August 2007 Field Letter
Written on July 19, 2007
Musings in the Air
Sitting on an airplane, with 8 inches of legroom and my knees in my face, a senior citizen sitting next to me said "this is awful. We've got four hours of this. It's too bad they can't put us in a time machine and zap us to our destination." To which I replied, "that will come soon enough." "Not in my lifetime," she said, "…yours maybe." I got to thinking about airplane travel, and how little has changed about flying since the decades ago when I first flew. You get on a plane, sit in a seat with a little oval window, take off from one place, fly for a few hours, arrive at your destination and deplane. The changes that have happened revolve around the experience of the journey. The ashtrays are patched over. Instead of full meals, the only food is snack boxes for sale. You can't walk up to the gate to meet your friends when they arrive from another city. Tickets are almost exclusively booked online, and in fact you are penalized financially for booking over the phone. There's higher technology in the cockpit (just as there is higher technology in many of our theatres' control booths). But the fact is that besides conventional flight, there is no high-tech replacement for getting physically from New York to Denver in 3.5 hours, if you need to be there in the flesh.
As you know, I am regularly engaged in—or within earshot of—conversations about whether live theatre will be replaced by something virtual, and whether people are distinguishing less and less between live and virtual experiences. At a convening in May, sponsored by National Arts Strategies and the Getty Leadership Institute, a group of participants discussed changes in leisure time patterns and how a variety of scenarios or "possible futures" might affect the delivery of programming and services in cultural settings. Their conversation took place in the context of certain research and observations, including one that said consumers today still perceive an original, tangible object as superior in quality to any simulation. But according to that same research, somewhere between 2015 and 2018, a well crafted simulation may be perceived as higher in quality than its tangible counterpart.
One report also notes that people spend a shockingly low nine hours per year on average in conventional arts participation. Since 1965, there are 5 to 6 more hours of leisure time each week, but that time has mostly been zapped up by television watching. Over half of U.S. households had a member who plays a musical instrument and 57% of teens are creating online content.
I recommend the report generated by this gathering: Cultural Organizations and Changing Leisure Trends. It includes some extremely creative thinking about how to look at culture and cultural organizations, and how we might become more agile and adaptable in a changing environment. It's worth taking a look at.
So What's Up in Denver?
In late July I spent three days in Denver meeting with the National Performing Arts Convention steering committee and local planning committee for our June 2008 national conference, scheduled from June 10–14. Though it's eleven months away, I strongly encourage you to mark your calendars for this event, and here are a few reasons why:
- It is a rare opportunity to gather and celebrate the size, diversity and impact of our entire performing arts sector.
- The conference takes place every four years and is timed to coincide with presidential election years. So this is our chance to set an action agenda together for keeping the arts healthy and central in our communities—and to do so at a time when our votes/advocacy can influence who is making policy that affects our work
- There will be the equivalent of 1.5 days of TCG-specific programming, held at the beautiful Denver Center for the Performing Arts, during the convention. This means in one trip and four days, TCG members can participate in a TCG conference with theatre colleagues and friends and also be part of the larger performing arts convening, setting an agenda for our entire sector as well as hearing from an array of great artists and thinkers.
- Curious Theatre Company is hosting an indoor/outdoor late night event that Chip Walton and Dee Covington promise is not to be missed.
- Will Power is threatening to host a late night jam session for all disciplines. Imagine a great house band and Will onstage rapping alongside a classical violinist, a couple of modern dancers and bevy of amateur kazoo players (I would be one of them). You can't miss that!
While in Denver, we had the opportunity to visit the Curious Theatre Company's building. Steve Sapp and Mildred Ruiz of Universes were in residence beginning work on The Denver Project, which will be part of Curious' next season. It's an ensemble piece that explores homelessness, gentrification and community responsibility. The show will be running during the National Performing Arts Convention in 2008. Thanks to Chip Walton for being so helpful during our visit to Denver (including being our driver for a variety of meetings), and to Kent Thompson and the staff of Denver Center Theatre Company for their leadership in the planning of next year's conference and convention. Thank you to Daniel Renner for hosting us at his neighborhood watering hole, where it was "crafts night." And thank you in advance to Tony Garcia of El Centro Su Teatro, upon whom we will eventually be calling as well!
TCG Books at the Book Expo
In June, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual BookExpo America, held in New York this year at the Javits Convention Center. Thousands of booksellers were on hand peddling their wares. And of course, TCG Books, a formidable presence in the literary independent publishing arena, was there in force, represented by our publisher Terry Nemeth, editorial director Kathy Sova and director of marketing Leigh Zona. John Patrick Shanley and Suzan-Lori Parks were present for book signings that drew lines of people stretching through the stalls. It was truly exciting to see the impact and importance of Theatre Communications Group in that world.
Have You Completed the Governing Boards Survey Yet?
Managing Leaders were sent an email last month with a link to our Governing Boards Survey, which for the first time can be completed online. The survey, conducted every three years, gathers data on board composition and structure, board policies, board development, board/staff relations and board committees. We take that data and turn it into an in-depth governance report that, in addition to being a really useful advocacy and policy tool, provides an interesting glimpse into who is governing our organizations and how we interact with them. The survey deadline is August 10, and I urge you to complete it if you haven't already. Email Ilana Rose if you have any questions.
Mini-Case Studies: Profiling Creative Strategies in American Theatre
At American Theatre magazine, we are working on the addition of a monthly feature that profiles a creative strategy a theatre has identified and implemented to address particular artistic or administrative challenges and opportunities. The plan is for a one-page "mini case study" each month, articulating a challenge/opportunity being addressed, what strategy (or strategies) have been brought to bear, what it took to implement and whether it has been successful or not (or both). Success stories and "train wrecks" are both welcome. We hope this is a way to highlight and share current ideas that theatres are generating and converting to action, particularly as they navigate change. I am charged with identifying a series of profiles to kick this off. So please e-mail me or call with your thoughts.
Well, I'm signing off for now. I hope summer is treating everyone splendidly.
My best to you,
Teresa Eyring
Executive Director