Personally, I don't understand the upset. Or, I guess, I do, but there's a shortsightedness to it that has me confused.
The bandwidth sale is being done, if I'm understanding it correctly, to free up more space for mobile technology. More devices in the world, and more ways to use them, means we need more bandwidth for them to function as designed. This is important. In the big picture, wireless companies need that bandwidth a LOT more than schools, churches, and community theaters do. Might not like that, but it's tough to argue (for me).
We train our kids to project and articulate. If I can't mic them because I can't (for now) afford new equipment, I can do so many things:
- Tell the kids to project and articulate.
- Turn down the music (or ask the orchestra to play quieter) for a balanced sound.
- Look for other ways to boost the acoustics of the performance space. The ancient Greeks did it with big jars of water, and they were outside.
- Look/ask for donors, grants, fundraisers, or any other financial source to meet the cost of new microphones.
We don't NEED microphones. They are great tools, and I'd much rather have them than not, but I've been in HUGE theaters where the actors were not amplified, and I heard them just fine. Being heard and understood is the actor's job, not the technical director's.
I'm grateful for any assistance that is offered to offset the cost of replacing equipment, because no one's forcing anyone to offer it. Some companies could look at this as an opportunity to gouge for profit. and I don't see anyone doing that.
Can we be grateful, creative, driven, and resourceful, in the face of a challenging situation? Isn't that the core of what we are as theater people?
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Josh Kauffman
Teacher
Winfield AL
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