Clyde Fitch Report: In my last post, I suggested that the US performing arts sector is not doing a particularly good job of reaching politically conservative Americans. Excellent work is being produced on today’s stages — addressing issues important to many liberals, such as social justice, inequality and environmental sustainability — but this art is not getting to those whose perspectives we might want to influence. So instead of effecting change, we have projects like Michael Moore on Broadway in The Terms of My Surrender, which essentially rants to the NYC progressive choir.
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I still remember the one time one of my rather religious acquaintances came to the show I was stage managing and said the homosexual nuance of the show was too dirty for him. To be fair, it was produced by the longest running queer theater in San Francisco and therefore there was fair amount of sexual jokes, such as a bare butt of an actor. However, I was not expecting such a comment from a guy who dozed through more than half of the performance. But the experience did make me think about why the theater is not attractive to conservative audiences. Or about what the theaters are doing to actively attract non-theater goers. Reaching out to the distant demographic could be a method, as the author wrote. But also, producing more introductory and entertaining contents could broaden the audience spectrum for sure. It's not to say that the plays should be lighter or more enjoyable all the time. But there has to be certain productions that have the elements to draw the general public into the theater. Since people love musicals because they are entertaining, usually have simple plots, does not bother for three dimensional character development and rarely touch on sensitive social topics, give them what they want but mix in something more. Gradually introduce them to the beauty of the theater. An industry-wide awareness of the audience demand can certainly lead to increased ticket sales in short and long run.
Living in Dallas, Texas has certainly put me in an area of thriving conservative art. When my school put on Hair as their first musical in 20 years, there was certainly talk in the town. Dallas is only partially conservative depending on where you go, but in the theater arts scene, there is certainly some talk. When risks are taken, often there is a discussion among conservatives as to whether or not that is appropriate for the stage, but I think that art is art and all performers and designers should be able to honor the original intent of the piece. I think the article makes some good points and recognizes opportunities to reach out to more conservative areas, and I think finding ways to go to them is an excellent idea.
I agree with the idea that we as theatre producers need to make a better effort to reach across the aisle. This does not mean in any way compromising our beliefs and efforts to promote socially conscious theatre, but perhaps there is also a way to try and produce art that gets the conservative side thinking instead of inducing a knee jerk reaction that causes them to shut down. Is there a way to create work that inspires an actual dialogue on both sides? Of course there are some people that are never going to be reached, but those in the middle, the moderates, perhaps, we have a chance to engage those audiences instead of discounting them.
Engaging with the community a theatre is operating out of is important. If we can help facilitate discussion and reach those through live performance in a way the media can't, we should at the very least look into it.
As a child of very conservative parents, getting them to theatre and out to art in general was sometimes quite the struggle. Finally took my mom to Book of Mormon a few years back, and I was surprised at how little she seemed to mind it. And just last month during a conversation she referenced that show and conceded to having questions afterwards. Do I think it changed her mind, no. But i think it opened up that its ok to feel uncomfortable or have different views going into a show, but its an amazing experience when you open you mind to other possibilities. Just like this article states, it is so important to keep getting people to see art. To keep pushing and working towards bringing everyone and every type of person into the room. Is venue the answer for that? I'm not sure that is the be all end all answer. Just because you change where the theatre is doesn't mean they will always be able to or willing to engage in it. Not that the article was claiming it is. But it did bring up a lot of good points and I think it needs to be a bigger discussion in our community instead of shutting them out or poking fun at them. Considering the political, religious, and social climate we are living in, opening up an avenue to engage and provoke all views is of utmost importance.
I think the author of this article brings up a great point that I am sure most of us have pondered before but have n't done much to problem solve. The theater is our home and we certainly don't like the idea for bringing in those who discriminate against us into in, but in order for the outside world to truly see it's impact, we must try to bring our art to those who it will influence the most. I think the ways in which the author suggests we do this are very handy. First, I agree with what is said about how are shows could be more vague, in order to not scare off the Conservative. There are so many shows that are at their core relevant to our world today and by alluding and not attacking the audience with this fact, we can touch the hearts of a few more clueless conservatives.
The initial goal of this article is definitely something that needs to be addressed in theatre. Audiences of all social strata and ethnic backgrounds feel comfortable attending films together and it should be the same with theatre. The article is not extremely specific with how to accomplish this though and I feel like the guidelines it describes are ways to "dumb down" the material instead of making it accessible. To make theatre accessible to blue collar audiences I think the author is correct in that the way we package the product is possibly more important than the product itself. It needs to be framed in a way that a conservative audience member feels safe and anonymous attending a performance and can see themselves in the shoes of the performers of no matter what piece is being produced. Also, researching and tailoring plays to inform conservative audience members on liberal issues without causing an instant aversion to the material would be a challenge but an important one for the theatre this article is trying to encourage.
The School of Drama is a very liberal bubble to be in, so I think we forget at times that not everyone who comes to see the work that we create necessarily believes in the same things that we do. This summer I assistant stage managed a show that had an interracial gay couple as the leads, and every night a few people either walked out or complained about it. For many people in the audience the work we create will contain something that they disagree with or disapprove of. I agree with Tessa that the way to increase the appeal of theatre to everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is to focus on how the piece is packaged. I don't believe that an artist should be forced to tone down the work that they do in order to appeal to a larger audience base, but theatre companies should focus on ways to bring in their more conservative viewers through both marketing and community outreach. This will help preserve the integrity of the work while allowing more people to feel comfortable seeing the show.
Having worked with and for many churches in both currently and in the past, as well as working with large summer stock programs in the heart of the Bible belt I think a lot of audiences are usually more open to what we often give them credit. It can often be hard to predict what the reaction will be or what it is that will trigger them. It can be reactions from loving full Monty to hating Billy Elliot all because they smoked onstage with a kid. This biggest thing one must do is just do theatre and judge the reactions and make adjustments accordingly. Use the theatre to educate those who come in your door. This doesn’t mean you need to beat them over the head but also one shouldn’t shelter them form the scary and messaged works. Holding talkbacks and pre-show talks can help steer and focus the perspective of the show.
I can imagine there are a few theatre artists who may read this article and quickly dismiss it. Admittedly, the sense of intellectual and artistic superiority is quite common, if not ubiquitous, in the art world in general, which is probably part of the reason why audience members may feel embarrassed when they don’t understand it. Art nurtures and influences its audience. If the work itself is embedded with the creator’s ego and self-righteousness, it impacts the people who are facing it in a perhaps very imperceptibly way and as a result, audiences either “get it” and feel intellectual or pretend to have got it with embarrassment or at complete loss and feeling like an idiot.
I’m a strong believer in open interpretation of art. It’s okay to not get it at all, it’s okay that you can’t completely follow the plot, or miss the point entirely, as long as you keep an open mind and keep exposing yourself to different kinds of art. Reaching the conservative audience will not be complicated and needs careful calculation and analysis. As long as the creator of the art really wants to engage them to the discussion, give them room to breathe, give them time to digest, etc., gradually the change will come and unity may be reached.
Art is meant to disturb the comfortable, and there are many shows that would put off a more conservative audience. I think it is something that we need to keep in mind that just because someone has conservative views doesn’t mean they are completely closed off to a more liberal storyline. Coming from a fairly conservative environment, there were plenty of people who did lean towards the right who were willing to hear a more liberal story, even if they didn’t identify with it completely. There will always be those who disapprove of certain storylines, but it is our job in the theatre to continue to tell them. It is our job to open our minds.
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