Museum Day!

A good day to visit your local museum.  A good day to urge you to write your congress people in support of the arts!

Here, use this postcard:

Go ahead, print it at 4 1/4" x 6"

Preachin' to the choir here if you're reading this blog... so let's all preach at Congress, huh?

Death of a Frog

A while back I wrote about copyright and design theft (HERE) and talked about Pepe the Frog, a cartoon slacker-amphibian stolen by the alt-right for neo-Nazi and other hateful memes.  

Pepe's creator, Matt Furie, tried to fight, to rescue his creation, to rehabilitate him.  (I picture a sort of drying-out clinic/swamp for skinhead amphibians - filled with repentant Amazonian poison frogs in gang coloration, taking the twelve-leap program.  The original, innocent Pepe might have appreciated that image.)  His creator tried to save him.  But now...?  Now he's still listed by the Anti-defamation League as a hate symbol.  Now even his creator has had to give him up as irredeemable.

A guilty frog.

Collage from Public Domain images (and poor, poor Pepe)

Pepe is, of course, the copyrighted creation of Matt Furie... who I hope 

will not object to this use here - I believe it's fair use as satire/commentary

on the situation.  I think it's fair use...  Mr Furie?  

Just let me know if you disagree.  And best wishes on suing the alt.right!

I joke - sorta - but it's not funny.  

It proved impossible to save Pepe from the haters.  Just as many other artists find it impossible to assert their copyright when their works are stolen for profit .  And all the online fans who previously created joyful or silly memes now have to concede that Pepe The Frog is lost to them too.  

This is why we can't have nice things.  

Today Matt Furie killed off Pepe.  

Today, on Free Comic Book Day, is Pepe's wake.  Read more HERE.

ADDENDUM: Pepe's creator, Matt Furie, is suing prominent alt-right members who have used his cartoon frog without permission!  He's already won a case against one dope (official legal term there) who used Pepe in a right-wing children's book. More on this development HERE and HERE.

Dogged

You have to have dogged determination to run a small theater company.

Read a good article about my company, Kitchen Dog Theater, and our struggles with venues, fund raising, and homelessness HERE.

Photo by Clare DeVries

As you read the Dallas Morning News article, please keep in mind that BOTH shows described as interrupted by the Fire Marshall were ones I designed!  

Basic problem?  We need much money to finish out our new space!  So we can move into it!

Believed Public Domain image

I have to say though that this new show, Trevor, is worth all the hassle - a really good script.  Good production.  Come see it!

Loading In... and Up

Just a fast post...

Kitchen Dog's production of Trevor has been relocated to the Wyly Theater in Dallas' Arts District:

Photo by Tim Johnson

Unloading the truck at the Wyly's elegant loading dock, fitting everything into the elevator, and up to the 9th floor...

Photo by Clare DeVries

Trevor opens this Thursday, the 4th.  A really good show - join us upstairs to see it!