Dear Drama Observers, In times of crisis, we naturally search for ways to explain that which seems unexplainable. When things are out of control, we long for certitude over ambiguity, predictability over randomness, and decisiveness over indecision. I’ll say more about all that but first, let me tell you a story. Several years ago, I […]
Dear Drama Observers, COVID-19 is somewhat like a Drama Person, I suppose. It’s unpredictable, people try to keep their distance from it, everybody’s talking about it, nobody quite knows how to deal with it, people will cancel gatherings to keep it from showing up, everyone longs for it to leave, and it drives people crazy […]
Dear Drama Observers, I was recently called “boomer” by a “millennial.” In the context of our conversation, the label ascribed to me had less to do with my age cohort and more to do with my old man ways. While it was delivered good-naturedly, the tag was roughly equivalent to being called “geezer.” But hey, […]
Dear Drama Observers, Michael Scott, the lead character from The Office, was being interviewed once for a corporate position. When asked to describe his weaknesses, Michael replied, “I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes, I can be too invested in my job.” Yeah, those were his “weaknesses.” Michael Scott, played by Steve […]
Dear Drama Observers, A columnist was being interviewed once about his years of writing. Early in his career, he asked a mentor how he’d be able to find a fresh topic to write about each week and was given this piece of sage advice (I’m paraphrasing): “Every week, something will annoy you. Write about that.” […]
Dear Drama Observers, I recently attended a two-day seminar for mental health professionals on trauma. I spent those days drinking from a gushing fire hydrant of information about all aspects of trauma which included: its detrimental impact on psychological well-being, its physiological effects on the brain, and what can be done in the present to […]
Dear Drama Observers, Character is who you are when no one’s watching. We’ve all heard that quote which has been attributed to the legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, among others. In people of character, there’s a congruence between their public and private lives. It’s a high compliment to say of someone: “He is who […]
Dear Drama Observers, I often find that something I posted a while back is more relevant today than when I first posted it. Below is one such post. *** Story #1 In the summer of 1997, I went downtown early one morning and a man with a mask knocked me out, slit my throat, and […]
Dear Drama Observers, I know, I know. You just got one of these letters 3 days ago. I always send out The Drama Review on Fridays but with this being Martin Luther King Day, I thought I’d send this week’s out on Monday instead of Friday. Martin Luther King is one of those figures who […]
Dear Drama Observers, In the stories we tell, there’s just about always a good guy and bad guy, a protagonist and an antagonist, a hero and a villain, a light force in opposition to a dark force. In fact, it’s the competition between these counterparts that makes for a compelling tale and, without such tensions, […]