I’m bringing this blog back to life! A year ago, I thought, as live performance went quiet, I’d have nothing to cover. Then as live streaming of theatrical performance became a thing, I’d occasionally think of posting, especially about queer-related events. But I was held back by the listlessness many of us felt (more on that in a moment).

As the anniversary of my last post (and the day live performance stopped) approached, it seemed like an appropriate time to make myself resume. Reviews will not be the order of the day for the moment. I’ll mostly promote events that I think will be interesting to the people who have been following this blog. I’m happy to be back!

Now about that listlessness. Awhile back a friend of mine posted on Facebook an article about a malaise felt by medieval monks and hermits,. Back then they called it acedia. Here is an excerpt from the article (and link to the full article below that) which makes clear the relevance of acedia to the situation we find ourselves in:

“With some communities in rebooted lockdown conditions and movement restricted everywhere else, no one (well, almost no one) is posting pictures of their sourdough. Zoom cocktail parties have lost their novelty, Netflix can only release so many new series. The news seems worse every day, yet we compulsively scroll through it.

“We get distracted by social media, yet have a pile of books unread. We keep meaning to go outside but somehow never find the time. We’re bored, listless, afraid and uncertain.

“What is this feeling?

“…acedia arose directly out [of] the spatial and social constrictions that a solitary monastic life necessitates. These conditions generate a strange combination of listlessness, undirected anxiety, and inability to concentrate. Together these make up the paradoxical emotion of acedia.”

Full article: https://theconversation.com/acedia-the-lost-name-for-the-emotion-were-all-feeling-right-now-144058

To learn about Jonathan Warman’s directing work, see jonathanwarman.com.