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the Way of the ShowmanAuthor: Captain Frodo
Philosophical and esoteric perspectives from a modern day Showman. Each season is different in its approach. S1 is essays. S2 is one book length attempt at Understanding Showmanship, S3 is conversations with remarkable Showfolk. The brand new Season 4 explores the relationship between Showmanship and Play.The host, Captain Frodo, internationally renowned circus performer, director, writer, husband and dad lays out, in great detail, his practical performance philosophy for performers who seek to deepen the conversation with their audiences and themselves. You can find him, and more of his writing at: www.thewayoftheshowman.com Language: en-us Genres: Arts, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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144 - Toilet Plunger Aliens and the Value of Effortless Attention (Showmanship & Play 26 of 30)
Episode 144
Monday, 30 June, 2025
There's a profound paradox at the heart of play – we're told it's "apparently purposeless," yet this very quality might reveal its deepest value. This episode dives into the second criteria of play and examines how it mirrors the essence of showmanship in fascinating ways.When we attend a circus show, comedy performance, or music festival, we don't go primarily to learn something or accomplish a task. We go to have a good time – to experience life fully in the moment. Yet society has conditioned us to view such experiences as frivolous, less valuable than "productive" activities. The Protestant work ethic and educational systems have trained us to be suspicious of enjoyment, to dismiss it as "mere entertainment" without serious purpose.This dismissal of pleasure as a worthy purpose is precisely what creates the illusion that play is purposeless. When we recognize that experiencing joy is itself a profound purpose, the apparent purposelessness dissolves. As Tolkien's Gandalf wisely notes, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time given us." Filling our limited time with experiences that make existence enjoyable seems not just reasonable but essential.George Saunders' epiphany about Kurt Vonnegut's work provides a perfect parallel – he discovered that profound truths could be communicated through humor and accessibility, challenging his assumption that "great writing was hard reading." Vonnegut's toilet-plunger aliens conveyed more about the absurdity of war than many serious treatises. Similarly, JF Martel's distinction between art that astonishes versus didactic art designed to teach specific lessons shows how the most transformative experiences often appear to lack obvious purpose.When performers focus primarily on delivering messages rather than creating authentic shared experiences, audiences sense this ulterior motive. Captain Frodo shares a personal example of his own show being rejected by educators but chosen by students, demonstrating how authentic playfulness creates experiences that resonate deeply even when – or perhaps because – they appear purposeless.Ready to bring more playfulness into your life and performances? Subscribe to The Way of the Showman and explore how embracing the "purposeless" quality of play might unlock your most meaningful creative expressions and life experiences.Support the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo
