Talk Back At Us

When we were younger we were often told, "don't talk back." How infuriating was that? Whether we were trying to express ourselves or provide an explanation, it didn't matter, we complied (well, sometimes).

As adults, we changed our habits or as Kathy Griffin says, we got manners: we learned to talk back after people left the room.

With the recent development and popularity of social media in our culture, a new voice has emerged. We can basically say what we feel like without directing any information to the appropriate person. We are beginning to become accustomed to sharing our thoughts in 140 characters or in short incomplete sentences on posts, forums, and comment boxes.

(Don't get me wrong, these are modes of communication that we've embraced as a company and use! We are glad that people are having these conversations and sharing thoughts and ideas. But there is sometimes a desire to dig a bit deeper.)

We see these reviews and posts quite often for restaurants and products, and, of course, theater.

Theater is, at its best, a reflection of life, created by and for a community. And as John Patrick Shanley puts it, "a safe place to do unsafe things." Plays have the power to ask questions and generate dialogue within a community. And what better way to foster the community of a young theater company then by providing direct feedback; to support us in our explorations in creating theater that simultaneously challenges the intellect and inspires the spirit?

By now you may have noticed a light blue box to the right of this post. Our publicist, the wise and astute Karen Greco, discovered this new feature that theater companies are starting to use.

Here's how it works: simply click on the link and you'll be directed to an information form where you can give a theater company feedback on their show. Your name is optional and you are instructed to be "honest, tactful, and helpful."

You are simply asked:

What went right?

What went wrong?

What can we do differently next time to be better?

Do you have any other thoughts?

We think it's a great idea and we're glad to experiment with it for our upcoming production of The Revival which begins previews September 9th.

It's pretty much a virtual "after the show talkback," thus the name.

As always, telling us something is better than not saying anything at all, so use Twitter or Facebook, or this blog, or buy us a drink after the show, but if you're willing, give Talkbackr a try.

What do you think of Talkbackr?