There's been a spate of recent news on theatre and the economy -- both positive and negative -- so I'll close some tabs and lay out the updates here.
A piece from the Boston Globe about how theatres are responding to the dark times with lighter fare, hoping to appeal to audiences' desire for respite.
Some bad news from LA on the financial strife facing the Center Theatre Group -- not only have they cut shows, but now they're being forced to cut a tenth of the staff.
A positive take on the theatre scene in San Diego these days, with discussion of small-budget theatres and the flexibility they're finding in response to the economic crisis, as well as an assessment of the larger houses' recent successes.
An interesting piece out of Chicago about the need to take bold risks, even in this economic climate.
Sadly, academia isn't immune from the economy's downward spiral. Washington State University is addressing this by completely axing the department of theatre and dance. 105 students are now out of luck -- and though the article snippet doesn't address this, so too is the university as a whole. What happens when a university sends the signal to its community that the arts are expendable?
In semi-connected news, the Department of Education has announced that arts skills in the nation's youth are "mediocre." Arts in education, anyone? Meanwhile, the NEA's most recent survey of Americans hasn't been released fully yet, but the early results seem to say that while many Americans practice "art" in some way or another, they aren't attending professional art exhibitions, plays, concerts, etc.
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From Boston Globe, Kate Maguire, of Berkshire Theatre Festival, says. "I do realize that in times like these is when some artists can do their greatest work."
ReplyDeleteAnd "If you cut back and try to play it safe, you get into a downward spiral," says Byam Stevens, artistic director of Chester Theatre Company.
Also my last favorite quote from the same article is Julianne Boyd of Barrington Stage Company, says, "she finds value in reviving older work that "really affects the human spirit. That's what this year was about for me: trying to connect with people."