Stage | The Guardian: Is there a purer expression of hope than opening a theatre in the midst of a pandemic? Hope that the health crisis passes, that the stricken sector recovers, that theatre makers will remain and audiences will return? That’s hope, surely – or, as Georgia Leanne Harris, artistic director of the new Golden Goose theatre describes it, “a level of blind optimism”.
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Theatres reopening with “A level of blind optimism” is exactly what I have been feeling and I am so glad to see it worded in that way. I have been struggling to think of the right words to describe it. I find it so fascinating how some theatres across the pond are coming up with plans for reopening even though another lockdown seems almost certain (from what I have seen on the news). I do still like that there are still efforts to do theatre in some capacity, the quote about “what is the new template” I think is extremely important to keep in mind that no matter what, theatre cannot be what it was. It must adapt and I think there need to be steps in the adapting that is done. Meaning that, I do believe in person options probably are not the best right now. More research should be done into virtual presentations, I think.
An odd approach to typical theatre, I think this could be considered. But who doesn’t like a new take on something we have been doing for so long. I like the idea of basically just going for it. At some point it feels like that is really the only way to move forward and I think “Blind optimism” captures that essence well. It really is not a blindness and it really is not optimism; it is simply a gentle push forward with regards to the immediateness of the idea. Worrying about the future and worrying about the dealings was simply not a huge part of this, so it seems. It appears that they just went for it and I think it went well, at least from how the article frames it. While it may not be the best to be in person, it is nice to see that it can happen safely and that gives me some hope in moving forward.
Back in my hometown, an outdoor beer garden was slated to open the day that stay-at-home orders came out. To the community's surprise, they opened only a few months later (July-ish) and are still safely operating, even though my county was the second worst-hit in the state by the pandemic until the past month or so. While it may be a bit reckless to open a business (theatre specifically) under the current circumstances, it's definitely not impossible. Besides, the Purple Door does not seem very typical. We've seen so many attempts at a "new kind of theatre", whether those attempts take place at home or on a physical stage. To have a theatre space inspired by a hostel may encourage a bit more social interaction than some are comfortable with at this stage, but it is unique nonetheless and may prove beneficial in the long run. Aside from the pandemic-related issues, though, I was surprised (in a good way) to see the general manager of the Purple Door be so engaged in social issues such as community engagement and wage issues. It's refreshing to truly see someone with enthusiasm and care for their community in such a way that intertwines with their dreams.
I do appreciate the optimistic tone of this article, because lots of the articles I have read seem pretty bleak about the future of theater. I am interested by the idea of reinventing the theater’s relationship with its audience by revisiting the very format of theater. I do not think the core structure of theater will ever completely go away, but it will be interesting to see new subsets of theater emerge from the creative boom in the pandemic. Despite all the hope and positivity, the final few sentences still solidify the gravity and reality of the situation, which is a lack of certainty or permanency. All it takes is one outbreak to destroy any progress being made in this particular area of theater. It is important to be optimistic, because without positivity, there would be no motivation to create something new; however, it is also important to keep the reality of the situation in the back of one’s mind, and understand that nearly nothing in these times is permanent.
Reading this article, I can't help but think that while this might work in the UK, the audience is not the same in the US. I think that while this "blind optimism" is good to get theaters working and in business, it's going to be hard to keep that up when people are pouring in the door. If people aren't going to movie theaters, they certainly aren't going to playhouses. I do like, however, how the article mentions that theaters are talking and communicating with each other, as it's been an eye opener to find out how little theaters apparently talk to each other. I also like that this article focuses on the new types of spaces that are being created and used for performances, which I hope is a practice and exploration that keeps it's stream when the more traditions houses can fully open. Non-traditional houses offer a greater experience in my opinion, and in some cases help shrink the space (so to speak) because there aren't any expectations of the space going in, allowing people to perhaps forget how far they are from other people.
It is very nice to see that theatre is still able to flourish and live in other countries even though the United States is struggling. I do think that this could potentially work in the United States however the pandemic is a lot worse here and does not seem to be getting better any time soon. I do think that a second lockdown is approaching and can't help but think of situations where a ton of theaters open their doors for productions, put in money to start the process, only to shut down before they can break even. This would put the industry in a deeper hole that we may not be able to recover from. I think theaters that are reimagining their relationships with their audience and the way they tell stories have the potential to live through this pandemic and continue to put on shows. Outdoor theatre could be a great option but so could digital and maybe a new way I can't even imagine right now. In order for theaters to start putting on productions I think this virus needs to be on a guaranteed downward trajectory or else who knows how much money could be lost in the future and how many times this cycle will repeat.
This is an article I've been hoping to read for a long time. I am so glad that there are people out there proactively finding ways to work given the circumstances rather than waiting for the pandemic to pass. Blind optimism is an interesting term- like hope without any signs that things will get better. I don't think that this is a good thing, and I am not someone who would ever be blindly optimistic. However, I really like how this article took this into context. It is also really nice to hear about how other countries are dealing with the pandemic, as learning from each other and examining how it affects other countries will help others like America as well. I think that especially for artists, blind optimism is necessary to get them to start finding ways to work despite covid, and hopefully will allow them to prosper when it is over.
I think this idea of “blind optimism” when opening a theatre is not something that should be exclusive to working in a covid world. It’s hard to explain and justify anything without some sort of blind optimism during these times. In order to open themselves up to the world and their communities this is certainly an interesting and dynamic way forward. One can’t worry too much when opening a theatre during normal times and certainly not these days. You need to be doing it out of the love for the art and the desire to bring it to a community. Simply going for it and pushing ahead is the only way you will find out how well your work will play in the world. The joy and the passion needed to pursue this as an art form and then amount needed to turn that into a theatre company is purely staggering and during these times you do simply need to go at it with blind optimism in order to stay afloat.
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