Robert Michael Oliver Theater Artist/Playwright/Poet/Educator202-841-7181
rmichaeloliver@msn.com
Poetry in Performance
Performing Knowledge’s first piece is Embodying Poe: Poetry in Performance. The piece explores Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic persona, which is not the same as Poe’s poetic voice. And it is not the same as a poem’s narrator or central character. The poetic persona is more elusive, the collective psychoscape of the poet as he navigates the terrain established by his or her poetry.
Quick Blurbs
The Politics of Mothers and Work Much has been made of Hillary Rosen’s recent comment about Ann Romney never having “worked a day in her life.” Even though everyone knew she was speaking of working outside the home for pay, the republicans made much of the comment, saying it was an attack on motherhood. In [...]
Beware Americans: We’re Entering the Twilight Zone
The Trayvon Martin case has made me aware of one simple fact. America has entered the twilight zone. Why do I say this? Because despite all the media coverage of this case, the most important issues that the case demonstrates have been swamped by the hype. Instead of focusing our attention on the failure of [...]
Review of Time Stands Still
Time Stands Still Although Studio Theatre’s production of Donald Margulies’s “Time Stands Still” has much to recommend it—its clean scenography, its generally strong acting, its crisp dialogue—the fact that the script misses its larger contextual mark, leaves the show hollow and inauthentic. Sarah and James are war correspondents; yet, their understanding of war could not [...]
The Performing Knowledge Project
Michael is the director and founder of The Performing Knowledge Project: where performance and education meet, which is a project of The Sanctuary Theatre, co-founded by Michael, Elizabeth Bruce, and Jill Navarre. For more about The Sanctuary Theatre. Every person has his or her story to tell: every community, every family, every institution, every issue, [...]
The Time is Now: Hold Our Leaders Accountable
As the nation continues to wrestle with one of the largest financial crises in her history, we the people seem unable to cope with the dilemma. We seem to spend most of our time squabbling over which political party is most responsible for the mess and which will best serve our interests or the interest [...]
Justice and the National Debt
President Obama got it right about Egypt. In his speech following the collapse of the Mubarak Regime, he said: “Egyptians have inspired us, and they’ve done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence.” The only problem is, as it always seems to be with Americans these days, [...]
Letter sent to our leaders
It’s time for our leaders to get real. It’s time for our leaders to cast off the magical thinking that has gripped this country for the last decade and beyond. Yes, we need to cut spending. Yes, cutting spending will cost jobs. Yes, there are alternatives. We need leaders who are willing to redefine America. A Global Empire is unsustainable. In other words, it costs more than in creates.
Protests in Egypt
Just a quick word on the protests in Egypt. I have to look in awe at the unity of the Egyptian protests. To be sure, there are those who are pro-regime, and there are those groups within that teeming crowd of anti-regime protesters who have differing belief systems; but, nevertheless, they stand unified against the [...]