As long as we’re under some form of social distancing/shelter-in-place orders, all subsequent issues of the Shatner Chatner will be free and available to paid, unpaid, and non-subscribers alike. If you’re able to continue supporting the Chatner financially, I’d appreciate it tremendously and can very much use the money, but if you need to cut costs right now, you won’t lose any access to new posts.
> I writhe from the fact that it is a play, which does not make sense to me – I’ve never been tricked into attending the theater, the actors know that they are acting, there’s nothing inherently embarrassing about telling a story or pretending. And yet from that first boisterous ensemble trot onstage, I am seized with an urge to die and melt into the ground.
I definitely don't feel the same way about a lot of the things you wrote about here (probably at least partially due to my own over dramatic and intense nature making theatre acting and weird unnatural stage directions seem closer to the way I experience things. Also I'm catholic so I'm very at home watching people knowingly ignore the obvious) but that bit about gender swapped shakespeare really fucking hit me like a baseball bat. "The staging says: I love boyishness, but I hope you’re not thinking of going on T. I heard it turns you into a raging monster. Have you tried being Eileen Myles?" i feel like i've been unravelled but in a very good and necessary way.
As a transguy who regularly designs/builds/helps produce Shakespeare and other theatre with cross-gender casting and regendered roles (and has helped *many* actors with realistic male body movement): please don’t speak for me when you’re sharing your opinions about what sounds like some truly mediocre theatre.
> I writhe from the fact that it is a play, which does not make sense to me – I’ve never been tricked into attending the theater, the actors know that they are acting, there’s nothing inherently embarrassing about telling a story or pretending. And yet from that first boisterous ensemble trot onstage, I am seized with an urge to die and melt into the ground.
same! i thought i was the only one
I definitely don't feel the same way about a lot of the things you wrote about here (probably at least partially due to my own over dramatic and intense nature making theatre acting and weird unnatural stage directions seem closer to the way I experience things. Also I'm catholic so I'm very at home watching people knowingly ignore the obvious) but that bit about gender swapped shakespeare really fucking hit me like a baseball bat. "The staging says: I love boyishness, but I hope you’re not thinking of going on T. I heard it turns you into a raging monster. Have you tried being Eileen Myles?" i feel like i've been unravelled but in a very good and necessary way.
Got a subscription....been following your work and your story (and Grace’s) for awhile. I love the Didion/Wintour skits ....
As a transguy who regularly designs/builds/helps produce Shakespeare and other theatre with cross-gender casting and regendered roles (and has helped *many* actors with realistic male body movement): please don’t speak for me when you’re sharing your opinions about what sounds like some truly mediocre theatre.