The American Confidence

Today the 13^th Bard-a-Thon started with an initiation ceremony led by (who else) the Queen of England. Impressively dressed guests read sonnets. A guard threw out rude spectators and so started nine days of 24-hour Shakespeare readings at the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theater. You can show up at the downtown theater, pull up a chair and take part in the readings or you can call in via phone or videophone to participate from whatever part of the world you are in. If this caught your fancy check out: http://www.fstalaska.org/
 

Throughout January Fairbanks Light Opera Theater (FLOT) produced and performed a version of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying where everyone who wanted could audition. The Fairbanks Symphony Chorus has recently started up and is looking for new members. The university had open auditions for their March show three weeks ago. And so my point is that Fairbanks has a thriving amateur (as well as professional) theater and music community. It is inspiring to be a spectator to all of these energized initiatives and alarming to know that I will probably have to partake at some point when people realize that I’ve acted before or that I can actually sing. So far I’ve managed to sneak by.

In this regard there is a cultural observation to be made: Americans are not afraid of standing in front of a crowd. Whether it is in a classroom or on a stage they do it seemingly without sweaty palms or cracking voice. They believe in themselves and are excited to show what off their talents and knowledge. Even when they play the wrong notes or speak of something they know nothing about they do it with their head high and their voice straight. It’s a hell of a cultural talent. Of course it can all be interpreted as a “side effect” of being the richest, most influential country in the world for decades. In regard to my own lack of self-esteem in this regard I think I’ll blame Janteloven because if I were to stand with my head high and no sense of doubt in my own work I would very quickly be hit in the head with the Jantelov sledgehammer that all Danes know only to well. The downside to the American confidence is that sometimes you end up sitting through horrific performances or nonsense presentations, but you really can’t do nothing but applaud them for daring. New pictures are up and I think they speak for themselves of events this week.