The Theatrical Iron Curtain
Dunkirk NY – In reading up on this article (another variant here), and after a very quick and instructive Twitter chat with Travis Bedard at Cambiare Productions in Austin TX, I began to ruminate on this question of the “iron curtain” that exists between university theatres and working theatres across the country. This particular incident, where the American Voices New Play Institute is splitting into two entities, with the research arm moving from Arena Stage in DC (along with blog Howlround) to Arts Emerson in Boston, seems to be symptomatic of this problem. Why does this research institute feel the need to move to an academic climate, and why does Arena Stage seem to be so blasé about letting them go? Why can’t the two co-exist?
David Dower, who has been the mojo behind the institute along with Polly Carl, has his explanation here on the New Play Blog. Molly Smith, the AD of Arena Stage, has her say here. The words are encouraging, the conversation polite and gracious, the ideas high-minded – and yet something just seems off in the whole deal. Arena Stage gets to keep the production aspects of the enterprise (AVNPI and its funding), including the playwright residencies, while the research wing now moves to Emerson as The Center for the Theater Commons. Howlround will become the new portal and voice for this institute once the move to Emerson is completed in April.
The only way I think something better can come out of this is if the Center for the Theatre Commons, from its new location at an academic institution, now becomes an advocacy center for encouraging academic theatre departments to produce new plays. Why do I think this is a good direction to go in? Because basically what the Center for the Theater Commons has lost in all this is the ability to get new plays actually staged. They can be a clearinghouse network all they want, and dedicate themselves to providing information about new play production to us all (which is good!), but if they cannot muster the means to help either financially or in terms of putting together playwrights with producers, they lose a lot of influence and effectiveness, it seems to me. Continue Reading »
A Tale of Two Festivals
Dunkirk NY – It’s going to be a very nice day here in western NY. Temperatures will climb to the upper 70s, the sun is out, and the humidity is low. Last night I sat on my back porch, listened to the Yankees drop a game to Tampa Bay, played with a new stargazing app on my iPad, and then went to bed. It’s these kinds of situations that keep me from getting on my computer and writing on this blog. But hey, I don’t do this for a living, and I really don’t have any deadlines to meet, so I figure perhaps you don’t mind so much. Besides, at least in my neck of the woods, nothing much is happening.
Last week, though, while I was on vacation visiting family in Massachusetts, I did manage to squeeze in two days taking in the three Shakespeare offerings at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox MA. In fact, I got to do a fairly quick buzz around the Berkshires, from Lenox down to Stockbridge, then up to North Adams, across to Williamstown and back down through Pittsfield to Lenox. It was interesting. I liked Pittsfield the best, because it seemed to preserve most if its working-class history, and there was much more diversity visible in the community.
Having completed my own Shakespearian stint at my hometown Shakespeare Festival, it was quite interesting to compare the two and see what a difference money and location can make. When we talk about class, culture and the arts in this country, to me it becomes readily apparent that theatre has become the domain of the white and the wealthy. Comparing the way the two festivals go about producing Shakespeare, as well as looking at the eventual product, makes this pretty clear. Continue Reading »
More on Seattle
Dunkirk NY – I hadn’t realized when I posted the article on the situation in Seattle that it had been the cause of some buzz amongst theatre bloggers. The reason I think the situation is so interesting is that it’s bringing to the forefront once again what the fundamental issue really is in this country in my view: will the theatrical tastes on New York City continue to dominate regional theatre, or will regional theatre seek to find its own unique voice independent of New York?
I’d like to make sure one thing is perfectly clear before beginning this discussion: I am not interested in changing what goes on in NYC. Nor am I anti-NYC. NYC, as a region in the country, is free to produce and create whatever its particular theatre community would like to see. What I am interested in changing is the perception generally held in the rest of the country that what goes on in NYC is the definition of “success,” and as a consequence the perception that theatre artists must go to New York to achieve success, or perhaps more accurately, fame. Continue Reading »
R.I.P. Madison Rep
Dunkirk NY – In cruising the theatre blogs this evening after writing the previous post and while watching USA-Venezuela, I came across the depressing news that Madison Repertory Theatre in Madison WI is closing shop. It’s depressing to me because in my days with the also-defunct Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival I met and worked with many of the fine actors who made that place a theatrical marvel. Mark Lazar, Mark Herold, Laurie Birmingham, Elaine Lazar, Lee Ernst, Laura Gordon and so many others under the original artistic direction of Joe Hanreddy (now AD of Milwaukee Rep) did so much good work there. Another story of going $500K in debt. Very sad. -twl
If Theresa Larkin Ran the NEA
Fredonia NY – Isaac Butler pointed me to an article in the LA Times entitled “If I Ran the NEA.” Some prominent artists take a stab at what kinds of actions they would take. It’s very interesting to read some of the takes on the question.
But I was most taken by the following piece of writing, which came from the comments section. Ms. Theresa Larkin had this to say, and because I do not know how to contact her, I am posting the entirety of her comments in the hope that I am not violating any copyrights. They’re just too good not to read. So consider Ms. Larkin a “guest blogger” for today. -twl
I see real value in the vision statements presented by a few of the interviews posted, namely Kurt Anderson and Jon Robin Baitz.I have restated a some of their ideas and added a few of my own in numbered suggestions for how I would coordinate NEA funding.
As an artist, educator, community activist, documentarian, and citizen, I would fund…
1.) A national system that creates a synthesis of young and old artists from across many disciplines to teach in schools and community centers that have lost funding for programs in the arts.
Theatrical Pick-up Stix
Dunkirk NY – Well, the holidays are officially over. My youngest son just left the house about a while ago, and now all is quiet. The tree remains up, and for the first time it looks as if the wife and I will have to do the un-trimming alone. We often leave the tree up until January 6 in honor of Twelfth Night, but I think with no one around but us carcasses we may just spend the weekend closing it out. I think the eggnog in the refrigerator is bad, but at least the Bailey’s never turns sour.
It’s also that time of year when people review the past year, offer “Top Ten (fill in the blank) Lists,” look back at memorable events of the past year, notables who have died, and so on. What has caught my attention more than anything else during the holiday period, and what I think deserves the most review and scrutiny from a theatrical standpoint, were the continuing announcements of theatres in danger of closing. It seems the Shakespeare Santa Cruz situation (“We are important” – not to mention smug and arrogant. Why are they more important than any of the theatres listed below? Dan Gioia, can you explain?) has produced a small avalanche of theatres who need $500K to continue to survive, or else they will shut their doors. Other theatres have already shut down over the course of this last year. Here’s a little “2008 review list” of closed or troubled theatres I’ve compiled by searching Google and my own memory banks. While it is by no means comprehensive, it is designed to give you some idea of what’s happening and provide that end-of-year perspective (PS – If you know of more, please feel free to add them in the comments): Continue Reading »
Shakespeare for 300 Large
(UPDATE – They made it, of course. Over $400K in contributions. You can read about it here.)
Shakespeare Santa Cruz - "The Glen"
Dunkirk, NY – No doubt I will be expressing a minority opinion here, but in my estimation the bailout of Shakespeare Santa Cruz is, in artistic terms, equivalent to the government bailout of Wall St. I do not approve. Why, you may ask? Well, think of every reason you can as to why you might not agree with the Wall St. bailout, and you’ll begin to see the interesting parallels between the two situations (note: facts taken from the San Jose Mercury News article linked above):
- Wall Street firms spent years living large off other people’s money and selling products which appeared to be producing profits but were in fact just running the company more and more into debt. SSC lived for years off the subsidized largesse of the University of California-Santa Cruz, and went 500 large in the red from their 2008 season, which added to an already-existing $1.15 million in debt. The $300K it needs is the equivalent of the university’s subsidy, which UC-SC said it could no longer provide because of its own budget troubles.
- Wall St. is pretty much populated by rich white people. I’d be willing to bet the audience and artistic staff of SSC consists of well-off white people. Bailing out the institutions of rich white people has become quite trendy among the trend-setters in the USA today. Continue Reading »
NEA Instant Analysis
Dunkirk NY – The NEA has put out a new brochure which I am sure everyone will be commenting on in the next few days. Since it is late, here is my “instant analysis,” with some deeper analysis upcoming.
From the introduction by outgoing NEA Chairman Dan Gioa:
There is one significant and persistent problem facing American theater—attendance for spoken theater has steadily deteriorated. Since 1992, the percentage of the U.S. adult population attending non-musical theater has declined from 13.5 percent to 9.4 percent.
As these trends worsened in the last six years, even the absolute size of the audience has declined by 16 percent.
These audience declines do not seem primarily dependent on high ticket prices. Audiences appear willing to pay higher prices for events they want to attend. Although further research is needed to explore the issue, the audience drop-off may be more related to issues like lower media coverage, declining arts education, and expanded in-home entertainment options rather than ticket price.
I wouldn’t argue with any of that, but I would add that what the chairman fails to take into account (and what the report utterly fails to address) is that the product offered does not engage the average audience member. See this post from Colin Mitchell’s Bitter Lemons blog for further discussion. It’s something I and Scott Walters and some other old coots have been saying for some time now. Until American theatre artists start writing about something other than themselves and get back in touch with the world outside of theatre, people will not come. We need a better product, a more accesible product. Continue Reading »
Is this the future?
Dunkirk NY – Take a look at this article (yes, I know, it’s written by David Brooks, but look anyway). Then take a look at this article in the Chicago Tribune. When you merge the ideas expressed in them, do they perhaps point to new possibilities for what the regional theatre scene in this country could become under such conditions?
And you know what? I’ll give this idea (which I’ve had for a long time) out for free to whomever wants to run with it. The next great location for lives theatre is shopping malls. Here’s the business plan: Hire as many fresh BA/BFAs right out of undergraduate school as you can find. Put them on full-time payroll for maybe 25K-30K with some health benefits. Make them do it all; cycle their work between technical and performance. Do children’s theatre during the day, a place where parents can drop off their kids for maybe 45-60 minutes while they do some quick shopping without them. A few evenings a week do some straight theatre or light musical theatre for older patrons who want to shop late, have dinner, maybe see a show. Other evenings when the kids hang out in the mall, get them involved in producing their own shows, and have some comedy/improv nights for them. Franchise the idea in malls across the country like McDonald’s. People aren’t in downtown urban cores anymore. They’re in suburbia at their local malls. So go there! -twl
Theatre Ideas on a Roll!
Dunkirk NY – There has not been much need to write since my tooth has been fixed (root canal this past Monday), largely because Scott Walters over at Theatre Ideas has gotten on one hell of a roll! Amazing what a sabbatical can do for someone 
Scott is doing and saying all the right things concerning the regional theatre situation. He has done the research, crunched the numbers, proposed small actions people can take if they are dissatisfied with the status quo, and has been getting some good positive attention from many of the big-city bloggers. It’s very inspiring and very timely – things seem to be coming to a tipping point which may produce some real change.
So for the time being, grab some of the debate going on about the regional theatre scene and follow up on the comments and links from Scott’s site. Add him to you blogroll or RSS reader if you haven’t done so already. I’ve really nothing to add to the debate for the time being, so for now just forget about me and read up on this issue. And if you’re a theatre person struggling to figure out what to do with your life in relation to your art, consider not thinking anymore about the status quo. Think about something other than NYC or the west coast. Throw away anything you may have learned in school about headshots, resumes, and begging other people to cast you. Think, instead, about serving the community or region you grew up in and finding ways to offer them a theatre scene which is connected to their lives and situation. You may find more reward in that than in anything you could possibly do elsewhere. -twl
