Saturday, November 28, 2009
L.A. stages play for the creatives
Variety: "New York City and Chicago may have better reps as theater towns, but in the universe of Equity-waiver theaters, L.A. is the epicenter. Unlike Chi, there's a bottomless reservoir of film and TV actors here or, at least, people who call themselves actors. In some ways, the L.A. scene recalls the network of tiny Manhattan theaters that used to exist in SoHo and the Village in the 1970s -- venues that housed the works of Richard Foreman, Tom Eyen, Harvey Fierstein, Rev. Al Carmines and Charles Ludlam. Where the West Coast differs is not with physical theaters but the level of creative talent."
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2 comments:
I really don't appreciate this article because it is basically asking for more commercial theatre and less experimental or risky stuff. And in LA??! That town is commercial enough, I am very glad to hear that most of the theatre that exists there is more avant-garde than this particular reporter prefers. I hate to think that someone in the arts community is chiding the theatre for not playing to a more general audience.
While it is great to hear that in overcommericalized LA there is experimental theatre being done, I do agree with the writer that it doesn't ALL have to be experimental. Using small storefront performance spaces does lend itself to more avant-garde work, but producing a more well known piece in a small location can present enticing challenges. Performance rights for non-professional productions such as these are fairly affordable and easily obtained.
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