Theatre Process

I have been taking a class called Values and Action and we are reading our second book about American economic imperialism and the intrusion of the free market into domains that were previously immune to market thinking/forces. So I've been thinking a lot about money and the ways in which I value you it and what role I want it to play in my theater. The current thinking of theater as a management heavy non-profit that pursues the almighty dollar from wealthy subscribers and donors places emphasis on theater as a product. Audiences pay for entertainment and connection to the experiences of their youth, or connection to perceived culture and you charge them what the market will bear for tickets and then badger them for additional donations. Now the good thing about this method is that it is still non-profit- no one gets huge salaries and the mission of the organization is to produce theater, not money. Also, people are paid, theater is made and audiences get to see theater.

However, the sad thing about the current method of theater (and art in general really) as a product, is that it confuses the ends for the means. When I put on a show, my ends are that I put on a great show- all the hard work, collaboration, stress, etc that theater brings get paid off on opening night when the audience loves our work and we get to tell them a story. In modern theater structure, this production is simply a means to the end of making money. That seems a contradiction to the very idea of non-profit.

This is not to say that theater can't be expensive and require money to run. Not everyone can work for free, though actors and designers are usually expected to do so for at least the first few years of their careers. I could easily spend $6k a month renting a space and producing theater therein. And so this system of supporting the public good of having a theater is based on whether audiences and donors like the product you produce.

That's not why I do theater. Hell, that's not why I see theater. I see theater sometimes because I like the story (still checking off Shakespeare shows on my bucket list), or I have gotten comp tickets, but really the responsibility that drags me out of my comfortable house and to the theater is that one or more of my friends is involved with the production. I feel responsible not necessarily to like the show, but to at least watch it and support the people I profess to care about with two hours of my time. Theater is the opportunity for conversation and showing my love, rather than something I do to entertain myself. This could also be due to the fact that the theater I prefer to watch is dark, tragic and meaningful. I don't always want to experience those emotions and the brooding, self-reflective after effects after a long day of work.

Theater, then is a process for me, or in the words of Barry Schwartz, a practice. I am a theater practitioner. So my goal in opening my own theater is not to create theater product, but to engage in the practice of theater itself. I find that the process- the deadlines, the collaboration, the audience expectations, the story, bring out what I like best about myself. I want that opportunity for other people as well. The opportunity to discover who they are under immense stress in the middle of chaos. To tell the stories that are important to them and get immediate, honest feedback from a diverse audience that is there to watch them succeed. Although we've all experienced it, only assholes go to a show and root for catastrophe or failure.

Not only that, packaging theater as a product means you only have one chance to impress your audience. You go out with your date to see Grease and one of the chorus member has the voice of a sick cow. You don't know that she's had the flu, but you're not impressed by the lack of harmony and you think "Why should I watch shows here if they can't even hire good singers?" You never go back to that theater, or maybe you never go back to any theater. Just like you'd stop buying anything whose quality wasn't up to your expectations. But that's the problem with advertising and marketing- they set high expectations that you can't always live up to in an artistic product. Not everyone who likes Grease will be similarly impressed with All My Sons.

So the idea is that by creating theatre practitioners, people who understand and appreciate theater as a conversation, as a method of shaping narrative, as a way to grow as people by shared hardship, sacrifice and reward, that we will create a community of dedicated theater people. And they will come see shows because they trust us, and want to support us. Because they value the stories we choose and how we choose to tell them. Because the artists we choose to work with are trust worthy and have the community's interests at heart. They may or may not like the show. But there will be reasons to go to the show beyond the marketing language of loving things that are easy and empty.