From the Executive Director

Wishing Well

By Gigi Bolt

'Tis the season…and I take this moment to wish each of you cheer, joy and peace. It also seems the perfect time to draw up a holiday wish list of a different kind—my dreams and hopes for our field.

It's a somewhat random list: Several of the thoughts that follow are from my particular vantage point while others reflect a broader view. I wrote about artists in this column last month, so will focus here on other areas of the field. I offer these thoughts with the knowledge that our combined efforts have the potential to create the conditions that can turn dreams into reality.

I wish for theatres, home-grown theatres, in the many parts of the country that have no theatre to call their own. I speak of Kansas, a state I know and love, and of many other states throughout the vast center of the country. It is the heartland, but we hear its beat and rhythm all too rarely. How wonderful it would be if more artists came home and put down roots in Oklahoma or North Dakota or Iowa to tell the remarkable stories of those places! And this wish extends beyond the Midwest, to far-flung and changing communities, including those of immigrant populations across the land.

I wish for our theatres to speak in an international voice. No question that to bring the artists, ideas and cultures of the world onto our stages requires great commitment and a significant investment of resources. But, in return, we can offer, in the words of author Jeanette Winterson, "an imaginative connection to the world we live in." Many theatres have placed international work at the center of their mission—I think of Theatre Without Borders, the Lark Theatre's exchange programs with Mexico and Romania, American Repertory Theatre's long commitment to international exchange, Studio Theatre's full season of Russian work, the Yara Arts Group and Virlana Tkacz's work with nomadic tribes, Dell'Arte International's long-term collaboration with a counterpart company in Denmark. Yet there is a need for much more translation, both linguistic and cultural, for more international collaborations, for more conversations bringing people together who are committed to this work, for more travel grants and residencies, fellowships and project support—for more theatres to link America to the wider world.

I wish for a deeper integration of training and the profession, to their mutual benefit. Students in university theatre programs today will need a complex set of skills as they build careers over the coming decades—skills that are immeasurably enhanced through experience with professional companies and artists. At the same time, theatre professionals need resources, homes to experiment and develop work, close connections to the community and the inspiration of a new generation of artists. The benefits of collaboration could extend far beyond the academy. Could not new programs in high schools and community colleges offer splendid career opportunities by preparing young people to work not only as artists but in technical areas, backstage or front of house? Training institutions and the arts are both sectors of creativity and therefore natural allies. A close and fluid relationship benefits both.

I wish for a new generation of theatre leaders, as dedicated as those working in the field today, and as diverse as the country's population, who will be rewarded and valued for their contributions. Though tens of thousands of young people are studying to be performers, the number of masters programs in arts management is relatively small and the total number of graduates annually well under a thousand. As anyone serving in a senior position at a professional theatre will attest, leadership of a not-for-profit institution requires a complex skill set and resourceful creativity. Future leaders must be identified and cultivated and valued.

I wish for the funding community to increase its support for the core operations of theatres. Strategic philanthropy has contributed to significant innovations and superb artistic work over time and will continue to be essential. At the same time, art encompasses more than can be measured with quantifiable results and companies cannot be held together solely on a project by project basis. Core support is the glue.

And, finally, I wish for a universal recognition of the value of theatre. Many of the most thoughtful among us are engaged in an effort to position the arts as central to our quality of life. As cultural policy in the country evolves, we are learning how to better frame that conversation. Recognizing the market forces increasingly at play in all fields, we must passionately and effectively communicate both the measurable societal benefits of the arts and their impact—the magic they bring into our lives.

These are my holiday wishes as we look toward 2007. They are accompanied by tremendous adminiration and gratitude—for your unquenchable spirit, your generosity, your fellowship and your dedication to the possible. Happy Holidays!