HowlRound Theatre Commons: In her 2020 HowlRound Journal article “The Work of Imagination,” director Tamilla Woodard asks: “What if we thought of theatre as community organizing?” Writing from the perspective of an artist desperately holding onto a “lifelong romantic notion” that theatre “can sorta-kinda-maybe make change,” Woodard posits that the way we make theatre demands reevaluation in a world changed by the global pandemic. Instead of treating audiences like consumers, Woodard argues, organizations should ask the community what they need and respond to the answers as if they are providing their community with a social service. Woodard encourages theatres to think about access, both in terms of their audiences and the artists they work with.
2 comments:
This is the type of work I would love to do. I have a specific interest in theatre education and specifically education in places that do not have a lot of funding. I grew up in a public high school in Idaho that was not well funded but taught me a lot. Our show budget for the entire year was $700 and we did four shows a year. I spent a lot of time calling local businesses to get donated supplies. My theater teacher directed, did the scenic design, and advised every single department. She did everything alone and is one of the best people I know. I learned how to get creative, ask for help, and problem solve with not many tools. I think kids that have been through theatre education specifically those that might have a higher need for problem solving. I would love to do work like this and give more students the skills they need.
There is a new movement in theater of people treating it “like a working space” as the author wrote and people who have been in the industry for a long time do not seem to understand or agree with this practice. A large portion of the theater community’s mindset is that if you are not willing to give up every second of your days and nights to the craft, then what are you even doing this for? While I understand that this works for many people and that is part of what makes theater theater for them, I also think that it is not a necessary aspect of theater. I have been that person who thinks that if you are not working on a show until you physically drop then you are not doing enough, but since covid I have been learning more and more about this crazy thing called a “work life balance”. I appreciate how the author acknowledges this in his article and how he is trying to adapt for his students and meet them on their level to get them more engaged.
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