The Director Sector

Seriously. Am I? Check out Scott’s latest blog entry, Closed, and then come back here.

Why is everyone acting like he’s leaving for good? Bloggers like Devilvet, Laura Axelrod, and Freeman have written blogs lamenting the latest post by Scott. They’re acting like he died.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I beg to differ.

Scott wrote,

I have used this blog, especially during the past five months, to develop my ideas about theatre tribes. I have floated the first drafts of ideas to see what needed to be clarified, fine-tuned, or scrapped entirely. It is now time to truly focus on the development of those ideas. It does not serve my purpose to continue scrapping with the usual bloggers about whether the theatre tribe idea will work — I know it will work; or whether it is worthwhile — I know it is worthwhile. I am wasting my time, and I don’t have any to waste.
…

The discussion will continue, however, just not here. There are currently 64 people who have joined my Theatre Tribe website at Ning, and I have been neglecting them all while I scrap with others. It is time to focus on those who are interested in exploring these ideas, rather than those who are focused on knocking them down in the interest of “strengthening” them. If you are interested in joining this community, click on the badge in the right column that says “Join Theatre Tribe.”

I have enjoyed this conversation, but we all know that I have started to repeat myself, and have the same argument with the same people over and over. Even I am bored with it by now.

So Scott used the blog to promote his theatre tribes idea. And now he’s taking that discussion elsewhere. Does that mean he’s going to stop posting at all? Half of his posts have nothing to do with theatre tribes. Perhaps it’s these lines that people are hinging their posts on:

I leave the door open a crack for a future return, should I feel the need. But right now, I am headed for Ning, and for the quiet of my study as I try to complete this book on the theatre tribe idea.

That definitely reeks of I’m Gone-ness, but I interpret this as an end to this particular conversation. For two and a half years Scott has written about various topics relating to theatre and only in the most recent five months has he developed the theatre tribe paradigm. I don’t define Scott Walters by his tribes idea — and I hope he doesn’t define himself by that.

Maybe he’ll correct me himself, but like many others, I don’t think this is the end of Theatre Ideas. I, for one, would be disappointed should Scott shut down Theatre Ideas for good. So I hope that doesn’t happen.

It is true, however, that his major shift will be to a different medium. So those of you who care about changing the face of regional theatre, I’ll see you at the Theatre Ideas Ning site.

But just to cover my ass: if it is the end, best of luck Scott. I’ll be seeing you on the Ning forum.