Every once in a while, I think I'll post a link or two to posts written earlier in the life of Theatre Ideas that seem worth revisiting today. I'll label these posts "Think Again" in the hope that  the passage of time might lead to new ideas and perspectives regarding to the issue raised in the original post. This one comes from 2011, when the Occupy Wall Street movement was having an impact on American economic discussions. At the same time, an important report by Holly Sidford and the the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy issued a report entitled Fusing Arts, C ..read more

When Vulture writer Jason P. Frank published his interview with 1776 cast member Sara Porkalob on October 14th, the online theater world had a meltdown.  There were several things that got people exercised about the interview, but the part that seemed to cause the most outrage was at the very end of the interview when Porkalob was asked how much of "herself" she was giving to her performance in 1776. "I’m giving 75 percent," she answered forthrightly. "When I do [my solo] 'Molasses to Rum,' I’m giving 90 percent." From the reaction, you'd have thought she had admitted to sacrifici ..read more

 This coming New Year's Day will mark ten years since I last wrote on this site.  Ten. Years. If you read the last post I wrote before I let it go dormant, Ascendance, Descendence, Reverence, and New Beginnings, you'll see described how I hoped to spend the last ten years of my teaching career. I actually didn't make it that long--I retired in December of 2020, just before the pandemic took my university online. By then, I was burnt out and ready for some new challenges.  In the years since I retired, I edited, designed, and published a memoir-biography left behind by my late ..read more

In an essay entitled "The Deep Voice" in his book Rebuilding the Front Porch of America (a book that I recommend everyone in the arts read), Patrick Overton talks about the "ascendant" and "descendent" functions of the arts, both of which are crucial polarities forever linked. The ascendant "reveals what isn't but could be," and the descendent "reveals what is but shouldn't be." This blog has focused on the descendent function. For seven years, I have almost relentlessly focused on the problems with our current theatrical system. I talked about bare employment facts: that 87% of Actors Equit ..read more

Today, I will be discussing arts pioneer Robert E. Gard in my course on community arts development, which gives me an excuse to report this essay I wrote about two years ago on Robert Gard's 100th birthday. --------------------------- Today is grassroots theatre pioneer Robert Gard's 100th birthday, which I would like to commemorate by reprinting this post from Theatre Ideas two years ago: As the book description explains, "Robert Gard’s timeless book is a moving account of one man’s struggle to bring his dream of community-building through creative theater to citizens around the country. He ..read more

The first article of a weeklong series at HowlRound.com about rural arts has appeared: Dudley Cocke's Rural Theatre in a Democracy.  As the week continues, you will find the following: Monday, 5pm EDT: Donna Neuwirth (WormFarm) Tuesday, 5pm EDT: Scott Walters (CRADLE) Wednesday, 11:30a EDT: Nikiko Masumoto (Independent Artist) Wednesday, 5pm EDT: Patrick Overton (Front Porch Institute) Thursday, 5pm EDT: Friday Phone Call Podcast with Noah Siegler (Stage North) Friday, 5pm EDT: LaMoine MacLaughlin (Northern Lakes Center for the Arts) Saturday, 11am EDT: Matthew Fluharty, Rural Arts &a ..read more

So I just got the following press release. After all this time, I don't really need to spell this out, do I? I'll highlight the cities and link to their counties. Bottom line: rich get richer. Same ole same ole. Thanks TCG and Met Life for continuing to define "innovative idea development" in terms of the same people doing the same thing: in-school theatre classes, expanding upon already existing theatre engagement practices, exchanging artists. Seriously? This is what passes for innovation at TCG? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             ..read more

Leo Hwang-Carlos, who will be at Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield MA this weekend to participate in a rural arts work group discussion, does a great job explaining why the economy is more than the numbers reported by economists. I was particularly impressed by his description of all the ways he participates in the economy, and wonder how young people in high school or college might be educated to think of different ways of making ends meet than simply using a paycheck to pay for goods and services. A more varied approach might free up time for creativity ..read more

Traditional writers in the mainstream media (and, as I found out a while ago, many leaders of prominent arts organizations) see bloggers as, to quote Spiro Agnew (I can't believe I am quoting Spiro Agnew), "nattering nabobs of negativity" -- people with uniformed opinions, loud voices, and a free platform. As a long-time blogger myself, I not surprisingly don't see it that way. Nevertheless, I do find myself drawn to bloggers who make connections to other thinkers. At one time, there was a badge that labeled blogs as (as I remember) "thinkers blog." I think you were nominated, and then could ..read more

In a few weeks, I will be traveling to Ashfield, MA for a rural arts working group meeting at Double Edge Theatre. I am looking forward not only to the conversations, but to hearing how the artists who make up Double Edge approach the creation of performances within a rural context. Matthew Glassman, a member of the company, says in the video below that the general approach is that of a kibbutz; others might characterize it as a commune. What I see are people who have figured out a way to create art by sharing resources that would normally be paid separately by individual company members. If ..read more