a poor player

Fredonia NY – No doubt many of you have read about the troubles surrounding Shakespeare & Company. If not, you can read about it here and here. And should you be so inclined, you can watch their “call to action” here (I found their slogan “non-profit theatre is for everyone” a bit disingenuous. It’s for everyone “who can afford it.”)

There’s a lot that can be said about this event, not the least of which is the evident mismanagement that went along with trying to become large and “important.” But I do want to say that, at this point, any money spent to rescue this company will be further evidence that those who are concerned about “the arts” are really only concerned about the “high arts” and about making sure that the arts and theatre remain an exclusive activity for the well-off. When you read the dollar figures involved, which run within the $2-4 million range, just think at the same time what kind of funding that could provide for small regional companies across the country to help spread theatre at the grassroots level. And remember, these are dollars for one company alone, whose ticket prices are out of reach to mainstream, recession-wounded people.

Now you should understand why I so enjoy and appreciate my own humble Shakespeare festival, Shakespeare in Delaware Park (full disclosure – I am not a full-time member of the staff, but am occasionally employed as an actor during the summer performances). Our festival performs two shows every summer in Delaware Park, the “Central Park” of Buffalo. It is free to anyone who wishes to come. We ask for donations at intermission, and whether we get a penny or a $20 bill from someone, we are grateful for their donation. We work on a weatherbeaten stage now close to 20 years old, which we try to dress up each year with a set budget probably under $5,000 (I am guessing that’s the amount; I am not privy to the budgets). We costume all the actors for about three grand (again, a guess). Equity actors, of which there are maybe two per show, make the Buffalo/Rochester minimum – $426/week. Non-union actors make less, and some of the younger actors make far less. The backstage area consists of a worn construction-style trailer with a dressing room for the women, one for the men, and a space in between for storage. We sit outdoors as we await entrances. There is no running water; our water supply is a ten-gallon cooler, and we use port-a-potties, just like our patrons. The actors are all “home grown;” seldom is someone hired from out of town. And we’ve been doing it this way for 34 years, playing to as many as 40,000 people per summer, all seeing Shakespeare for whatever they can afford, even if it’s nothing.

In Buffalo NY, we can only dream of what $4,000,000 would be like to have. So I have little sympathy for the Berkshire-ites who are in danger of losing their festival. To them, I offer up the Buffalo NY model of doing Shakespeare. We’re going into our 35th year, and due to the hard work, dedication and diligence of a skeleton staff and our local theatre community, we’re still going strong. But of course, should Shakespeare and Company go under, we’ll be glad to have them donate their leftover assets to us. We’ll put them to good use. And shameless promotion time -  should you like to support us, you can become a Facebook fan of SDP by looking on my sidebar and doing the click thing. The setting is wonderful, the plays are fun, the company is terrific. We’d be glad to have you!  -twl