Editor's Note
By Jim O'Quinn
For us on the American Theatre staff, one of the year's most informative exercises comes in late summer, when we lob a question—sometimes a pretty silly-sounding question—out into the theatrical ether and wait, with bated breath, to see what answers get lobbed back at us. The point of this annual exercise is to ferret out treasures in the season-to-come, and whatever form the question takes—in keeping with this Season Preview issue's focus on diversity, this year's was "What's in the mix?"—it serves as a surprisingly reliable mechanism for detecting Things That Are Not to Be Missed.
Admittedly, this once-a-season survey may be utterly unscientific and statistically insignificant. But we're gratified, year after year, to discover how well it works. Which plays, which projects, which artists, which theatrical initiatives on the new-season horizon have infused theatre professionals around the country with anticipation and enthusiasm? Compile 50 responses from theatre folk in a range of disciplines, from various parts of the country, from theatres large and small, and the picture that emerges is revelatory.
The final step is to weave those responses into a running commentary with images—the what's-in-the-mix thread starts on page 60 and runs intermittently throughout this issue's 46-page Season Preview 2011–12 special section. You may find yourself nodding in offhand agreement with the choices some respondents have made—but we figure that at least some of their picks will trigger a fresh thrill of expectation, a why-didn't-I-think-of-that finger-snap, a gotta-see-that fervor.
That's how it happened for me: I nodded sagely when Alley Theatre of Houston's Gregory Boyd led off with Robert Wilson's upcoming Threepenny Opera at BAM and actor Daniel Breaker singled out Diane Paulus and Suzan-Lori Parks's controversial new Porgy and Bess at ART, shows you'd have to tie me down to keep me from seeing. But who knew, besides ZACH Theatre of Austin's Dave Steakley, that there's a new rock musical due on the festival circuit about James Watt, Ronald Reagan's environmentally challenged secretary of the interior? What fun to learn, from Under the Radar exec Meiyin Wang's entry, that a mash-up of Thoreau's Walden and a Japanese writer's account of the big earthquake will shake up Philadelphia's Live Arts Festival. Why didn't I know, as administrator Hannah Hessel and techie Kyna Grace Shilling observe, that tales from the comics (from "Peanuts" to anime) are coming to life on D.C. and Seattle stages?
You'll have your own epiphanies as you explore the Season Preview section, and turn as well to a pair of no-holds-barred interviews (with playwright provocateur Bruce Norris, author of Clybourne Park, and jack-of-all-genres Reggie Watts), reporter Christopher Johnston's savvy account of Cleveland Play House's bellwether move to a new arts-district venue, and illustrated testimonials from six American theatre designers showing their wares at the recent Prague Quadrennial. The concept of diversity, in its myriad of meanings, pulses through the issue. Read on.
—Jim O'Quinn