AMERICAN THEATRE: “Some artistic directors stay too long,” Curt Columbus told me last month. “I’m not naming names, but we all know who they are.” The occasion for our conversation was his exit, after a little over 20 years, as artistic director of Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. Columbus succeeded Oskar Eustis, who himself followed in the shadow of the theatre’s trail-blazing founder, Adrian Hall (though in fact Hall’s immediate successors were Richard Jenkins and Anne Bogart).
3 comments:
I really enjoyed this article! I loved getting to hear about all the ups and downs of Columbus’ journey through the theatre industry; he’s been able to carve out a spot for himself in the arts, and I love the fact that he still holds on to the original passion and joy that got him into that business in the first place. I also liked his attitude towards being an artistic director - he refuses to let himself stagnate and sit in his position for too long. Instead, he actively wants to start a new chapter of his life, and he wants to encourage new growth and development at his theatre through his absence and successor. I appreciate the sentiment, especially given how vital it is that theatres be allowed to change and progress as time goes on; they need to be able to evolve and accept new ideas, something that might be difficult if Columbus had stayed on for another decade.
I found the article an interesting and captivating read to digest both the inner workings of a regional theatre in America and also the current nature of making theatre, while dealing with artistic change and turnover. Columbus highlights many of his life experiences that span 20 years of artistic leadership at Trinity Rep, while also delving into his own personal life. The outlook he holds on theatre was really powerful for me. In particular, when he chatted about the artistic residencies at the Rep, he powerfully stated: “local art by local artists for local audiences is the way that the American theatre should function.” I wholeheartedly agree. Columbus also gave some great reminders about the importance of flexibility and multitasking in the theatre industry. As he exits his role at Trinity Rep, he is directing a final production of “The Getaway Driver,” by the theatre’s longtime resident playwright, Deb Salem Smith. I found it striking that the theatre has its own resident playwright. In all, it was a great and informative read that opened my eyes to many aspects of the regional theatre.
This was really interesting to me given how successful Columbus has been in his industry, yet his will to still move around. It's something I have great respect for, being able to see that you may have been somewhere too long and refusing to be comfortable with the status quo. This is something I found juxtaposed with the career of the Wooster Group's creative director, who, it seems, could not survive without the other. The difference also in how theatres rely and utilize hteir creative direcotrs is super interesting as places like Trinity havre a vorad that makes decsions whereas more educational or community theatres are often run by sole individuals or insitituions not particulairly interested in the everyday goings of a theatre and the creative choices an artisitc director may make. I would love to see other pieces dive deeper into how different styles of theatre embrace changes in artistic and other directors and how their successors are picked and how that impacts the theatre and exemplifies its distinct style.
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