NPR: Say "theater" and many people think "Broadway."
The musical 1776, perhaps, in a freshly revolutionary, re-gendered mounting by Tony winner Diane Paulis and Emmy-nominated Jeffrey L. Page. Or Hamilton, Rent, A Chorus Line. Or maybe they think of some of the plays that have won Pulitzer Prizes in the last 30 years.
13 comments:
It is refreshing and invigorating to think about all the things that need to change about the world of theatre, and the ways in which this is possible and achievable, more than ever before. The good thing that came out of the pandemic (which is obviously not over and still prevalent) is the growth mindset – rather than just pivoting to virtual theatre because it was the only option and then springing back exactly as we were before, we made lots of discoveries and raised interesting questions in that time that can now benefit our return to live entertainment. Zoom shows, for example, don’t necessarily need to go back under the rug; there are fascinating different mediums and skill sets to explore. Even more importantly than the innovative changes in how we see and present theatre, the discussions of racial equality and more not only diverse work but work that fosters inclusivity and belonging are much needed and long overdue. I would love to see the power shift to accommodate and celebrate more diverse perspectives, in content but especially in leadership. Theatre has been watered down and presented for the white gaze, especially the white rich gaze, for so long; those are not the real audiences. And the people onstage and behind the scenes, and in board rooms and artistic directorships, shouldn’t be limited to that demographic either.
This article is very thorough in explaining how radical change starts in regional theaters and trickles to the Great White Way. It reminds me of the shift in fashion in the 60s. While in “ye olde days”, fashion moved down the chain. First, in a big money fashion designer’s collection, and then bootlegged for commercial use. During the radical shifts in the 60s, fashion became more inspired directly from the youth and not the aristocracy. It shows that there is more space to explore when not concentrated on the financial aspect of the show from the get go.
This shows also gets to talk about how regional theatre had to adapt to its environment during the pandemic. Figure out ways to stay relevant while their traditional method of putting on shows was not feasible. As well as how the pandemic empowered various performers of color to speak up against how the industry has been hiding how “not far” they’ve gone in fighting for racial justice. These are all things that regional theatres are adapting to faster. A talk with a bipoc theatre artist really put this in perspective for me yesterday. Broadway does bridgework. How I take this is that Broadway is built on a foundation similar to the US. Unlike some regional theatres, their intent is not to “fix the problem”, but “make it LESS bad”.
This was a nice recap of the last two years. I think I was way more interested in the fact that NPR covered the story more than the story itself (because as part of the greater SoD collective, I got to be in the front-row seat of pandemic theater). It has always been hard to explain to people who are not in the industry (in my case family and friends) what I do; over the course of the pandemic, it proved to be even more difficult to explain not only that these changes were happening but also why they matter as much as they do. I know that NPR isn’t massively well known (as much as my dad and I would love to argue otherwise) but I’ll take any kind of exposure. My hope is that this also proves validating to everyone who has been fighting for these changes in the industry, sort of as a testament that
I think it’s so important to think about the ways theater has changed due to the pandemic. So many people have such a negative perception of what the pandemic has done to the world, but it’s nice to see that it gave some spaces in the world a positive reset. At home, the pandemic also gave the theatre scene a chance to reset and rethink what was going on. There was never really an issue with POC inclusion where I went to school, but there was still an effort put forth to address issues and actively work against these issues. Students started to be exposed to so many pieces of work that were different from things being put onto the stage before the pandemic. It is really refreshing to see that not only my own high school theatre, but also so many other theatres are working to grow from where they were before the pandemic.
I've loved theater for as long as I can remember but even still, I often find myself forgetting that Broadway isn't the pinnacle of theater. Great theater exists everywhere, not just where it is commercialized, and I am often guilty of ignoring that. This article is a much-needed reminder that smaller regional theaters are just as, if not more, important than the big, flashy, commercialized theater of Broadway. Shows are born at regional theaters. Young children are introduced to the world of theater at regional theaters. Our industry makes the most forward progress at regional theaters. As this article pointed out, regional theaters were leading the charge when it came to accepting that things needed to change. When minority artists spoke up about systemic issues, it was regional theaters that most often opened their ears. We still have a long ways to go to make theater a more equitable place and I believe that regional theaters will help us to get there.
I really like the way that his article highlights the importance of regional theater in America. It's important to remember that Broadway isn't the only type of theater that is to be looked up to. Part of what I really appreciate about the industry of theater is that it's able to (as the article says) "nurture and develop" all types of plays, some of which may go onto Broadway and some that may not. I didn't realize that the theater industry was able to use the pandemic to bring about the much-needed change that's been occurring recently. It's interesting to think that the pandemic sparked a rework of old systems that weren't really working, not only having to do with DEI but also things like subscription plans and fundraising models. The pandemic was definitely difficult for the industry, but I think that we'll come out better from it.
Oftentimes, it seems like regional theaters, and all other types of theaters get overshadowed by Broadway. While Broadway certainly has its perks and excitement, it feels to me that it dramatically narrows young theatre artists’ scope of what all is possible for them in the industry. I feel like I see a lot of people whose perspectives are more or less ‘Broadway or bust’. While there is value to striving for Broadway, I don’t think it should be the end all, be all. One single version of theater should not be marcation of a good theatre maker: it could be one thing that is impressive or valuable for a career, but not the only thing. The boost of awareness around regional theaters is an extremely important one, especially in a time when there is the possibility for a massive social and organizational change in the way these theaters run. With more of a focus on finding communities that can foster growth and creativity, rather than reaching the goal that we’ve been told we must strive for, will lead to more and more beautiful, life-changing theatre.
I really thought this was an interesting way to look at regional theatres. I hadn’t realized that the majority of new shows comes from a select number of regional theatres. I’d be interested to look more into the numbers of the shows that go through the regional theatre to broadway pipeline. I also think that this article does a good job at highlighting the regional theatres. Not only can they help workshop a show with an audience, but they bring new creativity and new light to original and fresh performance ideas that keep theatres interesting and ever changing. I’m really excited to see the shift in what shows are created and popularized now that there are more theatres run by women and people of color in charge. Art usually reflects the artist, and I really love seeing art that reflects nonwhite nonmale artists. I also like that these theatres get to be a place where shows develop, so that they can grow and get better and defeat the idea that a show’s success is only found on broadway or that it can only happen if it is created on broadway.
As everyone else here has said, this is a great re-cap of everything that has been going on since the start of the pandemic. Seeing a story like this in a publication like NPR really shows how huge of a change has been occurring, as I think it is pretty widely respected and known. I think a lot of people do indeed focus on the negative repercussions of the pandemic. Yes, we had to convert to Zoom and theaters lost a lot of revenue, but it also gave us the opportunity to restructure. That never would have happened without the long long break that was forced on everyone due to covid. If it had actually been a two week shutdown, nothing would have changed. I am glad most theaters took advantage of such a horrible situation and that so many activists were given the attention and space they deserve.
Of course not with a deadly pandemic, but I think a break was definitely needed for theatres all around to rethink and reconsider how they operate, how they can be more inclusive, and why they do what they do. The article talked about the shift in mindset when it comes to theatre due to the large break with no live performances going on. The mindsets included how to make it more affordable, how to make it more accessible, how to make it more inclusive (I appreciated the subsection on White American Theatre), how to appreciate the actors and workers to get them to come back, and how to keep local theatre goers engaged. With the world shift these questions were finally able to be forced to be considered, and I think while the theatre industry will suffer as a result of the pandemic, the theatre culture will come back stronger. Also I think everyone in live performance is just thankful to be back in person as of now and creates a renewed gratitude for what we do.
When I was applying for graduate school, it’s was during the height of the pandemic and I remember thinking I don’t even know if theatre will be a thing in 2 years. Someone gave me some really great advice about looking ahead to the future and wanting to look forward and being part of all of the change that will happen for our industry. It’s not just about how people will watch theatre in the future, but how they’ll attend or how they’ll interact with it. People probably will not want to stay in a dark enclosed room with a lot of people for long periods of time. We have to engage people differently. So even if theatre in the traditional sense may not be back for a long time, looking ahead to new and different experiences will make for a better and broader definition of what actually makes theater.
Many of us who fell in love with theater did so through our regional theaters many regional theaters have inspired new creators to continue on making this art form better than it has been before. This article really encapsulates how regional theaters can drive change in the industry as a whole. I loved to hear how since the pandemic when people had time to think about the way Theater is truly been run they started calling people out on their crap and striving to make it a better and more inclusive place for all. it was also sad to hear about how COVID-19 led to theaters having to close their doors not knowing when they were going to reopen but they still encourage the artist to create and continue to see their community with art. I thought it was interesting how they put on different forms of theater and begin to film movies almost to help keep their audience engaged. I see theater is continuing to recover from COVID-19 and I hope that within the next few years they will be stronger than they were before.
I really enjoyed this article. The regional theatre is a very important sector of the theatre industry that is often overlooked as beeing lesser than broadway. I personally prefer the regional theatre over broadway. I think broadway has become to commercialized while regional theatres still hold onto some forms of invention and play. Yes, there is a lot regional theatres need to improve on in terms of DEI but that is true everywhere. This article is a great look at the shift in leadership and goals of the regional theatre movement. I hope this community of theatres continue to shift and grow as it is the backbone to creating new works and bringing theatre to local communities. I truly believe the regional theatre is an important key to culture, community, and growth in the areas they reside as long as they stay true to serving the communities they inhabit.
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