And We Sit on the Floor

I'm a capitalist and I have certain expectations. Sitting on the floor to see a show is not one of them. I know, I know I'm being petty; I know I'm being small; but, I'm paying about $50,000 to be here -- to study here -- I expect a chair, a decent chair, in the theater I'm studying at. Not an obstructed spot behind a music stand, or the hopes for someone not showing up. I expect a good seat at MXT (and only MXT). I'm a student here -- paying obscenely more than our Russian comrades-in-arms -- so why should my attendance at an assigned play be a surprise for anyone?

We're huffed at for being late; we're frantically phoned when we're not in the exact sport we're supposed to meet an Angel; we try to be on top of our game (and usually are). With all of this, we're allowed to have expectations.

If this expectation makes me an asshole, so be it. I can live with that -- though I'm not being one. Getting free tickets and then praying for a chair at the Mateusz - totally understandable. Relying on Tolya's connections to get us standing room only at the Satirycon? Done, and many thanks. Sitting on a step at the MXT? Um, could you repeat yourself, please?

Our theater schedule is made, for the entire month, by the first or second day of that month. This means that on or around April 1 it should be known (barring any last minute changes) whether or not we're seeing a show on April 13. The panic of trying to get a ticket for all four dramaturgs for a show at MXT at 6:50pm (when the show starts at 7) on the evening of the show is unacceptable.

I understand that life is unexpected. I know that last minute changes in schedules come up: Irina could only get 2 tickets (instead of 4) to Onegin for tonight; Anatoly has just been told about this show -- he thinks you should go; the theatre is closed for a day of mourning. All of these things happen. Life happens. A show that we're told to be prepared for and then occurs on the scheduled day at the scheduled time should not be a surprise.

Surprise! Tonight was a surprise. This is now the 4th time I've had rather uncomfortable seats at MXT. Threepenny? Pillowman? Ok ... yes: those were in March, and probably the good seats (and by good seats, I mean just plain seats in the theater, not a folding chair set up in an aisle) were already sold. April ... um, no. Sorry. We've been here for a month. I expect a grown-up seat, in a grown up chair, that was, in part, paid for using my grown-up money/tuition.

That's the problem, I suppose, of being a 31 year old graduate student. That 50K tuition I'm paying for this first year of school: I have certain expectations as to how that money should be used. When you are accepted into, and pay, to be a part of something, some small family, you expect a certain kind of respect. Tonight, I was disappointed.

Still, regarding tonight's performance of "Playing the Victim" - it was better to be a part of a captive audience than to be a part of no audience at all.