The Mike Daisey Incident

Okay. First off, if you have not seen the video of the Mike Daisey protest incident during his one-man show at American Repertory Theater, click the link below RIGHT NOW and watch it. It's from about two years ago, but I just discovered it myself:

Mike Daisey Protest Incident Video

Many people I have talked to in the last 24 hours knew about this incident when it actually happened. Until I discovered this video last night, however, I was completely unaware of it.

The first reaction anyone would have to this is obvious: rage at the utter gall of a person to destroy another being's work, in this case Daisey's art in the form of his irreparable notes (though it really doesn't make a difference what kind of work it is - destruction is destruction, whether it is destroying the documents on a professor's desk, or destroying a person's piece of original art - they are equally malicious acts).

The protest itself is one thing. Daisey is clearly shocked, as anyone would most likely be, to see 87 people stand up and walk out of his show. This, however, is certainly not the first time, nor will it be the last time, that have walked out of a show. If you are truly offended by the material for whatever reason, I say by all means leave. Try to leave quietly, out of respect, but no one can really fault you for simply walking out.

Now the next step up is to walk out disruptively, which this group does indeed do. They stand up and walk out en masse, in front of the stage, interrupting the show in progress. This shows a clear lack of respect for the human being in front of them; this is not the movies, folks. That guy in the chair behind the table is really there, flesh and blood, and believe it or not, he can see and hear you leaving. But again, walking out is, in its nature, a rational response to being offended, and one that can be understood and acknowledged before moving on and continuing on course.

The line gets crossed here. Not only does this group walk out, and walk out disruptively at that, but one person (clearly not a high school student, by the way), has the nerve, the utter disregard for personal property and for a man's art and career, to pour a bottle of water out on the table in front of Daisey, dousing the papers set in front of him (which were not a script, as Daisey explains, but rather his original notes on the show).

Now, there are so many diatribes that one could get into about this incident. One could rant about how this event points to how the current generation of theater-goers have lost the respect and reverence that was once bestowed upon the artist as a significant part of our cultural identity. One could rave about the cowardice of committing an act of destruction and then simply walking away, failing to create any sort of productive dialogue with the artist and not even having the guts to look him in the eye. One could spew about how this is a sign that things need to change, that we are in need of a Renaissance of the human spirit, that we as a people have lost respect for each other in a more general sense of human empathy, how the language is tame compared to some plays and probably compared to other themes explore by Diasey (thus making this whole event all the more infuriating), and that what he did was outright criminal.

I would like to propose a different take.

Strange as it may seem, this video only serves to reinforce my love of and fascination with live theatre.

One can vandalize a sculpture or painting, can talk or shout during a classical music concert of some sort, can run across the stage during a piece of dance. But where else than in the theatre can something like this Daisey incident really take place?

One of the most beautiful elements of theatre is the exchange between artist and audience. It is a communicative and collaborative art form, and Daisey's piece specifically plays into this facet of the craft, as a one-man monologue delivered directly to the audience. Thus, when the incident takes place, although it absolutely disrupts the actual show as written, it at the same time creates (as we can see in the video) a new forum for discussion, a new set of facts and circumstances to be adapted to and incorporated into the truth of the piece, and a kind of communal experience between the remaining audience members and Daisey himself that can never again be truly and honestly repeated. Sure, similar incidents may happen elsewhere, but they will never be the same as this individual incident. This particular event was a one-of-a-kind occurrence that existed in the moment. And Daisey, like the professional that he is, deals with what just happened to him with firmness and grace, determination and class, and takes the opportunity not to let the show be ruined, but rather let it be changed, let it be alive (as all theatre is and should be).

This event, and how Daisey subsequently handles it, shows theatre as just that: a living organism that evolves and adapts and has the capability to take the worst possible scenarios and incorporate that into its being, coming out all the stronger as a result. Theatre absorbs rather than rejects - its about the "Yes, And" that sets us free by simply accepting the world and circumstances we are presented with instead of resisting and denying them. There is no truth in this denial. And theatre must always have truth.

So, overall, I choose to let this event inspire me rather than anger me. Theatre is a powerful enough force to absorb outright destruction, evolve, and come back for seconds. Again, where else can something like this happen?

Thank you Mike Daisey.