Got a chance to talk to theatre patrons, board members, and students in Capital Stage Companys apprentice program about the national conversation thats happening around new works, new play development and the future of American Theatre. A couple thoughts on this subject: the producers of professional theatre around the country are, by and large, a timid breed. Their timidity stems from assuming their audiences do not want to assume the challenge and risk of a new untested play. Organizations like the National New Play Network, and the many Core Members and Associate Members of NNPN have discovered the exact opposite to be true. Their audiences really celebrate the arrival of a new play to the stage, because they’ve recognized what a rich experience it can be to see something unfold before your eyes for the very first time, to be part of the very first group of people witness to the birth of a new American play. I am constantly amazed by how engaged and savvy audiences are when it comes to the new play conversation. At every NNPN theatre where I have worked, I have encountered a culture of a theatre that has inculcated in its audience, not only a real passion for new work, but a keen sensitivity to what an audience can do to encourage, edify and contribute to the healthy continued life of any new work for the stage. Many theatres claim they do “New Work,” but what they really mean by that is that they are doing plays already vetted, already audience-tested, and critically reviewed by far more adventurous theatres who took the initial risk with the play. I find it troubling that what patrons can generally expect to see playing at their local professional theatre and billed as “new” in cities all across this nation, is typically what some New York Theatre has produced first, garnering enough critical attention and quotable reviews to persuade the regional market producer that they won’t lose their shirt if they put it on. But why do those producers trust the taste of audiences and critics from the Big Apple more than they trust their own instincts or the judgment of their very own patrons. Thankfully, there are some wonderful notable exceptions, and the member theatres of the National New Play Network stand out in this regard. There are amazing playwrights and amazing plays being written in every town and city in every state in the USA, but we still have a long way to go to convince many people in the American Theatre and many people in the theatre-going public that plays don’t just come from New York. That’s why NNPN is so essential, and the member theatres of the organization so important to writers. They don’t just support individual plays, they support playwrights, so they suppport the future of American Theatre, and that’s an important and critical distinction in an industry that is generally looking for the next hit.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 22:18:13 +0000
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