Tuesday, November 17, 2009
NEA chairman Rocco Landesman visits Peoria
pjstar.com: "Rocco Landesman, the guy who was willing to bet that theater in Peoria wasn't as good as theater at the Goodman or Steppenwolf in Chicago, had his chance Friday to see 'Rent' at Eastlight Theatre and judge for himself."
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I've been waiting to see what came of his story! It seems like Landesman's trip went well and that he was pleasantly surprised by the culture that he found in Peoria. It was very interesting, though, to read the comments below the story. The majority of readers, most from Peoria, are critical of the guided tour Landesman received and feel that Big Al's stripclub is sufficiently more attended than any concert by the orchestra or the theatre companies - even combined. It's tough for arts endeavors to grab a true foothold in a community and perhaps Peoria's not there yet (well, perhaps Peoria will never get there), but we shouldn't forget that "respectable" arts events usually do not have as much draw as sporting events or, as suggested, lewd entertainment. I personally believe that Landesman received a somewhat whitewashed tour, but it's possible that if this tour produces funding for the town, then the companies there have the ability to grow and provide at least a sufficient arts scene to sustain the demand of its population and assist the economy.
It only goes to show that off-the-cuff remarks will come back to bite you. Just because a city is a convenient scapegoat or literary device ("will it play in peoria" is widely enough known that I heard it outside of theater long before hearing it as an actual theatrical reference) doesn't mean that there's any factual basis to the statement. Landesman got to do his tour to help pull his foot out of his mouth, and Peoria gets to get some PR from it so nobody came out looking too badly in the end, but still perhaps he'll think twice before speaking next time.
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