The show must go on...just not at Villanova
Of drama kings...and queens
The show must go on...just not at Villanova
There’s been a lot of misinformation about what happened at my alma mater, Villanova, this week. It seems that a gay performance artist was contracted to appear at the university to put on a workshop about ‘life’ or his particular view of it. Which, of course, is what drama is all about.
But even the Augustinians, who are known for their appreciation of scholarship and their respect for the marketplace of ideas, have a limit. This fellow, Tim Miller, has a habit of doing risqué things on stage, like simulating sex (which is also dangerous if the floorboards on your stage are a bit old…)
He says it’s part of the show, but that he wouldn’t have done the “Wildcat Thing” during his performance at the school.
When university president Father Peter Donohoe got wind of the imminent performance from some justifiably irate students at the Newman Center (and affiliated blogs) he made the difficult but entirely defensible decision to cancel the show.
Of course, because the person that he cancelled is gay, it has now become a big, homophobic scandal. No surprise there. Miller himself fanned the flames by calling it evidence of homophobia, and added: “What shameful disrespect he displays for the faculty who were bringing me to Villanova and to the hundreds of other universities, arts centers, and theaters who present my work." Because having sex simulated onstage is such a respectful act, after all.
Fortunately, this letter in the Inquirer today from Nick Brown shows that even though the media and special interest groups will try and spin anything that offends them as bigotry, the truth will “come out.”
And don’t cry for Mr. Miller. Other, more ‘open-minded’ schools like my other alma mater, Bryn Mawr, have stepped into the breach to make sure that “the show will go on.” He’s gotta love all the free publicity.
What just happened at Villanova is a shameful example of the PR nightmare that occurs when university admi try to cover their rear ends after receiving threats from neoconservatives who are "outraged" that a "liberal" might somehow contaminate their hallowed school. The university president handled this poorly, and VU's decision not to comment was just plain dumb. So too is your post, Christine. Try to do some research before you spout off. No facts Christine is what I think I will call you from now on.— sophistry- Like the swallows come home to capistrano, the entity known as sophistry returns to the fold to make a completely irrelevant and inapposite comment (don't you have papers to grade? chuckle.) Read the newspaper articles, my dear, and you will get all the facts you need. The gent had simulated sex onstage. Um, I'm thinking that a Catholic university has the right to object to its property being used as a motel such as one would find along the Admiral Wilson Blvd. Kudos to Father Pete.— Christine
- Like the swallows come home to capistrano, the entity known as sophistry returns to the fold to make a completely irrelevant and inapposite comment (don't you have papers to grade? chuckle.) Read the newspaper articles, my dear, and you will get all the facts you need. The gent had simulated sex onstage. Um, I'm thinking that a Catholic university has the right to object to its property being used as a motel such as one would find along the Admiral Wilson Blvd. Kudos to Father Pete.— Christine
- How do you know Morris would simulate sex at Villanova? Just because he did it once doesn't mean he always does it. Where' s the shock value or teachable moment in that? I DID read the articles. Clearly, you did not. I also know profs at VU who were very upset about this decision to cancel Morris. My father is an alum of VU, as well. Father Pete is a coward.— sophistry
- "No Facts Christine," why don't you do some fast Googling of other cases where educational institutions made bad PR moves at the behest of a few loud, angry, intolerant types? And by the way, there are LOADS of gay kids at VU. And everyone there is having sex with each other. I think they could handle Morris's performance...why did they contract to have him perform? Did someone not do his/her due diligence (doubtful; Morris has performed at dozes of colleges, many of them Catholic)? No, some bigot got his tighty-whities in a twist and harassed Father Pete. Now, you continue to do the dirty work of homophobes and bigots. Good work today, No Facts.— sophistry
- Wow, sophistry, your dad went to Villanova. Woo, hoo. I prefer to read the letter to the editor from Nick Brown, a gay man, who has absolutely no problem with the decision of the school and refuses to paint it with the 'one size fits all' liberal slander of 'homophobe.' Really, come up with something better my dear.— Christine
- Christine, dearie, sweetie, honey, babycakes or Miss No Facts, woo hoo to you, too. You must have been, as my father told me, a member of the world's ugliest girls group who attended VU when it first went co-ed. Dad said it was a horrifying experience, to be so excited by the presence of females and then so let down by the quality of the women who chose the university (back in the 70s).— sophistry
- OK, sorry to interrupt this spirited exchange, but I see no problem with the head of a university making a judgment call about what goes on under his school's roof. Happens all the time. Speakers are invited, then cancelled all the time for various and sundry reasons.
Villanova is a private, let me remind everyone, private institution. It does not rely on state aid to supplement its tuition. It relies only on the support of its students and alumni.
In other words, its reputation.— Magistra - Such a shame that the man who was brave enough to bring "Angels In America" to Villanova's stage has become such a coward.— Ed G
- Exactly, Ed G. Pete was on the right track, but obviously, someone got to him.— sophistry
- And voila, as if on cue, we have another story of a banning based on possibly crude or lewd behavior. Sasha Baron Cohen has been banned from attending the Oscars, for fear he will come in character as The Dictator:
http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/23/sacha-baron-cohen-banned-oscars_n_1296054.html?ref=moviefone&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl12%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D137730
And I agree with the LTTE in today's Inquirer from a gay Villanova student who wishes to defend his college from hyperbolic accusations.
Miller should be happy with all the publicity and move on.
— Magistra - Please, Ed, no one is being stoned to death here. The university has a right to filter its guests. The man already has new venues. No harm done.— Magistra
- The harm done is to the credibility of the VU administration, kowtowing to local neocon bullies.— sophistry
- Villanova has a respected theatre program. They make a lot of good decisions over there so I'm gonna give them a pass on this one. Father Donohoe has not come out condemning Tim Miller's work, he simply doesn't want Miller's workshop associated with the university. Apparently, the simulated-sex was part of a performance piece and not the workshop that Miller was scheduled to present. The constant talk about simulated-sex and (gasp) nudity cheapen this discussion as they can be hot buttons for some conservatives.
I'm glad Bryn Mawr picked up the workshop and I believe that Villanova's decision is its own loss. (As a theatre guy, I was hoping that this would be the topic for Friday's column. Oh well.)— weir99 - Great point, @weir99. It's absurd to declare that Miller ALWAYS simulates sex in college workshops. That point (repeated by Christine No Facts Flowers) made it clear to me that she was jumping to wild conclusions and lacked true comprehension of the issue.— sophistry
Email Christine M. at cflowers1961@yahoo.com Reach Christine M. at cflowers1961@yahoo.com.
