLOGGER VOICE
First off, this blogger has an enormous amount of knowledge about the theater world. Now I know there is the internet, and Wikipedis is ohh so helpful, but this blogger obviously knows at least enough to know who or what he should be searching. This blogger uses a lot of name dropping, which gives him some credibility for "doing his homework", if nothing else. He can compare the performances of one actor in one play to the performance of another actor in another play, which shows his passion for the theme.
And although this definitely isn't a scholarly blog, his entries definitely would not be found in the pages of a textbook on Broadway, this blogger uses words such as "melodramatic" and "expressionistic", which shows that he's had at least some training in talking about Broadway as an art form.
The detail into which this blogger offers also adds to his voice in that it shows an excitement and passion for the subject matter and pieces in which he is discussing. If someone were to have a long drawn out passage using big Thesaurus type words, NO ONE would read it. But this blogger uses language that the average person can recognize and understand, while adding little twists here and there of his opinion, which ultimately creates a blog that is informative, entertaining, and all about Broadway!
