www.clydefitchreport.com: Though I’m an artist and administrative director of a nonprofit community theater by trade, I rarely write about the arts for The Clyde Fitch Report; our esteemed founder likes my thoughts on politics for some reason. I get the occasional exception, however and this post is one of them. Last weekend, I attended the National Community Theatre Management Conference, sponsored by the American Association of Community Theatre, in Madison, WI. The conference was elucidating, energizing, exhausting and fascinating. I thought it would be interesting to check in with those of us who bring everyday theater to regular people and see how the social and political atmosphere in the US is affecting everything from our programming to our patronage.
5 comments:
It is extremely comforting knowing that there is a National Community Theatre Management Conference as well as the American Association of Community Theatre. Community theatre is all about community as it says in its name and it is awesome to see that this community has national organizations and conferences. It shows that the theatre community puts a value on community theatres and gives support to an ever-struggling branch of theatre. I am also comforted by the kinds of talks going on at the conference and questions raised. It shows that community theatre isn’t stuck in the past, producing light content. Community theatre is relevant today just as professional theatre is, allowing communities to spark conversations about huge issues that need to be talked about on the same level that professional theatres produce. A major thing that struck me was when Tom Berger said that most of us are progressive but our audiences are filled with moderates and conservatives. I wonder if this informs all show decisions or just a good majority. To me, this concept is like working on a show that you don’t necessarily agree with its message in order to build connections, make money, and get job experience. I understand doing this some of the time but I wonder what it is like for Community theatre organizers, and if they are constantly producing work that is more conservative or disagrees with their own views?
It is refreshing on many levels to know that on the platform of community theatre, there are still theatre people who want to spark conversations and are motivated to change the America we are facing today under Trump’s presidency. I completely understand the conflict so many community theatre face in wanting to discuss the politics that are so overwhelmingly present, but not doing so because of the representation of different views than many audience members; a similar situation is actually happening at a theatre I used to work at back home. While I truly don’t know what is the right way to go, and I understand the conflict and risk behind taking the step to do something that is not so widely accepted, I stand behind and will continue to encourage theatre companies that take the risk and step forward for what they feel is right. I hope to see more community theatre follow in suit and speak on the stories that are dear to them.
When I read the title of this article, I thought that the author would completely slam Trump and encourage the importance of theatre that is explicitly political. It was refreshing that this was not the case, as I tend to shy away from people who are too aggressive. I think this feeling that I have is echoed across the whole population as no one wants to be yelled at and told they are wrong. I think that, in order to incite a change within someone, you must first acknowledge that his or her opinions are valid. This is where I think the art vs. politics debate begins. To me, art IS political because artists draw from their life experiences and their environment to create. However, I think that there is a difference between effective and ineffective art. At times, there is art is that made just to be controversial even if the situation does not call for it. Controversial art has its place in times of extreme ignorance and a huge statement needs to be made. To be effective, this art must have a passionate message driving it. If it is controversial with no true message then, to me, it is distasteful and not powerful. In theatre, I don’t think that it is always our jobs to drill conservatives with our overarching liberal ideologies. I do think that it’s our job to tell stories. I believe that by showing our patrons a plethora of diverse perspectives of the world, we can incite a positive change within our audiences.
I think the author of this article makes a really good point about political theater's role in today's America. As much as we may like to simply create nothing but shows that push our own progressive views, we cannot ignore the simple fact that many in our country may not share those views. I believe that yes, we need to have shows that are unafraid to push a political point, but like the author says, they shouldn't all be on one side of the political spectrum. I believe in free and honest debate, and that should be reflected in our theater. If theater is only accessible to people who subscribe to one political party or the other, it will only deepen our already large political divides. Theater should be varied, and accessible, and should spark conversation rather than drown out one side of the argument.
While I do worry about the state of theater in America this article gives me hope and asks a lot of valid questions. For example, the question of wanting to push boundaries is a completely valid one and one that a lot of theaters struggle with. I think the author reconciles that conundrum well because not all venues are right for all politically driven theater. Is there a point to doing theater if you don’t have an audience? Even though I fundamentally agree, that I want more political theater, I also agree that theater is invalid without an audience. The nature of the art is that it is a site and time specific art for an audience. In some ways, Trump’s America has actually been driving a lot of artists to make better art because they have something important to say.
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