An Opportunity to Shine

This is another in the string of letters about the bull I went through as a theater arts student. The reference to “Blackboard” ia about an online learning environment.

You can never know if I’m in the right here unless I turn around and become a successful writer. Then, how many successful writers have they put into the field?

Mr. (Supervisor of Undergraduate Studies),

I’d like you to see the quality of play that is considered unacceptable for an in-class reading in our department. (The writing teacher) went so far as to delete this play from blackboard so that the other students could not see it or make comments. 

Note that this play is a first draft, and the goal was to represent the events as accurately as possible while maintaining comedy. The secondary goal was to provide adequate opportunities for the student body. You’ll note that there are opportunities for light, sound, choreography, and music composition. I would also like to state that this draft was turned in during the third week of the fall semester giving ample time to have it polished and ready for the end of spring.

In short, I gave (the university) an opportunity to shine only to have it thrown away like filth without justification or hesitation. I took the comments you made in 200 about the selfishness of my generation to heart wrote what I thought would better the school and the student body and for my labors received a set of insults that wounded me more deeply than if your play writing teacher spat in my face.

Richard Leland Neal

12/02/2008

ALD and other stuff

This is a letter sent by email to the department chair of the Theatre Arts department of my college. I recall that I received no reply. My success was never a goal of that department. They felt that the thousands of dollars I was paying wasn't reason enough for me to be looked after.

They were still willing to take my money, but at no point did they say that I didn’t belong or wasn’t good enough. The opportunities to practice my art simply never came my way.

By the time I dropped the Theatre major I had a good number of reasons to do so. I was angry and felt cheated. When I tried to talk to people within the department they treated me as if I was worthless and refused to hear a word I said.

You tell me, was it right for a state funded school to ignore this letter?

12^th of May 2008

Subject: ALD and other stuff

Dear (Department Chair),

At this point, I’m not opposed to doing anything light related. I have two years left at (State College), but as I will be taking advanced sound next spring my last year will likely have more to do with that side of design.

I’m still shaky on the Vector Works stuff, but I’m improving.

I have presently planned a 15 unit semester involving three days a week without (the 2 unit lab class) so I can take two sections of it, but I only need one more to put towards my degree. I’m always angry when there are units that I’m paying for and not taking, but the situation is what it is.

I’d also like to know who I should talk to about what the department is looking for in terms of plays. Like I said, one of my full-length plays is a 25 character monster and might suit the needs of the department once I clean it a bit. I had planned to write three full-length pieces of theatre in playwriting last semester and only failed to do so because I was refused in-class readings. I did turn in more than one hundred pages of never before viewed work. I know I can write to the needs of the department. I can’t promise that the plays will be good, and I know the likelihood of the school putting them on is still very small, but if I don’t try then I have no one to blame but myself.

“Nothing left but trying cept’in lying down and dying” Charles Dickens