We must write this musical. Now. Gather the talent.

I suggest that You Must Chill should be a sprightly, yet with a somber undertone, dance number with a chorus line of chicken-suited men.

And of course, that showstopper "You must chill!"

I can see the kick line now.

"I am the key master!!!!"

dance number xpost.

The collective unconscious WANTS this musical.

I despise Rent. However, I love the idea of a Say Anything musical, if only for the chicken-suited kickline.

Not that I have the time to look it up, but are there any studies done on depression and/or chemical dependency in actors or visual artists (or actors vs. visual artists)?

(As an aside, a running joke was that actors are alcoholics because their show is done in time to catch quality time at the bar, and musicians tend toward drug use because the set usually ends around bar close. I don't think it's entirely true, but....)

I like the play Art by Yasmina Reza.

Not that I have the time to look it up, but are there any studies done on depression and/or chemical dependency in actors or visual artists (or actors vs. visual artists)?

I turned up one cite among a review of articles about Alcoholism and Occupation which covered actors, directors and stage managers but it seems to be tucked behind some academic journal subscription. One of the studies on creative writers had playwrights suffering the most from alcoholism - more than fiction writers and poets.

Alcoholism and Occupation which covered actors, directors and stage managers

I used to direct while drinking all the time in college and I felt it made me better (I was a little shy with the actors), but I cannot imagine stage managing while drinking. Of course, I can't imagine directing while drinking now, because drinking = me falling asleep.

I cannot imagine stage managing while drinking.

Whoo. I can, and did. I was thinking more of the drinking afterwards to try to soothe the tension/rage, however.

Okay, in reverse order:

And of course, that showstopper "You must chill!"

Not to mention the ballad "Kickboxing: Sport of the Future."

I think it's fair to say that art is frequently an interactive process

Like crazy-ass Robert Pirsig's definition of "quality" in Zen and the Art of Driving Steph FUCKING INSANE Motorcycle Maintenance.

While Potemkin scores low on the Empathy axis, it does well on the Intelligence, Talent and Cool axes.

I just flashed on Dead Poets' Society here.

My working definition of Coolness is: The ability to signify membership of a culture, and the ability to drive the culture in a new direction. As mentioned before, the recognition of Cool is relative to the observer.

A bellwether! (Duct tape!)

I don't really have much to contribute in the discussion of What Is Art other than the fact that one of the factors that hasn't been mentioned yet is the crucial question of *Who* Is Entitled To Define Art, And Why.

Lot of politics involved in that one.