tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post8341107585112620172..comments2024-02-27T16:59:54.089-05:00Comments on (The New) Theatre Ideas: On Small Town Audiences (A Reply to Don Hall)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-28288965528045173142008-05-02T14:34:00.000-04:002008-05-02T14:34:00.000-04:00Holy fuck, that's a lot of comments.Just skimmed t...Holy fuck, that's a lot of comments.<BR/><BR/>Just skimmed them, of course, so apolgies if this point has been made.<BR/><BR/>As a theater artist and producer working regularly in New York City for going on twenty years now, I can assure you that the work done in this city is no better, no worse and absolutely no different than the work done on the other side of the George Washington Bridge.<BR/><BR/>Nor is the audience any smarter, more sophisticated or more adventurous than an audience in St. Louis, upstate Vermont or Phoenix, Arizona.<BR/><BR/>There are more theaters in NYC than most places in America.<BR/><BR/>There are more people in NYC than most places in America.<BR/><BR/>That's the only difference.<BR/><BR/>And while I appreciate the elegance of the whole Nylachi formation, it's a dried ball of bullshit at the end of the day. It crumbles if you try to do anything with it.<BR/><BR/>I'm talking about the formation only, not all of the great plans and strategies and debates that the the formation has created.<BR/><BR/>But, come on. You're going to put Los Angeles theater with New York theater? And then add Chicago theater?<BR/><BR/>We ain't no different, my national brothers and sisters. Swear to god. What works where you are will work where we are and vice versa.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to come in late and sorry not to read every comment above, but holy fuck that's a lot of comments.John Clancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02199578218621710154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-3015341861989420582008-04-30T16:40:00.000-04:002008-04-30T16:40:00.000-04:00I'd like to revisit this, since I didn't have a ch...I'd like to revisit this, since I didn't have a chance to do so at the time that Nick posted it:<BR/><BR/>"Roadside Theatre earns only $40,000 of its $1.5 million yearly budget from box office. So the theatre needs 96% of its income from someone/somewhere other than Whitesburg, KY."<BR/><BR/>Not really. You are mixing different pieces of information. Roadside Theatre is part of Appalshop, Inc., "a non-profit multi-disciplinary arts and education center in the heart of Appalachia producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, multimedia, and books.<BR/>Appalshop's education and training programs support communities' efforts to solve their own problems in a just and equitable way. Each year, Appalshop productions and services reach several million people nationally and internationally." What Nick has done is used the budget of the whole organization and the ticket income of the theatre. However, over the years in Whitesburg, that company has grown a substantial endowment that provides a considerable amount of interest income each year. In addition, because of their various activities, they receive a substantial amount in grants and contributions (as, for instance, a public radio station would). Because of their commitment to the community, they charge very little as far as ticket prices are concerned, choosing instead to provide the community with performances at low to no cost. <BR/><BR/>So yes, ticket income is not a huge part of their income flow, and that is because they have garnered considerable public support through donations that has allowed them to be less concerned with income. In other words, Appalshop stands as a testament to what can be done when a company commits itself to a community, has a strong mission, and persuades others of the value of that mission. <BR/><BR/>I suspect if you went back to the 1970s, when Roadside and Appalshop were in their infancy, you might find a different story -- although they did come into existence when there was government money available for expanding the geographical and economic reach of the arts. Nevertheless, at the time they performed in tents that they would take up into the hollers around Whitesburg to perform their shows. Anyway, as a result of their hard work, a commitment to a community, and a strong mission their financial security has been enhanced. Visit their webpage and see all the things they provide for their community: http://appalshop.org.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-77556420258191234002008-04-29T15:04:00.000-04:002008-04-29T15:04:00.000-04:00"It helps if there is a financially viable alterna...<I>"It helps if there is a financially viable alternative, which is what I am working on. Unlike you, I am not willing to conceded the dayjob yet."</I><BR/><BR/>If I am paid by my theater, then theatre _is_ my day job... I am currently employed outside of the Arts, but in a field I enjoy - what is the difference? Sell yourself here or sell yourself there? The income is shared just the same. That is getting us waaaay off-topic, though.<BR/><BR/><I>"While you may consider the decentralization argument "bunk," I am assuming you don't mind if I go on with it, right?"</I><BR/><BR/>Think away, think away... I find the idea fascinating. My skepticism is in no way an admonishment or indictment of the idea. Encouraging folks to stay in their community (or return to, in the case of students) is exactly what I espouse. Encouraging small town thespians to risk DIY theatre is what I both practice and preach. However, encouraging wanna-be NYLACHIans to find a different parking lot is completely different...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-3758364703917766022008-04-29T14:20:00.000-04:002008-04-29T14:20:00.000-04:00Mike -- Welcome to discussion central!First, let m...Mike -- Welcome to discussion central!<BR/><BR/>First, let me clarify: while I value plays that are by and about the community itself, I see that as only an option, and only a partial option. I don't necessarily see the repertoire being that much different, although I would LOVE to see a residential playwright who provides plays for the company. However, the type of theatre being done in a specific theatre is not my concern. However, your point is well taken: the change must happen in education, not just "on the ground." I have begun to try to integrate these ideas into my own department, but you also need to realize that I have to do that within a context where my colleagues may or may not share my commitment to this model. I can do what I can within that context, and I can try to disseminate the ideas to other departments as well.<BR/><BR/>As far as the financial model, I know it sounds hippie-like, but actually it is historical. The salary-based model is barely 100 years old. Commedia troupes, for instance, shared income, as did Shakespeare and Moliere. However, I am looking a bit more closely at Shakespeare's model, which involved the primary artists buying shares in the theatre and distributing income according to the number of shares they hold. The overall object, however, is to make everybody stakeholders, not employees. There should be no situation like we have at NYTW, where the board and AD and MD simply fire the staff.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-11693804469472115302008-04-29T14:05:00.000-04:002008-04-29T14:05:00.000-04:00Wow. Wow. Great conversation. I hate to get 'off t...Wow. <BR/>Wow. <BR/>Great conversation. <BR/>I hate to get 'off the subject' by getting back to some of your core values...but, alas, I will. <BR/>I feel there are two things about your tribal plan that need help/fleshing out to succeed. <BR/>(As a CHI-guy, I will skip my many Chi-biased views for the moment and try to, ya know, be part of the solution)<BR/>1. Creating the regional new work. After reading a lot about connecting with the community and all that good stuff I am in agreement that creating work with and about the smaller cities/towns your are proposing could be fascinating as an artist and very attractive to your potential audience. The only problem here is that it assumes that one can just do that. Our theatre education system teaches most of us to make theatre productions happen(as actors, directors, designers, etc,) but not how to make plays from scratch. Without looking at your course listings over there in NC @ Ashville I would hope/assume this is a skill your providing to the students there, since I think its a pretty strong way to make that artist to community connection you've made reference to. I mean, who needs more plays about 'Life in NY/Chi'? Not me, really and the irony would be that if you were in Peoria and made some good plays based on the lives and times of Peorians...I bet theatres in Chicago would love it as well and describe it as being so 'Fresh'. <BR/><BR/>2. The commune thing. I feel like all this stuff about small towns and big towns and the arty stuff skips over one of your basic tenants of your tribal ideal that is much more potentially troublesome. Pooling of income and dividing it up 'fairly' among the company members. I don't find your idea of creating a more vibrant cultural life in smaller cities/smaller towns to be utopian, but I do find this pooling concept to be a stretch. This is where Don's comments about needing outside funding comes into play. This is where, even if all your ideas about the art/audience side come about, I can still see the company members needing to find at least a part time office job or a couple shifts behind a bar. Maybe its because my parents were hippy-ish, but this is the part that sounds like it would make sense over a couple bong hits listening to a Dead bootleg, but would create a lot of problems between real live people all trying to survive off a single source of income, with vary different ideas about what is 'fair' and what is 'needed' to live a happy life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-4313751085463860352008-04-29T13:20:00.000-04:002008-04-29T13:20:00.000-04:00Don -- What this is "really about" is made pretty ...Don -- What this is "really about" is made pretty clear in my next post.<BR/><BR/>Ngale -- While you may consider the decentralization argument "bunk," I am assuming you don't mind if I go on with it, right? From my perspective as a college professor, I see on a daily basis how pervasive the Nylachi myth is, and I think there needs to be some balance. It helps if there is a financially viable alternative, which is what I am working on. Unlike you, I am not willing to conceded the dayjob yet.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-75792710742405628692008-04-29T13:10:00.000-04:002008-04-29T13:10:00.000-04:00Sorry Don and DV for the quotable mixup... Don, I ...Sorry Don and DV for the quotable mixup... Don, I create nothing relavant nor substantive; I simply hope to entertain. Yeah, I'll call anyone a lazy whiner if they will not pay the toll to attain their goal... Nothing personal.<BR/><BR/>As an aside, Don, I think you're on the money regarding the model existing, sans Fedfunds, in community theatre. The whole NYLACHI/non-NYLACHI debate, in addition to the idea of decentralization is, in my mind, bunk. _All_ of it. For me, the role of the NYLACHIans is to keep doing what they do in their own metropolis, and, as an extension of that, empower those in smaller communities and B-markets. Just as I see the good Tuna does for Faustus in Tulsa, I see the good that NYLACHI theatre does for theatre in Nowheresville. Keep doing what you're doing, just tell the weary Tiny Townsians that they, too can do it in their own community. The 10% that might take the risk is more than enough to support non-mainstream fare in a small city. Providing, of course, everyone holds a day job. Remember, tourists in a major metropolitan city are more likely to take a chance on entertainment than they might be in Tiny Town. Expose them to it. Let them leave your Dada door with the notion that they had no idea what they just saw, but they kinda liked it. And let them go home to Tiny Town, where they now might be more adventurous with the Tiny Town Players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-10986021246542539022008-04-29T12:48:00.000-04:002008-04-29T12:48:00.000-04:00ngale -One of your statement I cited was, "...do y...ngale -<BR/><BR/><I>One of your statement I cited was, "...do you honestly propose that I produce some 60-65 shows in rep over the course of a year to the same 40-45 people in town." It finishes with, "...until I die of a heart attack? Great life you're proposing there. Nice price to pay for artistic control." I get your sarcasm, but again, yes, that is exactly what I would propose if that is what it would take for you to continually produce works that meet your standards. If you think that to be too high of a price, then I suggest you are either lazy or dispassionate.</I><BR/><BR/>That was my comment. I know that you're busy working the theatrical magic and creating relevant and substantive theater out there in OK, so I'll excuse the fact that you're having a hard time with names and quotes and things. You've earned it, brother. You've paid your dues for sure.<BR/><BR/>And based upon your assessment and standards then you are right on the nose - I am a lazy, uncommitted, dispassionate artist. I have not paid enough dues nor learned enough to make it in Tulsa. I am, in fact, nothing but a lazy whiner.<BR/><BR/>Scott -<BR/><BR/>This isn't really about the region is it? This is about the content of the art and a chip on the collective shoulder of artists who decided to avoid the cities, isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-9220645916099732492008-04-29T12:41:00.000-04:002008-04-29T12:41:00.000-04:00Alright!!!Ngale...I like your tone suddenly so muc...Alright!!!Ngale...I like your tone suddenly so much more!<BR/><BR/>Couple things though...again not to support your own ascertian to being an ass, but there is alot of mixing up me with Don Hall here. I'll just attribute it to the volume of commentary, but in the interest of a better informed dust up...I want to point that out.<BR/><BR/>I hadnt picked up that you were refering to NYLACHIans testing material in nonNYLACHI areas. I had connected what you said to Scott's ascertions about certain NYLACHIan artists being merely formalists who wouldnt know a genuine human emotion if it some how got stuck in their dark emo mascara lined eyelashes.<BR/><BR/>Rest assured dont let Scott fool you!!!!We NYLACHIans believe in skill and trust but suddenly we become doubtful when others use those same terms as notions that are lacking from our art and/or character. It suddenly makes us wonder if from a sematical point of view if we are all actually on the same page regarding the mere definition of those words, espceially when they are used as tool to devalue us. <BR/><BR/>I not sure, maybe even doubtful that it is Scott's or Laura's intent to devalue folks like myself, but regardless of intent that is the result. <BR/><BR/>Everytime one of "us" (gulp and ugh) use a term like mainstream or traditional or even old hat...it would seem to anger then...to me these terms don't have the same sort of disregard as obscure or unthoughful and uncaring...etc...etc that Scott throughs at my compatriots.<BR/><BR/>I use those terms as a short hand for basically narrative/artistotlean dramarturgy.<BR/>I dont see them as nefaious or evil or usurping of my attempts at creating culture.<BR/><BR/>But, if Scott can accuse NYLACHIan of being whinier than he...Well, if thems the rules I can say that Non-NYLACHIans always seem to be more aghast more offended at the mere existence of (for lack of a better term) the avant...<BR/><BR/>I almost can hear a twisted sort of community pride in that Scott lives in a town where that sort of thing cant sustain itself economically (disregarding the reality that most theatre can sustain itself economically as Nick pointed out)...a certain sort of pride that he lives in a city where he can read about Guillermo Pena but thank goodness he doesnt have to worry about having to see it.<BR/><BR/>(ok see where this fresh hell takes us)...<BR/><BR/>-dvAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-38650816649848929882008-04-29T12:21:00.000-04:002008-04-29T12:21:00.000-04:00Wow, you guys are quick on the posts with this one...Wow, you guys are quick on the posts with this one... I'm up for the challenge.<BR/><BR/>DV, I love boiling blood as much as you... The quote you cite regarding relationships and trust was referencing NYLACHI attempts at theatre in a B-market, not NYLACHI works in their home cities. And I stand by my assertion that IN GENERAL, theatre works tested in smaller communities by NYLACHIans are just that - tests - and, by the very nature of their laboratory tryout, are prone to failure. Again, my nuggets are specifically in reference to a small town and/or B-market - somewhere you are not.<BR/><BR/>I see my position as neither more or less provincial than either you or Don. In fact, I think my arrogance and snobbery can rival anyone I dismiss as NYLACHI snobs. I am self aware, and I know I'm an ass. And I know I bust my ass to keep 100% integrity in what I do. One of your statement I cited was, <I>"...do you honestly propose that I produce some 60-65 shows in rep over the course of a year to the same 40-45 people in town."</I> It finishes with, <I>"...until I die of a heart attack? Great life you're proposing there. Nice price to pay for artistic control."</I> I get your sarcasm, but again, yes, that is exactly what I would propose if that is what it would take for you to continually produce works that meet your standards. If you think that to be too high of a price, then I suggest you are either lazy or dispassionate. If the passion and drive is there you will do what is necessary...<BR/><BR/>I don't think it takes a small town artist to assess audience "skill" and trust. However, it does take someone who is entrenched in that culture. I would not tell Chicago what to do with their theatres after a paltry year of assessing the audience, nor would I accept a NYALCHIan's assessment of my community with such little exposure. Such an assessment would be more of a conquest or conversion rather than a genuine trust-based assessment and recommendation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-49648866546196562082008-04-29T11:48:00.000-04:002008-04-29T11:48:00.000-04:00Ben,It the sole argument were Non-NYLACHI artists ...Ben,<BR/><BR/>It the sole argument were Non-NYLACHI artists for NON-NYLACHI theatres...I agree.<BR/><BR/>But there is always a lot of additional baggage that gets heaped in it. Scott, might feel that the NYLACHIans are bringing all that baggage...to that I would response with IOWA-08 (who remembers that shit storm...that had nothing to do with decentralization of talent) or this wonderful notion that it takes a small town artist to honestly assess audience "skill" and genuine "trust". <BR/><BR/>I agree with decentralization, but there are alot of other things here that i think are off and worthy of spirited back and forth.<BR/><BR/>-dvAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-5351360945242768192008-04-29T11:38:00.000-04:002008-04-29T11:38:00.000-04:00Scott's got this one right. Take, for example, my...Scott's got this one right. Take, for example, my hometown's Guthrie Theater. They regularly ship in Nylachi actors when there are plenty of actors in town who could do the job just as well. They use many local actors, but never ALL local actors. It's as though the production wouldn't be up to Guthrie Standards if they didn't have at least a couple Nylachi bios in the program.<BR/><BR/>I'll admit -- it stings quite a bit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-78520630949633826102008-04-29T11:32:00.000-04:002008-04-29T11:32:00.000-04:00Non a higher level of civility...just an equal dam...Non a higher level of civility...just an equal damn footing Scott.<BR/><BR/>"And my experience has often been that it is Nylachi artists who squeal the loudest when the shoe is on the other foot."<BR/><BR/>This blog of yours shows that not to be the case my friend. No one, but no one squeals louder that you<BR/><BR/>(oops maybe I shouldn't have used the word squeal...I mean when the Non-NYLACHI says it...it implies whiny complaint, but when the NyLACHI sayd it he is attempting to categorize using "Deliverence" as contextuality)<BR/><BR/>You only hear my squealing as louder becuase you view your position to be relatively more justified.<BR/><BR/>The grass is always greener and the kids are always less behaved in the other dudes lawn.<BR/><BR/>But why does that excuse you calling your neighbors wife a whore when you get mad...but when he does the same...he crossed the line?<BR/><BR/>(Wha DV? where's that come from)<BR/><BR/>-dvAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-67206842561797888792008-04-29T11:04:00.000-04:002008-04-29T11:04:00.000-04:00dv -- You are experiencing in Ngale's post what Ng...dv -- You are experiencing in Ngale's post what Ngale and others in smaller markets around the US experience every day. Their talents are questioned, their commitment is questioned, the value of their efforts are questioned, and their work is dismissed. And my experience has often been that it is Nylachi artists who squeal the loudest when the shoe is on the other foot. Non-Nylachi artists are held to a higher level of civility while Nylachi artists regularly make off-handed comments that cut just as deep if not deeper. Yes -- pot, kettle, black -- and we're all cooking together.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-69478529492299308202008-04-29T10:58:00.000-04:002008-04-29T10:58:00.000-04:00"We have built a relationship and trust with our a..."We have built a relationship and trust with our audience, something I'm not convinced any of the NYLACHIDiCks have attempted in their laboratory or field tests."<BR/><BR/>This is Awesome Ngale...and it helps me and other NYLACHIDicks understand that...wait for it...<BR/><BR/>You are so much more sincere than us. If only we had realized that YOU can talk with an audience, while we merely PREACH or SHOUT at them...and that you not knowing bunk about what I do can ascertain that I somehow behave in a distrustful manner with the few people I am blessed to have come to my shows...It is nice to know that (thanks to you post) that the reason Don and I and others came out to NYLACHI is becuase we dont have what it takes to make it in tulsa tinytown...well thanks for condescention..it relieves me to see that self righteousness is not the solely a citybound perrogative.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry to be combative here, but don't I have as much a right to feel my blood boil when some midwesterner tells me that the problem with my kind (NYLACHIans) is that we are disttustful, lazy, and too auteurishly self involved compared to our folks who live in locales where I guess the extra trees makes them people more in touch people...?<BR/><BR/>Why is this position any different in quality to something said and then intrepreted as provincial by my bud Don Hall?<BR/><BR/>Ngale, I'm not exactly sure how you intent your post to come off, but if you dont know who you are talking to, then your hard earned nuggets of wisdom (like telling me to pay my dues...wow!)risk not being so wise rather self righteous.<BR/><BR/>I'll admit that I sometimes jump to conslusions...I always like reading a post like ngales though...it shows me that such behavior is not limited to the concrete jungle.<BR/><BR/>-dvAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-28253932964324434092008-04-29T10:39:00.000-04:002008-04-29T10:39:00.000-04:00With a pop of about 380,000, Tulsa may not be Tiny...With a pop of about 380,000, Tulsa may not be Tiny Town, yet I imagine our citizens share the core values and beliefs, likes and dislikes, with our Tiny Town brethren.<BR/><BR/>You are all talking of percentages and a "pitiful" attendance of 99. If we had 99 for our performances we'd be ecstatic. We play to houses of 5-30 typically; Tuna gets the 99-200 house at the professional theatre down the street. Your percentages, as has been discussed, are flawed for many reasons.<BR/><BR/>Ben, I would agree that 90% would rather see "The Music Man." However, I would argue that that percentage remains the same whether in rural America or in NYLACHIDC. The question becomes, what is the other 10% doing? If we're talking about a town of 1,200, that 10% constitutes 120 people - quite a large assembly for a small town... If you're talking NYLACHIDC, that assembly becomes +150,000. In either location, that's quite a tribe.<BR/><BR/>Don, we are guilty of throwing our audience a popular bone to survive as a theatre, but our popular bones are far from "mainstream fare." We have built a relationship and trust with our audience, something I'm not convinced any of the NYLACHIDiCks have attempted in their laboratory or field tests. We said long ago that we were committed to our community and that we were in it for the long run. Our initial slogan was, "If you can make it here (Tulsa), you can make it anywhere." You can have 50 different opportunities in any city, rural or urban, to do similar work to that of your Chi-town theatre if you get off your ass and make it happen, but you _will_ need a day job to eat. Yes, you'll need to produce 60-65 shows in rep over the course of a year to the same 40-45 people in town. Which makes me wonder: do you have the passion for your art, or are you just a lazy whiner? <I>"Nylachi(dc) shouldn't be the only places where anyone can put up a black box show and expect a reasonable amount of press coverage and audiences. It IS that way, but it shouldn't be."</I> <-- Wholly incorrect. Perhaps it's time for you to mount Pinter as an adult, in a non academic environment, and see what happens.<BR/><BR/>DV, if you have a trust with your audience, they will take risks you never thought imaginable. Pay your dues, stick to your artistic guns, then produce your Dada fare. They will come. "We've got a vision" is exactly correct; that vision can be as much Dada as Tuna once you have earned someone's trust.<BR/><BR/>Nick, <I>"If you employ the art form as your method for exploring your life, not as a function of securing a career or making a living, then the world's your oyster."</I> Amen and amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-11083718645226598092008-04-29T02:06:00.000-04:002008-04-29T02:06:00.000-04:00Also, this has little to do with the "signed comme...Also, this has little to do with the "signed comments" discussion. No matter what Don Hall writes on your blog, you have nothing to do with his future employability. Mr. Hall has no reason to post an anonymous comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-11688365245046393122008-04-28T18:16:00.000-04:002008-04-28T18:16:00.000-04:00I doubt very much that anyone is going to care wha...I doubt very much that anyone is going to care what I have to say after all of this, but...<BR/><BR/>I'm an actor/director/producer from Tiny Town. In my experience, 90% of Tiny Town residents would rather see The Music Man than The Pillowman. They're not stupid, they're just conservative...90% of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-22036055002949072302008-04-28T17:16:00.000-04:002008-04-28T17:16:00.000-04:00Thanks Scott, Don, and all for the conversation.Be...Thanks Scott, Don, and all for the conversation.<BR/><BR/>Best to have trust funds or endowments or a good day job when producing theatre in either NYLACHI or Camel Hump, WY.<BR/><BR/>Roadside Theatre earns only $40,000 of its $1.5 million yearly budget from box office. So the theatre needs 96% of its income from someone/somewhere other than Whitesburg, KY. Both Dell Arte and Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble are schools probably more than theatres. And they both tour their productions outside their towns. So the populations of Blue Lake, CA and Whitesburg, KY and Bloomsburg, PA are not the actual “communities” supporting these theatres. The Noh school of BTE has little to do with the residents of Bloomsburg, PA.<BR/><BR/>None of Scott’s theatre producing adventures in Tiny Town would have ever earned him a middle class income unless he also secured endowments or government funding. Forget about providing for an entire ensemble of actors. Of course likewise Don’s Dada adventures in NYLACHI. But I think Don knows and practices the reality of that. I am not so sure Scott does. Nothing wrong with his proposals and ideals, but if he is sending his students out to Tiny Town to make a living at theatre, he is no different than the teacher sending his students to NYLACHI to stand in those cattle calls for actors. <BR/> <BR/>If were a young guitar picker starting over again, I would head to Nashville, not in search of fame and fortune, but to measure my art and find kinship, community with likeminded guitar pickers... a band, a tribe, and fellow travelers to run with. As song says:<BR/><BR/>Well, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two<BR/>Guitar pickers in Nashville<BR/>And they can pick more notes than the number of ants<BR/>On a Tennessee anthill<BR/>Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two<BR/>Guitar cases in Nashville<BR/>And any one that unpacks his guitar could play<BR/>Twice as better than I will<BR/><BR/>The first community will always be one’s peers, those creating the work with you. Once you have found the essence of your tribe, my experience is that NYLACHI is no better or worse than BumFuck Egypt for producing theatre. I have worked with theatre ensembles from around the country and the world. Every city, large or small, presents its own unique challenges. If you employ the art form as your method for exploring your life, not as a function of securing a career or making a living, then the world's your oyster.Nick https://www.blogger.com/profile/13280949568861084843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-2343638489588248772008-04-28T17:13:00.000-04:002008-04-28T17:13:00.000-04:00Ohh, I love a good dust-up in the theatrosphere! G...Ohh, I love a good dust-up in the theatrosphere! God bless you, Dr. Walters, for riling everyone up.Sarah McLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13628081668961201649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-31147118979905646992008-04-28T16:06:00.000-04:002008-04-28T16:06:00.000-04:00Well...I'm molified(sigh)-dvWell...<BR/><BR/>I'm molified<BR/><BR/>(sigh)<BR/><BR/>-dvAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-44609152381919640012008-04-28T15:50:00.000-04:002008-04-28T15:50:00.000-04:00dv -- "See, but when you criticize a branch of wor...dv -- <BR/><BR/>"See, but when you criticize a branch of work with historical precendent that exists solely in/and because of those places that its current inhabitants are building upon as irrelevent or too obscure...you might as well be saying down with NYLACHI."<BR/><BR/>No no no!!! I am perfectly happy that Wooster Group exists! It just doesn't have to exist <I>everywhere</I>. The thing that makes the Wooster Group powerful is that they reflect their community. They fit perfectly into the downtown NY scene. But they are not <I>universal</I> -- nothing is. I am delighted to see NY, LA, and Chicago as unique -- they <I>unique</I>, which is not to say that they are <I>universal</I> or <I>transferable</I>.<BR/><BR/>And yes, Suzan Lori-Parks is very political, which is why I didn't talk about her. And I also think she transfers well, by the way -- <I>Topdog/Underdog</I> was done here in Asheville to strong houses.)<BR/><BR/>Don's experience with Pinter in Arkansas isn't relevant because it was a one-and-done production promoted through traditional media channels. There was no attempt to build an audience. So you can't dismiss the idea of a non-metropolitan theatre through one production of Pinter done by college kids, for God's sake. Now, if Don had stayed in Arkansas and spent the same amount of time building an audience as he has spent developing the WNEP audience, that would be something else entirely. <BR/><BR/>Here is what I wrote in a side email flurry with Don: "what I am looking for is a group of artists who want to learn by doing -- who feel that being in front of an audience, no matter whether it is reading a short story or in a full production of Hamlet, is a way to develop their talent and fulfill their need to create. I don'[t want purists, and I don't want snobs. I want people who are blue-collar, lunchpail types who don't feel superior to their audience because they have a BA in Theatre. I want them to live in the community, coach a Little League softball team, and work out at the Y. I don't want theatre to be a rarified thing that exists "over there," but something that is vibrant and immediate. I want them to feel as if the plays that are done speak directly to their lives and experiences and inner selves."<BR/><BR/>One of the major factors in this model is a new relationship between audience and artist, one that is based on a relationship between equals. I think that is crucial for a theatre in a smaller market. And for me, Richard Foreman just isn't that guy! He doesn't care about the audience, allhe cares about is getting his vision out there. And that's great -- it is his right, and he has done it long ago that he has developed his own audience that waits for each new production. But that ain't what I'm proposing.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-84277635614262344802008-04-28T15:43:00.000-04:002008-04-28T15:43:00.000-04:00Please note that the production of Adding Machine ...Please note that the production of Adding Machine runnning Off-Broadway is not a revival, but a new musical adaptation transferred to New York from Chicago's Next Theatre.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-86567720776093369922008-04-28T15:31:00.000-04:002008-04-28T15:31:00.000-04:00Don said:"Chicago is unusual in that, while real e...Don said:<BR/><BR/>"Chicago is unusual in that, while real estate is expensive, anyone can put up a solid black box production just about anywhere and have a reasonable expectation that he will receive some press and some audience. My experience indicates that that simply is not the case in non-Nylachi areas of the country in general."<BR/><BR/>I don't disagree with you. In fact, that has been my experience as well. However.. I think the point here is that it shouldn't have to be that way. Nylachi(dc) shouldn't be the only places where anyone can put up a black box show and expect a reasonable amount of press coverage and audiences.<BR/><BR/>It <I>IS</I> that way, but it <I>shouldn't</I> be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16876687.post-76189034191423684202008-04-28T15:22:00.000-04:002008-04-28T15:22:00.000-04:00Don -- My Nylachi producing experience would be re...Don -- My Nylachi producing experience would be relevant if I was using it to say that producing in Nylachi was impossible. Then you would be right to say "have you ever done it?" And then I'd have to say, "No" or "yes, I produced a show once and it tanked," and then you'd have a right to say,"Geez -- one show and you're ready to pronounce something impossible?" You can't generalize from such a small sampling size!<BR/><BR/>My producing experience. I ran my own summer theatre in my home town starting when I was 17 years old complete with city funding. I ran it for four years, during which time we did a new play we acquired through the Milwaukee Rep, Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," Frank Gilroy's "The Subject Was Roses," Clifford Odets' "The Country Girl," John Dos Passos "USA," James Lee's "Career," and Noel Coward's "Private Lives." In Minneapolis, I did an independent production of Henrik Ibsen's "Master Builder," and was two days away from having my own theatre when the city condemned the building (leaving me with a hundred movie theatre seats stuffed in the basement). I was Associate Artistic Director of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival for several years. As Chair of the Drama Dept at UNCA, I was the producer of our annual season.Scott Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177922467901223790noreply@blogger.com