I’ve been spending a lot of my newly freed-up schedule lately bouncing around what is unfortunately termed the theatre “blogoshpere” (one of those jarring newly-minted tech terms that don’t quite sit right in my language palate, like “lol” and “webinar” and “blog”). However, like calling a rose by any other name, the essence of the subject is what counts, and I find myself enchanted. Having spent so long trying to connect with somebody, anybody, about my passion for stage and story I’m suddenly in a Disneyland of zealots who articulately and consistently hold forth opinions and observations on the state of theatre in the modern world. This nascent form of connectivity heralds a revolution for aspiring theatre artists and their companies, it has begun a global community. I feel like the new kid on the block entering the world of these bloggers, I’m once again showing up to the street hockey game with a shiny new stick and no padding. But I don’t feel so isolated anymore, I feel like part of a team, freshly inspired and invigorated.
There’s great stuff afoot in Toronto, and as befits the American perception here, the New Yorkers are going at it tooth and nail. I started this blog as a marketing tool for Lyric Stage Project, which it remains, but henceforth it will be a proud member of this commonwealth of ideologists, doing what art is supposed to do: communicate unedited ideas.
Next up for The Next Stage, the first in a series of interviews with theatre visionaries, west coast style, an idea I shamelessly cribbed from Ian Mackenzie at the Praxis Theatre blog. To launch this series of ruminations, I present another Ian’s dissection of his craft, as told to Ricky Gervais…
Simon Ogden 
Hey Simon,
Dan Kois at NY Magazine coined it the “Theatrosphere”, which seems to me about as catchy as “webinar” – itself surely the worst Web 2.0 term yet conceived.
Whatever you want to call it, I share your sense of optimism about the possibilities it holds. It feels to me like a generation of writers – writers who have previously had their voices muffled by the various barriers of mainstream print media – have found their new media, the new voice. And it works. We are once again men and women of letters!
Ian
Very well said indeed Ian, and amen! And another great thing about theatre blogs is that it’s an area not yet oversaturated like, say, photography or kitty-cats. Or kitty-cat photography. In fact, there’s lots of room in the pool, I think I’m the only active theatre blog in Vancouver, which is crazy. It might make you think theatre wasn’t a popular form of entertainment here or something.