I attended the "Young Choreographers Showcase" this weekend at the University of Oklahoma. I was surprised to see so many people attending. It was nearly sold out. My surprise turned to pessimism though as I begin to see every take out there spiral notebooks and pens. It appears that students in the "Understanding Theatre" class have to attend these types of events and take notes for a grade. Well, that's one way to fill the seats. I imagined how many would be in attendance had all of the students taking notes been removed and there would have only been a handful. So a student attending a liberal college pays $1,500 to take the "Understanding Theatre" class that they are forced to take as part of their degree (regardless of the degree type). The class is then forced to attend theatre-related events which help drive up the attendance for events that would be otherwise poorly attended. That's quite the setup. Brilliant really when you look at it as a business model.
The question to me is, can appreciation for the arts be taught? Should it be taught? Or can it just be appreciated for what it is, even if no one will appreciate it on their own?
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