Taste and Talent

I don't usually like the theatre that the rest of the theatre community likes. I hate "Rabbit Hole." I really hate all of David Mamet's plays (although a friend of mine was in one this past month and I would have paid anything to get to see her kick ass in it), I despised the musical adaptation of "Matilda," and so on. Because of this, I spent quite a while questioning my taste level. Did I just have terrible taste in art? But the art I like isn't terrible. I love the horrific stillness that creeps into my soul whenever I encounter "How I Learned To Drive" and "Wit." "Intimate Apparel" still brings forth a feeling of warmth when I think back on it. And Mr. O'Neal's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" will forever be one of my favorites. I delight in the wordplay of Moliere's "The Misanthrope" and the hi-jinks of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." And "Title Of Show" changed the way I looked at playwriting.
I began to realize that just because I can't bring myself to love "Cloud Nine," I'm not a less-talented, tasteless person. And although I've had "I'm Not Pregnant, I'm Just Fat" (look it up on Youtube because it is the best song) in my head for three days now, I am not less qualified than others when it comes to giving opinions on the use of clocks as an enemy in Hamlet or discussing what the heck Nietzsche was thinking when he wrote his thoughts on the theatre. Just because I enjoy certain genres or certain styles or certain "feels" when it comes to art does not negate my ability to produce art that is good. Just because I watched a bootleg of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" on Youtube and became obsessed and just because I have all the lyrics to all the songs in "Hairspray" memorized and just because I'm secretly wishing I could go see the "Bring It On" musical doesn't make me less of an accomplished, good, and valid theatre artist who can participate in intellectual discussions and create "high art" or "avante-garde" theatre if I really wanted to. In fact, I have created such theatre and loved it. But you better believe I also belt out "So Much Better" in my house behind closed doors. Side note: I'm not kidding about wanting to see "Bring It On: The Musical." Doesn't that sound like an excellent evening of theatre? Do people actually do cheer stunts on the stage? How would one do the cheer competitions? And that scene of weird romance where Torrance and What'shisname brush their teeth? Please tell me they've got some song about bringing it on that they repeat at least three times in the show. I need it. For reasons.
And finally, just because I haven't been able to do theatre recently doesn't mean my thoughts and opinions on art don't matter. It took me a long time to come to these conclusions and to believe them and I'll keep reminding myself of them every day if that is what it takes.