Saturday, September 01, 2012
For 1st time in 40 years, Baltimore lacks home for global, experimental theater
baltimoresun.com: Baltimore's cutting-edge theater scene just became a bit less razor-sharp.
For the first time in more than 40 years, Spanish puppet troupes and headline-making performers who smear chocolate on their skin will have a hard time finding a stage where they can put on their shows.
Primarily for economic reasons, Baltimore's venerable Theatre Project has quietly stopped bringing in experimental artists with global and national reputations. Instead, the 150-seat showhouse at 45 W. Preston St. is hosting local theater and regional dance companies.
To make matters worse for fans of foreign fare, Baltimore Open Theatre, which had been planning on filling the void left by Theatre Project's change of mission, went belly-up last month before it could stage its first show.
Some fear that if Baltimore were to go for too long without performances of an international flavor, such as regular visits from Dutch avant-garde dance theaters and Singaporean performance artists, it would become a duller, less cosmopolitan city.
"When international and experimental theater is really good, it's transformational," says Philip Arnoult, who founded Theatre Project in 1971 and who was attempting to launch Baltimore Open Theatre this year. "It plops a big, round, shiny object called 'wonder' right down in the middle of your worldview."
Arnoult should know.
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4 comments:
It's a shame that theater space is running low to provide a home for experimental toups and shows such as this group. It is easy to pair more offbeat productions with lesser known venues, and therefor less theater space, but I always considered that theaters would want futuresque groups and more challenging, abstract groups as modern, wanted forces in this new generation. I guess it goes both ways. I hope the best for this troupe, I think puppetry is such an interesting artform and am saddened and surprised that this group is having trouble seeking a home. Best of luck to them, I really hope Baltimore can provide some space for them, and if not Baltimore some other nearby venue.
It's always sad when a theatre, or any reputable place, has to shut down for economic reasons. While the recession certainly may have played a part, there is also the reality that theatre of an experimental nature doesn't always sell. Inevitably that is the risk one takes when choosing to move forward with a company that produces it. It is possible to use all the right marketing strategies, have good relations with the right people, and still not have people be all that interested in what you're up to. It's upsetting, but it's difficult to stay afloat in the modern theatre world when putting on more low profile pieces.
Wow! What a shame. As time goes on and I read more and more similar stories, it is very discouraging and more and more frightening. Unfortunately, it is also less and less surprising. The only hope I can think of is that the changes that are being forced by the economic status of our country will or are somehow leading to something truly new and reflective of our current state. It seems to me that these types of devastation can lead to some beautiful and fresh art. Perhaps this is too idealistic, but I can only hope that this terrible downturn can somehow be reinterpreted by those who have been most closely affected. My guess is that these people will have to reevaluate there art and try to see why it was not as successful as maybe they would have liked it to be, despite the recession. Perhaps this will lead to something. Who knows. I hate reading articles like this.
As sad as this article is, I think it's important to remember that all art is cyclical. Like painters or musicians, theatre companies fulfill a role at a place and time that befits them. Sometimes the race is just run. Also like other art forms, theatre fluctuates between what is creatively exigent and what is commercially viable, and usually it seems, one star is in ascension, the other in decline. Right now, not just in B-more but all over, commercial seems to be ruling the day. The good news might be that decline is inevitable, and we can all position ourselves, if we choose, to be a part of, or even better lead the creative revolution. As for Theatre Project, I hope the void left by them will be filled by somoeone with the next great set of ideas.
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