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Finally. That’s what I have to say. Finally.

Several articles have been written recently regarding the possibility of a new home for the Cleveland State University Drama Program, these follow on a proposed master plan discussed a year or so ago. The gist of the new plan includes moving the program to the Allen Theatre, right down Euclid Avenue, positioning the CSU Drama program right in the middle of Playhouse Square.

As Steven Litt, of the Plain Dealer, writes: “Meanwhile, the university and Playhouse Square are discussing a project that would turn the nearby Allen Theatre into a new home for the CSU’s drama program. It would cost at least $10 million and would divide the Allen into two or more performance spaces, while keeping most of the historic 1921 theater intact.”

Further, as Tony Brown postulates, “Here’s a possible future: A 21st-century showcase for the best college drama from Northeast Ohio’s major centers of higher education.”

Why major centers? Funny that you ask. Case Western Reserve University’s MFA Acting program has an agreement with the Cleveland Playhouse to provide a venue for the young stable of actors at Case. But this points to the absence of anything comparable for the playwrights in the CSU or NEOMFA program. And believe me, as a MFA playwright I know what a difference having MFA actors would make. I don’t want to knock undergrads, but there’s cutting your teeth and there’s cutting your teeth. Beating this metaphor to death: some of the undergrads are still drooling and figuring out what the little calcium nubs in their mouth are; but the MFA actors are outright chewing and tearing into things. I’ve seen some of their stuff, including a very good Tom Stoppard piece (The Real Thing). But this doesn’t just include playwrights and actors, this includes lighting, sound, costuming, set-design, and more…

But, I digress. It is a hope that these MFA programs can be merged (or at least come to an agreement) and the addition of the Allen Theatre could serve as a strong catalyst. Don’t get me wrong (again) I don’t dislike the Factory Theatre. It has an upstairs blackbox space that is nice and a very large theater space that is, in my opinion, not made available enough for the MFA playwrights. But the Factory Theatre was just that: a factory. A cotton factory. The Allen Theatre was always a theater.

Further, if Brown is correct, “The university [CSU] would manage the Allen as a downtown venue for a consortium of college theaters across the region to show off their work.”

And I say the more the merrier. This tangentially connects with my earlier piece on this year’s Ingenuity work–there is something magical about a gaggle of artists in one place. Ideas radiate, ricochet, and energy pulsates. And to be in Playhouse Square adds a touch of legitimacy (respectability?) for those who would otherwise seek the general run-of-the-mill, anemic theater fare.

Again, according to Brown, “Last week, [Michael] Schwartz [president at CSU] put the Allen on the front burner for his final year at the university when he announced his retirement next June.

“When I got here in 2001, we were at the very edge of Playhouse Square but had virtually no contact, and that made absolutely no sense whatsoever given our location and the voracious appetite for theater in Northeast Ohio,” Schwartz said.

“I am going to do something about that.”

… He now envisions a theater management program, a technical-theater training school, and a new scenery and costume manufacturing shop operated jointly by CSU and Great Lakes Theater Festival, which is now renovating Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre into its new performance home.

Other quotes follow, including Timothy Chandler, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent; Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director at the Great Lakes Theater Festival; and Thomas Schorgl, President of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. A good beginning to a necessary partnership-building that can make something like this happen. Taken along with the idea I mentioned in an earlier posting, regarding a voucher program I read about in American Theatre, there are great possibilities for building a theater community in Northeast Ohio that can be truly vibrant.

God knows, that certainly is the kind of theater environment I’d like to be in the midst of!

I have come to the realization that I can be quite easily outraged. I’ve discussed this topic before, but in the context of playwriting and some of the choices of subject matter that I’ve made: revolving around injustice. I’ve got quite a fierce sense of fairness and the accompanying anger that goes along with what I perceive as being unfair. Of course, sometimes the things that I get angry about can be a little bit less than important–or at least, relevant to my own life. One such subject is the eponymous title for this entry.

There is an article in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer by Jeremy Gerard (actually of the Bloomberg News) who writes of the “Phony Tony voting” that occurs and that, “Many of the Tony Awards announced…will be given out in flagrant violation of Tony rules.”

So, what are these rules? We’ll pretty simple: a Tony voter is obligated to “see each of the 36 shows that opened this season.” And even if this goal is not achieved, the voters need to see all of the shows in a category if they intend to vote in that category. Seems pretty straightforward to me, how about you? Now, I’m not naive about the time requirement involved here. There is one. Especially if you have a lot going on in your life: and really, who doesn’t? For my blog and a related site I’ve been trying to get off the ground (theatreincleveland.com) that is my goal: to see all the productions in Cleveland–which I’ve found to be a heavy task indeed. BUT, I would never stoop to blogging or reviewing a play I didn’t see–let alone vote on one.

It seems to me that if you’re given the privilege of voting (as voting for the Tony should be) you should meet the obligations outlined and that’s just the way it goes. Of course the reality is that most voters don’t even bother to see the shows they vote against. So, going back to my opening, is it FAIR to vote for a show when you haven’t bothered to see the others in the category? Or worse, and likely the case, is it FAIR to vote for a show you didn’t even see? It certainly calls into question motivations.

So what the hell? I mean, you just go and vote however you want for whomever you want with no regard for being informed? What is this, national politics? For Christ’s sake, at least Art could try to hold up a light in the wilderness regarding these matters. And who the hell is responsible for this process anyhow?? We’ll, let’s see.

Charlotte St. Martin (great name), “executive director of the Broadway League” (no relation to the infamous Redheaded League for you Sherlock Holmes fans) “the trade organization that co-produces the awards, did not return calls over two days of inquiries.”

That’s always a good sign. You are assured that everything is on the up-and-up when the ‘executive director’ doesn’t return calls. I love that one, by the way, it is such a great scheme to avoid a public display of your incompetence. After all, you’re not on the record one way or the other, so your incompetence is left solely to speculation. I, of course, choose to look at the very worst possible scenario–and with a name like Charlotte St. Martin I can’t be too far off in my judgment.

So who else? Come on, who else is supposed to be controlling this mess? Oh, how about the Tony Awards themselves? Well, glad you asked:

“Andy Snyder,” spokesman for the Tonys “said in an e-mail that verifying the votes isn’t the responsibility of Tony Award Productions.”

After all, why should it be? They’re only responsible for…the Tony Awards…?

Here is where the heat level in my neck and face begins to cause flushing. After all, isn’t it the responsibility…the RESPONSIBILITY of the organizations involved in something to make sure that it is fair, accurate, and NOT FRAUDULENT…after all defrauding the public is a crime, isn’t it? But, here is where that little voice inside my head starts asking questions like: in the grand scheme of life, how important a thing is this, really? How much power over your paranoia do you want to grant a Charlotte St. Martin or an Andy Snyder? Or the irresponsible majority of Tony Award voters who base their vote on the hear-say at the bar where they sidle up every night? Their opinions formed by others, or worse: precritical bias, racism, sexism, sexual preference, star-bias, or any host of other factors that have absolutely nothing to do with the play, the performance, or anything RELEVANT to a show.

As much as I hate to agree with Andy Snyder (because I do believe the Tony Awards Productions should have some responsibility for ensuring non-fraudulent activities if its going to grant an award and make people’s careers and spread manure on national television), I do agree that the responsibility for fulfilling the commitments outlined (and NOT LYING or engaging in FRAUD) lies (pun intended) with the Tony voters. If these people cannot fulfill the simple obligations outlined for their participation in the voting, they should be stripped of their rights in the first place (and this does fall to the Tony Awards Productions and the saintly figure from the League). And according to Gerard, “Ensuring an honest vote wouldn’t be difficult to do. The press agents keep tabs on all the members of the press who show up.”

So the bottom line? As Gerard writes:

“more than a third of the Tony voters don’t actually bother to see the shows in contention for Broadway’s signature prize.” Which reduces the whole value of the award to that of a “popularity contest.”

Keep that in mind when you watch the awards tonight (if you bother) and certainly if you intend to make anything of the outcome later on down the road.