Delta Airlines pulls sponsorship from Public Theater because of Trump-inspired Julius Caesar

[ForB4]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 6:57pm

https://twitter.com/kevinpokeeffe/status/874033900762386436

Just saw this on Twitter, what a shame.

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 7:32pm

So embarrassing. How do this many people not know the plot of that play? It doesn't condone the assassination of Caesar.

[curel1]

Posted: 6/11/17 at 11:48pm

Now Bank of America has pulled sponsorship 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:09am

What cowards these corporations are with their provisional support for the arts that gets revoked when a show takes a risk and perhaps even, gasp, strays from good taste.

Updated On: 6/12/17 at 12:09 AM

[ForB4]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:21am

Donate to the Public here: https://www.publictheater.org/Support/Donate-Now/

Contact Delta: https://www.delta.com/contactus/commentComplaint

Contact BoA: https://www.bankofamerica.com/contactus/contactus.go

Did they actually read the play?!?!?!?

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:33am

This is so bizarre and stupid. NBC decides to give Alex Jones a platform and BOA (which quite literally funds private prisons) is taking a moral highground, based on a completely stretched truth. What gives?

Also, this is The Public - they'll have money to do their productions as long as A Chorus Line, Fun Home, and Hamiltons of theater world are written and produced. Give me a break.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:49am

Did they not read the play? It's a cautionary tale- assassination is never once condoned. 

[MsEmilia]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 2:03am

This is the most moronic thing I've read in a long time.
Julius Caesar ends with most of the people involved in the assasination dying, miserable or killing themselves. The whole moral of the play seems to be that despite Caesar was a dangerous political figure, assassination was ultimately the wrong way to fix that.
It's pretty obvious Delta has never read the play. 
Also in what way is the production inspired by the current president? I mean how do you work his unique mannerisms and incompetencies into this play? I'm almost curious - because frankly trying to tie him into this play is just as stupid as pulling sponsorship. I'm so sick of Him being sucked into theatre - he gets enough airtime as it is - he's ruined television, can't we at least keep him out of theatre? 

[brian1973]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 4:19am

This is a very worrying situation. So much for artistic freedom. Shame on them

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 6:15am

Does anyone know why they did three weeks of previews to only have one week of official performances?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 6:41am

Alexander Lamar said: "Does anyone know why they did three weeks of previews to only have one week of official performances?"

I don't know the reasoning, but I think that's pretty standard practice for Shakespeare in the Park.

This is an awful move on Delta and Bank of America's part. They are taking money away from programs that benefit people who can't otherwise afford theatre just because it was provocative and they're scared of right wing retaliation. Shame on them. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 9:41am

MsEmilia said: "This is the most moronic thing I've read in a long time.
Julius Caesar ends with most of the people involved in the assasination dying, miserable or killing themselves. The whole moral of the play seems to be that despite Caesar was a dangerous political figure, assassination was ultimately the wrong way to fix that.
It's pretty obvious Delta has never read the play. 
Also in what way is the production inspired by the current president? I mean how do you work his unique mannerisms and incompetencies into this play? I'm almost curious - because frankly trying to tie him into this play is just as stupid as pulling sponsorship. I'm so sick of Him being sucked into theatre - he gets enough airtime as it is - he's ruined television, can't we at least keep him out of theatre? 

 

"

It seems like Culpurnia and Caesar have been reimagined as Melanie and Trump https://twitter.com/i/moments/874020095676358658

[mulligan3]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 10:11am

the great thing about nonsense like these businesses are doing, is the public's response. Just look at how everyone's become involved and now all the states are committing to the Paris accord.   In this case, I expect that this is only giving the show more publicity than it had, AND it'll incent a lot of Trump-hating NYers to donate to the Public AND see the show.  So hopefully our collective response does more than Delta or BOAs pulling out of their sponsorships. 

[MsEmilia]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 10:30am

" It seems like Culpurnia and Caesar have been reimagined as Melanie and Trump https://twitter.com/i/moments/874020095676358658

"

Okay there is a slight visual similarity but it's not that brazen. Unless Caesar suddenly starts saying "yuge" or grabs Calpurinia by her you-know-what, i don't think the similarity to #45 is enough to pull funding.

If anything Delta resembles him a lot more now that they've unfairly defunded an arts program.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 10:38am

^ In fact, both of those things happen.  Even with both of those things and many others that are directly addressing Trump, it doesn't condone Trump's assassination.  None of the deaths in the play are celebrated, so yes, it does mock our president, but it does not condone violence toward him.  I thought it was incredible how many parallels could be made between Shakespeare's old text and our modern world.  

[Telegram Spam]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:07am

mulligan3 said: "the great thing about nonsense like these businesses are doing, is the public's response. Just look at how everyone's become involved and now all the states are committing to the Paris accord.   In this case, I expect that this is only giving the show more publicity than it had, AND it'll incent a lot of Trump-hating NYers to donate to the Public AND see the show.  So hopefully our collective response does more than Delta or BOAs pulling out of their sponsorships."

 

I agree. This controversy will definitely increase the demand for tickets, and the communal discourse. I saw the show in previews ten days ago and the line for tickets was surprisingly small. It has now become MUST SEE theatre.

 

[TrChSpHa]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:23am

MsEmilia said: "" It seems like Culpurnia and Caesar have been reimagined as Melanie and Trump https://twitter.com/i/moments/874020095676358658

"

Okay there is a slight visual similarity but it's not that brazen. Unless Caesar suddenly starts saying "yuge" or grabs Calpurinia by her you-know-what, i don't think the similarity to #45 is enough to pull funding.

If anything Delta resembles him a lot more now that they've unfairly defunded an arts program.

 

"

He does.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:25am

^i think I read they have minorities and women stab him. 

[MsEmilia]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:37am

"He does."

Okay if that does happen then yeah it is pretty obvious - I still think it's foolish to pull funding over that. Art is art, and relevance is relevance - this sort of artistic censorship is definitely on the rise, and I fear this will not be the last time something like this happens.

"i think I read they have minorities and women stab him."

Okay that may be a bit unsubtle but that sounds sort of brilliant. 

[Margo319]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:15pm

They are free to have their own opinions and not fund something.  It's fine.  We, the people, just have do donate to their incredible organization and all they do for the community.  

[kdogg36]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:25pm

Margo319 said: "They are free to have their own opinions and not fund something.  It's fine.  We, the people, just have do donate to their incredible organization and all they do for the community"

This is absolutely true. Also, we're free to not fly on Delta or give our money to BoA because we hate what they've done here.

I don't really like it when words like "censorship" are thrown around in a case like this. Private entities are free to support or decline to support art at their discretion. Censorship occurs when force or the threat of force is used to stifle art or speech, like the FCC does on a continuous basis.

[Margo319]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:27pm

I completely agree.  I canceled my Delta flight to California this morning.  I don't bank with BOA so that won't be an issue.  I will never support either one again.  

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:42pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Delta-Sponsored-2012-Guthrie-Theater-Season-Which-Featured-Obama-Inspired-Julius-Caesar-20170612

 

and the double standard continues....

It isn't like they are producing a "new play" maybe called lets say..."The Interview 2 the Musical" written and staring James Franco and Seth Rogan, about an news reporter who is secretly recruited by a spy agency to assassinate  Trump. 

This is a theatrical classic performed by High Schools across the country, just set in the current white house.

[@z5]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 5:28pm

Good for them- this play clearly shows an assassination of the current President, regardless of is you like him or not, he is the president. It's disgusting how hateful and violent this "art" is.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/12/17 at 6:13pm

@z5 said: "Good for them- this play clearly shows an assassination of the current President, regardless of is you like him or not, he is the president. It's disgusting how hateful and violent this "art" is."

No, it shows the assassination of Julius Caesar. And the point of the damn play is that he shouldn't have been assassinated.