Thursday, February 26, 2015
I could probably write a series of novels on my relationship with my dad.
I mean if movie-making doesn't work out, I can always write that fantastic tell-all memoir and do some stand-up comedy on the side.
Uggggggggh Rough Seas Ahead
So in late March, my school's theater program is heading down to Columbus for the State Theater Conference. We do this every year, and it's always been a pretty positive experience. Well, until today.
One of the major portions of the State Conference is the presentation of the All-Ohio show. Essentially, All-Ohio takes the best and brightest actors and actresses, stage managers, crew members, and techies from across the state of Ohio and they all put together a show. The show alternates between a musical and a play. This year, it's a musical, and that musical is Spring Awakening.
For those of you unfamiliar with the musical, it's a very beautiful show that explores the drama and trauma of puberty, bildungsroman (coming of age), and teen angst. It tackles a lot of typically taboo topics like sexuality, masturbation, sex, abortion, suicide, and sexual abuse. I have absolutely no problems with the show, and think that it's fantastic, beautiful, and overall spectacular. In fact, my friend Luke is in it! However, my DAD has a problem.
Part of the deal with Spring Awakening is that our parents had to sign a consent form for us to see the show, regardless of if we are of legal age or not, since it covers such sensitive themes. My mom and I, over a month ago, signed and turned in the consent form, and we thought that that would be the end of it. But alas, my troupe director Mr. K sent out an email to all students and ALL parents, both mothers and fathers of all the kids going, to inform them of the show, and needless to say, my ultra-conservative dad took great offense to it.
Tonight, my mom, dad, and I had a talk (which really was my dad yelling and blustering through half-sentences-half-slurs and cussing up a storm) about the show. My dad's main point, hidden behind his clumsy, angry words, was that a Catholic high school like mine should have opted to boycott this particular show and should reserve the right for the department that sets up these shows to select shows that do not offend the beliefs of a particular audience, but are shows that every person in the theater can get behind and enjoy. While I stand behind this thought, I don't think censoring a theater conference is going to do very much or go over very well. The biggest problem I had with my dad's tirade was the insults he gave to my theater program, Mr. K, my school's principal, my friend in the show and his parents, and another completely unrelated girl who graduated but played nearly every lead role in the productions at school. (The last girl is a whole other story, my parents hate her because they feel like she kept me from getting good roles but it is what it is, and she's very talented and did a good job with the roles, even if she was never kind to me,)
My dad announced his plans to call my school principal and attempt to shame her for "not having the balls to eiorbewouiafioabfowa!" It's funny because my principal is a woman. Then, he called Mr. K, one of my favorite teachers and an adult I trust considerably more than him, a "namby-pamby who was trying to indoctrinate us theater kids with goddmaned liberal ideas." That's also funny because Mr. K teaches religious studies at me school, and is hands down the best religion teacher there. Then, he insulted my friend for "wanting to go up and do a masturbation and then do some suiciding on the stage" and his parents for allowing him to take part in such a "vile theater-concert." This made me incredibly angry, because my friend Luke is an incredibly talented performer, and performing in an All-Ohio production is something to be extremely proud of regardless of which show it is, AND because his mother was my pediatric dentist and my dad just threw her under the bus. Then, with the other girl, my dad referenced her endless appearances onstage at almost any event at my school, whether singing the National Anthem, performing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes before football games, dancing with the dance team during the halftime shows, or all of the above and said that "she may has well have been doing a masturbation, too!"
That was all just too damn much. I can hardly stand my father and his endless desire to protect the innocence that I don't have and lost years ago (no thanks to him) as well as his need to impress his extreme conservative views that we see daily in his Bill O'Reilly-adoring, FOX News-consuming, offensive email-readings, and more. I am who I am, and he still hasn't learned that and he probably never will. I do my best to put up with him and appease him, because I know I can never get him to learn so I shouldn't even waste my time with that, but there comes a point where the line needs to be drawn.
If you haven't guessed by now, I don't have a great relationship with my dad, and our ideological differences only split us apart further and further. It makes me sad, really, but I know that I'm helpless against it, because I can't change, and I doubt that he can either.
One of the major portions of the State Conference is the presentation of the All-Ohio show. Essentially, All-Ohio takes the best and brightest actors and actresses, stage managers, crew members, and techies from across the state of Ohio and they all put together a show. The show alternates between a musical and a play. This year, it's a musical, and that musical is Spring Awakening.
For those of you unfamiliar with the musical, it's a very beautiful show that explores the drama and trauma of puberty, bildungsroman (coming of age), and teen angst. It tackles a lot of typically taboo topics like sexuality, masturbation, sex, abortion, suicide, and sexual abuse. I have absolutely no problems with the show, and think that it's fantastic, beautiful, and overall spectacular. In fact, my friend Luke is in it! However, my DAD has a problem.
Part of the deal with Spring Awakening is that our parents had to sign a consent form for us to see the show, regardless of if we are of legal age or not, since it covers such sensitive themes. My mom and I, over a month ago, signed and turned in the consent form, and we thought that that would be the end of it. But alas, my troupe director Mr. K sent out an email to all students and ALL parents, both mothers and fathers of all the kids going, to inform them of the show, and needless to say, my ultra-conservative dad took great offense to it.
Tonight, my mom, dad, and I had a talk (which really was my dad yelling and blustering through half-sentences-half-slurs and cussing up a storm) about the show. My dad's main point, hidden behind his clumsy, angry words, was that a Catholic high school like mine should have opted to boycott this particular show and should reserve the right for the department that sets up these shows to select shows that do not offend the beliefs of a particular audience, but are shows that every person in the theater can get behind and enjoy. While I stand behind this thought, I don't think censoring a theater conference is going to do very much or go over very well. The biggest problem I had with my dad's tirade was the insults he gave to my theater program, Mr. K, my school's principal, my friend in the show and his parents, and another completely unrelated girl who graduated but played nearly every lead role in the productions at school. (The last girl is a whole other story, my parents hate her because they feel like she kept me from getting good roles but it is what it is, and she's very talented and did a good job with the roles, even if she was never kind to me,)
My dad announced his plans to call my school principal and attempt to shame her for "not having the balls to eiorbewouiafioabfowa!" It's funny because my principal is a woman. Then, he called Mr. K, one of my favorite teachers and an adult I trust considerably more than him, a "namby-pamby who was trying to indoctrinate us theater kids with goddmaned liberal ideas." That's also funny because Mr. K teaches religious studies at me school, and is hands down the best religion teacher there. Then, he insulted my friend for "wanting to go up and do a masturbation and then do some suiciding on the stage" and his parents for allowing him to take part in such a "vile theater-concert." This made me incredibly angry, because my friend Luke is an incredibly talented performer, and performing in an All-Ohio production is something to be extremely proud of regardless of which show it is, AND because his mother was my pediatric dentist and my dad just threw her under the bus. Then, with the other girl, my dad referenced her endless appearances onstage at almost any event at my school, whether singing the National Anthem, performing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes before football games, dancing with the dance team during the halftime shows, or all of the above and said that "she may has well have been doing a masturbation, too!"
That was all just too damn much. I can hardly stand my father and his endless desire to protect the innocence that I don't have and lost years ago (no thanks to him) as well as his need to impress his extreme conservative views that we see daily in his Bill O'Reilly-adoring, FOX News-consuming, offensive email-readings, and more. I am who I am, and he still hasn't learned that and he probably never will. I do my best to put up with him and appease him, because I know I can never get him to learn so I shouldn't even waste my time with that, but there comes a point where the line needs to be drawn.
If you haven't guessed by now, I don't have a great relationship with my dad, and our ideological differences only split us apart further and further. It makes me sad, really, but I know that I'm helpless against it, because I can't change, and I doubt that he can either.
Also, I'm super pumped that I won't be going with the group that had my ex, the homecoming queen, a guy who annoys the bejeezus out of me, and two girls I've never met before to the dance because they "weren't able to change the reservations at thee last second." Really, I'm excited! I only would have had Dylan, Abby, and then only one friend to talk to while I was there!
Evening Adventure
I took my dog to the vet earlier to get the sutures from her surgeries removed, and we had a grand old time together! She was a brave doge at the vet's office, and on both of our car rides we had a really fun time. We discovered that her favorite songs are "Fergilicious" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and we had a really cute singing and dancing party that featured me almost driving into our local bank since she kept trying to stick her head into my armpits. It was really really precious!
2/26/15
Today was, for the most part, uneventful. The only (incredibly ironic) thing that happened to me was finding out that the group that Dylan arranged for us to get pictures and dinner with before Winter Formal was the group that my ex and the lovely homecoming queen are in! ISN'T THAT SO FREAKING FUN, GUYS?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)