Sarah Stephens, a graduate of Cincinnati's School for Performing Arts and Univ Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music's Drama Program hits the front of the LA Times this week.
Theater project holds a mirror up to the recession
Adam Rapp, Will Eno, and a host of solid writers, working with some of NY's most promising talent. Sounds perfect, if you ask me.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Finally a decent PSA for the arts...
of course they are Canadian... It is much better the then US bumper stickers "Arts Matter"!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Preach it Brother!
From the Guardian:*
“We've got to get away from the idea that it's good to go to the theatre," says young playwright Mike Bartlett over lunch at London's Royal Court theatre, where his new play is about to open. "It isn't church. There's nothing innately good about it. Most theatre is still really bad."
“We've got to get away from the idea that it's good to go to the theatre," says young playwright Mike Bartlett over lunch at London's Royal Court theatre, where his new play is about to open. "It isn't church. There's nothing innately good about it. Most theatre is still really bad."
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Weathering the Storm
I hear a lot of my colleagues using that phrase “weathering the storm” or “buckling down” or any myriad of analogies for what they consider to be a “passing phase”. But what if it is not a passing phase, what if after the economy recovers we (non-profits, and theatre specifically) are left in this same place we are in now? You can only hide your head under a rock for so long.
I do not believe that things are going to bounce back to the way they were. I am also one who believes those companies that have closed their doors in the past year, should have. The field is cluttered and crowded and wasting too much money. We have commercialized an art form (even in the non-profit theatre), and I do not mean in terms of commercial success, but corporate modeling. But I digress here.
I am not alone in this thinking, this morning I found two places that point to the same hypothesis. The Foundation Center reported: Giving to drop by more than 10%*. That is not this season which a year ago we were all claiming would be the worst of it, but that is in reference to 2010 and foreseeable future. They are quoted as saying "many (foundations) are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact." Translation: “fewer dollars” will mean fewer recipients.
And here is my favorite quote from the site posted above:
“Some foundation executives who were surveyed said nonprofits need to pursue more creative fundraising strategies such as revenue-generating activities and collaboration, and rely less on traditional sources of support.”
Or in other words, for theatres, more earned revenue, ie ticket sales. They are calling on us to move beyond the traditional 50/50 split of earned and unearned revenues and act more like small business. Is that possible, however? Can theatre really operate based on more earned revenue? Could the new model be more of a 75/25 split? To poll the field, it actually seems to me the healthier the theatre company the less reliant they are on contributed income error-ing to a 60/40 split.
I will not side-track down the path of commission based arts groups for they are their own type of non-traditional model.
What if the days of the flourishing regional theatre is changing. Which leads me to this post: What if the 'new normal' is really the original normal?* The suggestion that the regional theatre movement was an aberration of the past 50 years of financial wealth and stability is something to ponder. What cultures and time periods have embraced the theatre so thoroughly as to pay them living salaries and create business models?
I do not believe that things are going to bounce back to the way they were. I am also one who believes those companies that have closed their doors in the past year, should have. The field is cluttered and crowded and wasting too much money. We have commercialized an art form (even in the non-profit theatre), and I do not mean in terms of commercial success, but corporate modeling. But I digress here.
I am not alone in this thinking, this morning I found two places that point to the same hypothesis. The Foundation Center reported: Giving to drop by more than 10%*. That is not this season which a year ago we were all claiming would be the worst of it, but that is in reference to 2010 and foreseeable future. They are quoted as saying "many (foundations) are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact." Translation: “fewer dollars” will mean fewer recipients.
And here is my favorite quote from the site posted above:
“Some foundation executives who were surveyed said nonprofits need to pursue more creative fundraising strategies such as revenue-generating activities and collaboration, and rely less on traditional sources of support.”
Or in other words, for theatres, more earned revenue, ie ticket sales. They are calling on us to move beyond the traditional 50/50 split of earned and unearned revenues and act more like small business. Is that possible, however? Can theatre really operate based on more earned revenue? Could the new model be more of a 75/25 split? To poll the field, it actually seems to me the healthier the theatre company the less reliant they are on contributed income error-ing to a 60/40 split.
I will not side-track down the path of commission based arts groups for they are their own type of non-traditional model.
What if the days of the flourishing regional theatre is changing. Which leads me to this post: What if the 'new normal' is really the original normal?* The suggestion that the regional theatre movement was an aberration of the past 50 years of financial wealth and stability is something to ponder. What cultures and time periods have embraced the theatre so thoroughly as to pay them living salaries and create business models?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Where websites go to die...
I was looking up an old favorite theatre company in chicago. I geuss they are not really that old as they had only produced a handful of work. The work, however, was amazingly done and compelling.
Big Picture Group
As I visited the site i realized I could not tell if they were still functioning or not. There are no years attached to the dates on thier "up coming" performance. I know that some of the faces on their staff page have moved on since then. So where do websites go when companies fade out. Do they linger in cyberspace as they linger in our minds?
Another company this brings to mind is Blue Forms Theatre Group. I could not find their website but I did find this article in American Theatre. Now this company is gone, however the genius behind their evolution is still kicking it in Columbus Ohio. His newest company Availible Light Theatre is making huge waves as well.
Maybe its in the name. Companies ending with the name "Group". Actually that is it exactly. This "Groups" are formed by collaborative artists work together, and as time moves forward and life gets in the way, partners fade out and the group shortly follows. Unless your Wooster.
Big Picture Group
As I visited the site i realized I could not tell if they were still functioning or not. There are no years attached to the dates on thier "up coming" performance. I know that some of the faces on their staff page have moved on since then. So where do websites go when companies fade out. Do they linger in cyberspace as they linger in our minds?
Another company this brings to mind is Blue Forms Theatre Group. I could not find their website but I did find this article in American Theatre. Now this company is gone, however the genius behind their evolution is still kicking it in Columbus Ohio. His newest company Availible Light Theatre is making huge waves as well.
Maybe its in the name. Companies ending with the name "Group". Actually that is it exactly. This "Groups" are formed by collaborative artists work together, and as time moves forward and life gets in the way, partners fade out and the group shortly follows. Unless your Wooster.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Comedy as it changes
There was another interesting read today about the Brighton Beach... production that closed after only one week of performances.
Neil Simon Flop May Be a Case of the Missing ‘Wow’
There is a lot of talk in this article about 'star-power' and hype, but then there is the interesting conversation about the changing comedy spectrum. How does comedy exist today and does classic american comedy such as Simon plays or even "slap-stick" still play.
On a side-note, I love how New Yorkers think that only people living in NY and LA are trend-setters and seekers.
Neil Simon Flop May Be a Case of the Missing ‘Wow’
There is a lot of talk in this article about 'star-power' and hype, but then there is the interesting conversation about the changing comedy spectrum. How does comedy exist today and does classic american comedy such as Simon plays or even "slap-stick" still play.
On a side-note, I love how New Yorkers think that only people living in NY and LA are trend-setters and seekers.
What is an actor who can not memorize lines?
An interesting write up in the NY Times about the age old art of "prompting"...
Whispers Offstage? Could Be Actor’s Next Line
Oh, yes do I have strong feelings on this issue. However, on the otherside is the age factor to call to question. At what point does it become acceptible? Is it a questions of age or rehearsal timeline?
If you were to ask me, and more then a few of my colleuges, memorizing your lines is the first and most important job of the actor. To be frank, there is no possible way you can 'act' if you do not know your lines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an older post I forgot to finish and publish... so here it is
Whispers Offstage? Could Be Actor’s Next Line
Oh, yes do I have strong feelings on this issue. However, on the otherside is the age factor to call to question. At what point does it become acceptible? Is it a questions of age or rehearsal timeline?
If you were to ask me, and more then a few of my colleuges, memorizing your lines is the first and most important job of the actor. To be frank, there is no possible way you can 'act' if you do not know your lines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an older post I forgot to finish and publish... so here it is
Friday, October 23, 2009
Young Audiences
Ahh the age old question of "How to attract young audiences". Here is a post on Parabasis called No Brainer. He lays out very clearly 3 key points that everyone ignores:
1) Do work that younger audiences want to see.
2) Do it well.
3) Price it in a way that they find it affordable.
...ok, yes easier said then done. There are theatres doing these steps and doing them well. Look at Berkeley Rep's American Idiot for instance, or American Rep's Donkey Show and adaption of the scottish play. Affordable, interesting, youthful entertaining theatre, does not mean we have to give up any artistry or intelligence. God, Spring Awakening the great teeny-pop hit that it was, is an adaptation of a play written in the 1890's.
However I have just listed off two rock-musicals. I do not want to be miss-leading. Though I do think the future of theatre and live performance lies somewhere inbetween Musical Theatre and "straight" Theatre (what a terrible description "straight" theatre is...), plays can be just as powerful but we can not ignore the times. We live in an age when the sound is never off. From ipods, to car stereos, to muzak, to Ally McBeal style montages in every form of media we watch, the still silence of a Pinter play or even Rapp's Red Light can be unsettling. That's a good thing, if used properly, and death if not.
It sometimes feels as though young writers are writing for older audiences, or maybe writing for older producers, with whom they would like to see thier work produced. Either that or they are writing for the screen, which is a completely different beast, and a completely different blog-post all together. The trick is, as I have been thinking about this alot lately, as it seems alot of people have been, but the trick is to be brave. We must remember what brought us to this artform in the first place and seek to re-discover performance.
1) Do work that younger audiences want to see.
2) Do it well.
3) Price it in a way that they find it affordable.
...ok, yes easier said then done. There are theatres doing these steps and doing them well. Look at Berkeley Rep's American Idiot for instance, or American Rep's Donkey Show and adaption of the scottish play. Affordable, interesting, youthful entertaining theatre, does not mean we have to give up any artistry or intelligence. God, Spring Awakening the great teeny-pop hit that it was, is an adaptation of a play written in the 1890's.
However I have just listed off two rock-musicals. I do not want to be miss-leading. Though I do think the future of theatre and live performance lies somewhere inbetween Musical Theatre and "straight" Theatre (what a terrible description "straight" theatre is...), plays can be just as powerful but we can not ignore the times. We live in an age when the sound is never off. From ipods, to car stereos, to muzak, to Ally McBeal style montages in every form of media we watch, the still silence of a Pinter play or even Rapp's Red Light can be unsettling. That's a good thing, if used properly, and death if not.
It sometimes feels as though young writers are writing for older audiences, or maybe writing for older producers, with whom they would like to see thier work produced. Either that or they are writing for the screen, which is a completely different beast, and a completely different blog-post all together. The trick is, as I have been thinking about this alot lately, as it seems alot of people have been, but the trick is to be brave. We must remember what brought us to this artform in the first place and seek to re-discover performance.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
What are we?
More later...
but here is a fascinating post about the nature of nonprofitable theatre.
Arts Journal
"I don't want to be a charity, in large part because I don't think our social cause has enough merit to compete with other charities who actually change lives on a grand scale. So, the only round hole we can force our square peg of a "business model" into is as community resource.
In this interconnected, digital age, if our art can serve as a meeting place for communities of like-minded individuals to connect, celebrate, and be challenged, then we might find a way of restoring theatre's primacy in people's lives and creating sustainable theatre-making organisms (not organizations). "
but here is a fascinating post about the nature of nonprofitable theatre.
Arts Journal
"I don't want to be a charity, in large part because I don't think our social cause has enough merit to compete with other charities who actually change lives on a grand scale. So, the only round hole we can force our square peg of a "business model" into is as community resource.
In this interconnected, digital age, if our art can serve as a meeting place for communities of like-minded individuals to connect, celebrate, and be challenged, then we might find a way of restoring theatre's primacy in people's lives and creating sustainable theatre-making organisms (not organizations). "
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
What does our future hold?
Here are two articles that i found to be great companion pieces. One from the other day in the NY Times, which called to mind a Dec-2008 article in the Times.
A Few Star-Studded Hits Obscure Broadway’s Challenges
Audience for Straight Plays Is Declining, N.E.A. Finds
You can read the whole NEA study, which is actually fascinating leading to the conclusion above. The interesting thing about that article is that it does not resurface in our collective conversation. The NEA finds that ticket sales for straight theatre has dropped by 20% in the past 15 years, while the number of regional theatres has doubled. This is cause for concern.
However, lets face facts, it is not just the straight theatres in NY falling victim to the Star-syndrome. Musical theatre has over the passed decade started to push "star-quality" performers who have no buisness playing leads in live theatre. The question remains to be asked, are audiences really coming to see theatre or to star-gaze. If these plays, and some of them are iconic pieces of english drama, if they are notable to keep us invested, then what is. What is next?
A Few Star-Studded Hits Obscure Broadway’s Challenges
Audience for Straight Plays Is Declining, N.E.A. Finds
You can read the whole NEA study, which is actually fascinating leading to the conclusion above. The interesting thing about that article is that it does not resurface in our collective conversation. The NEA finds that ticket sales for straight theatre has dropped by 20% in the past 15 years, while the number of regional theatres has doubled. This is cause for concern.
However, lets face facts, it is not just the straight theatres in NY falling victim to the Star-syndrome. Musical theatre has over the passed decade started to push "star-quality" performers who have no buisness playing leads in live theatre. The question remains to be asked, are audiences really coming to see theatre or to star-gaze. If these plays, and some of them are iconic pieces of english drama, if they are notable to keep us invested, then what is. What is next?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
4 things that the arts need to do to avoid the "tsunami" ahead
FROM TC: The director and producer Gregory Mosher, who runs The Arts Initiative at Columbia University, recently spoke before a group of students about why he thinks America's major performing arts institutions are headed for deep trouble - and what they can do about it. No online transcript is available yet, but I have done a quick recap (heavily condensed for space reasons) of his major themes:
"Tonight I want to talk about what I consider to be the extraordinarily perilous future of the major not-for-profit arts organizations in America. It is my opinion that [they] may be facing the same fate as print journalism. My colleagues have responded [to declining arts attendance and the rising popularity of things like music downloading and video game use] largely the way The New York Times has responded over the last 15 years as they saw the web tsunami coming at them. They hired people and then didn't listen to them. They forgot what business they were in. They thought they were exempt in the same way my friends [in the arts] believe they are exempt. I put it to you that the tsunami is about to crash down on them. And they don't want to talk about it. There are four things I think we need to do: (1) We've got to admit we have a problem; (2) We have to admit we don't know [all] the answers; (3) We have to listen to people who know what they're talking about, and in this case, that means young people; and (4) We've got to be like scientists in a lab and fail our way into success."
Click here to watch streaming video of Mosher's hour-long talk in its entirety.
"Tonight I want to talk about what I consider to be the extraordinarily perilous future of the major not-for-profit arts organizations in America. It is my opinion that [they] may be facing the same fate as print journalism. My colleagues have responded [to declining arts attendance and the rising popularity of things like music downloading and video game use] largely the way The New York Times has responded over the last 15 years as they saw the web tsunami coming at them. They hired people and then didn't listen to them. They forgot what business they were in. They thought they were exempt in the same way my friends [in the arts] believe they are exempt. I put it to you that the tsunami is about to crash down on them. And they don't want to talk about it. There are four things I think we need to do: (1) We've got to admit we have a problem; (2) We have to admit we don't know [all] the answers; (3) We have to listen to people who know what they're talking about, and in this case, that means young people; and (4) We've got to be like scientists in a lab and fail our way into success."
Click here to watch streaming video of Mosher's hour-long talk in its entirety.
Monday, October 19, 2009
websites
Ah, technology. You would think that by now an average human being should be able to get all of these sites working in tandum in the shortest amount of time. Though for someone who has spent the better part of his life now, working in empty spaces we call theatres (and not as a lighting designer) I am doing pretty well.
For now, rest assured, I am not ranting about anything in particular.
bruffy
For now, rest assured, I am not ranting about anything in particular.
bruffy
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Long awaited
So that might be a little presumptuous of me, “Long Awaited”. It has been long awaited for my own desires to start blogging about the theatre. So it that respect it is long awaited. I read quite a few different blogs during my days. Thomas Cott’s daily digest has not helped my addiction at all. However, I think it is ideal that we (theatre pro’s) keep an open dialogue, even if it is via emails, websites, blogs, etc.
And so I begin with my first post. Ok, yes, not a very interesting or ideal post, but it is a start. I have no subscribers, no one checking in here, no one really even knows it exists yet. That seemed the best way to begin, in any event. Though check back, cause I have a bit more to say about this world we play in.
Thanks for stopping by.
bruffy
And so I begin with my first post. Ok, yes, not a very interesting or ideal post, but it is a start. I have no subscribers, no one checking in here, no one really even knows it exists yet. That seemed the best way to begin, in any event. Though check back, cause I have a bit more to say about this world we play in.
Thanks for stopping by.
bruffy
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