October 2006 Field Letter
Written on September 25, 2006
Ah, the days are crisp and beautiful, and the new season is upon us! It may take a theatre person to feel it, but with productions in preparation around the country, that quiet September rush of activity and building anticipation is in the air. For those of us here at TCG, the days bring the accompanying good fortune of seeing and talking to colleagues as you visit New York and our offices to cast and interview.
I take from the visits I've enjoyed with a number of you several distinct impressions. In every conversation I was moved by the deep investment of careful thought and focused energy that people are bringing to their work—the kind of dedication that will surely result in inspired productions. One needs only peruse the October production listings in American Theatre for a sense of the compelling work that will be presented on your stages in the coming months.
In some of my conversations I also sensed that for many of you these are challenging times in which to pursue a rich, ambitious artistic vision. I heard about occasional pressures to program on the basis of income projections. I heard about both staffs and boards of directors that are steadfast partners in the effort to balance competing mandates, and instances where theatre leadership and boards seem to be talking past one another. And I heard about a generally conservative climate that can present confounding challenges in terms of vision and mission. Clearly, the times aren't easy. But one impression really hit home. Expressed in a variety of ways, I heard the conviction that theatre has an ever more important role to play in this society that is changing faster than any of us can entirely encompass. As the voices that comprise the whole multiply, or some would say fracture, a unifying empathy, passion and understanding is there to be found in a great play.
It's been a fascinating month of field gatherings, events and discussions—several of which portend exciting possibilities for the future. One of these was the recent launch at a reception in New York City of a new California-based charity, United States Artists, that will award fifty artists working in a variety of disciplines $50,000 each to be used as they choose. The first recipients are to be announced on December 4 with the awards intended to demonstrate "the diversity of American art and the artists who create it." The project is interesting in several ways. First, it's been created as a true endowment. Four foundations—Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential and Rasmuson (based in Alaska)—have together contributed $20 million to seed the organization's initial operations. But the project's goals are much larger. United States Artists intends to become a conduit for the gifts of individual donors who would like to support talented artists but may lack a means to identify talent or assure that the funds are spent responsibly. To some extent the idea models itself on a community foundation that encourages individual giving for a dedicated purpose.
The initiative was spurred by a 2003 study by the Urban Institute, Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for U. S. Artists. That study documented a widespread decrease in direct support of individual artists following the elimination of most individual artist awards by the National Endowment for the Arts as a result of Congressional restrictions imposed on the agency in 1996. Though a database maintained by the New York Foundation for the Arts lists 2,900 programs supporting individual artists, two-thirds of those grants are for less than $5,000. The new charity's impact will only be proven over time, but an ambitious project that brings support for artists from the wings to center stage is surely worth noting and applauding.
I recently returned from a fascinating day's discussion hosted by the Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia. Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the Sundance Preserve, has created the National Arts Policy Roundtable on the premise that issues important to the arts are important to society. Enhancing quality of life, promoting economic prosperity, enhancing innovation, growing the creative workforce, fostering international diplomacy—the Roundtable is intended to elevate these and other issues to national prominence through informed discussion "that will yield public policy options, private sector practices, and identify key research needs". The inaugural meeting of the Roundtable will be held at Sundance in late October and will bring together national leaders of government, business, universities and foundations as well as artists and cultural policy thinkers. A preliminary series of three focus groups, called resource seminars, have been held to explore ideas and strategies to present to the Roundtable.
The topic of the 2006 Roundtable will be The Future of Private Giving in the Arts, a topic selected in response to the perception that arts giving has not kept pace with the funding needs of the arts community. Available data suggests that the arts' share of charitable giving has dropped from 8.4% in 1992 to 5.2% in 2005. The picture may be somewhat more complicated than those numbers indicate, but a general trend is apparent. The first of the three resource seminars, held in Washington, DC, brought together research experts with knowledge of philanthropic trends and how those trends affect the arts. The second was held in New York and involved leaders from the private giving community. The final session, in Philadelphia, was attended by leaders of national service organizations. The Roundtable is partially modeled on the Davos Institute. As those in attendance concurred, the potential benefit of an initiative that could engage the collaborative efforts of national leaders across the governmental and social spectrum around issues critical to the arts is great. Among the challenges and questions: How do we make the arts a matter of urgent concern? What's the language? Can we create planks that will help the arts get what they want and need? Following the Roundtable, Americans for the Arts will disseminate the data and policy recommendations generated by the research and discussions.
Another compelling discussion occurred in late August with the participants in TCG's New Generations Program for Future Leaders: Mentorships. With support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the program brings together early-career theatre professionals and mentors from member theatres. Intended to aid and support future leaders in the field, the conversations over two days provided striking evidence of the value of genuine and sustained mentorships. It's been frequently noted that nearly every leader cites mentors in their life. Many of the New Generations mentees found their mentor early on in their careers ("I felt like I came home"), though the specific paths to leadership were as varied as the people. In one case, a literary manager sought to become an artistic director. In another, a young theatre professional with a strong interest in community outreach found a mentor of like mind and spirit. One mentee is an architect who sought a lyrical element. A second was drawn to a mentor with a similar interest in public dramaturgy. And one young mentee claimed simply to have elbowed his way in to the theatre that reflected his aspirations.
One of the most surprising aspects of the discussions was the frequently expressed view that the benefits of the mentee-mentor relationship are mutual. The potential benefits for the mentee are clear, but the mentors emphasized all that the relationship gave them, as well. They said that, like it or not, the mentees encouraged them to remain open and flexible. The presence of the mentee allowed the mentor time to breathe and experiment. Occasionally they even challenged the senior person to let go a little, and as one mentor noted, "it can be exciting to sluice along once in a while". The best mentor-mentee relationships were clearly based on mutual respect and giving; in effect, an exchange program. And bottom line, the message was "step up. Take a leadership position."
I wrote in my last Field Letter and in American Theatre about Free Night of Theater, TCG's ambitious new audience development program. It will be coming your way on October 19 in sixteen communities around the country. As I write, more than 400 theatres are offering their unsubscribed ticket inventory in a unified effort to bring new audiences to new theatres. The data from the pilot program last year was remarkably encouraging, with the program attracting a high proportion of non-traditional, young and diverse theatregoers who subsequently returned to purchase tickets. We'll be letting you know about this year's expanded program as we plan for a fully national rollout in 2007.
TCG's Fall Forum for trustees and artistic and managing leaders, this year entitled Backstage with the Board: A Look at Art-Making, will be held November 10–12 in New York City. With discussions centering around the artistic process and a special focus on adaptation and design, the Forum will continue an ongoing discussion about artistry begun at last year's Fall Forum that will then extend to the National Conference in Minneapolis in June 2007. It will be a "downtown" event, with a performance of Martha Clark's new work KAOS at New York Theatre Workshop, breakouts at the Public Theater and a truly exciting roster of speakers and panel participants. We hope to see you there.
Speaking of Minneapolis, national conference director Jenni Werner, conference associate Melissa Fendell, development director Martha Neighbors and I just spent three wonderful days there in preparation for the June gathering. The conference will be held at the dramatic new Guthrie Theater. We were generously hosted there by the terrific Guthrie staff including, among others: artistic director Joe Dowling; director of studio programming (and our "point person" for the conference) Michael Bigelow Dixon; general management administrator Brooke Helgevold; director of development Dianne Brennan; and director of theater services David Russell. For those of you new to Minneapolis, the conference will also introduce you to the remarkable Minneapolis theatre community, many of whom will be serving on the conference host committee. It's a great city, a great community of artists that so perfectly reflects the larger national theatre community, and we think the conference will be a magnificent opportunity to focus on making art in the new century. We already have more ideas and plans than we have days and staff. Mark your calendars.
You likely have seen the Action Alert regarding NEA funding sent out from our offices on September 20. The House of Representatives has approved an increase in funding for the NEA while the Senate Appropriations Committee approved level funding. Senator Norm Coleman (R—MN) has drafted a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of a $5–10 million increase for the NEA. We anticipate that appropriations for the Endowment and for arts education within the US Department of Education will be rolled into a large spending measure (Omnibus Bill) in November.
It's important that arts support not be lost within the huge bill, so please encourage your Senator to sign on to this important letter. A personal note: as a federal agency, the Endowment is prohibited from lobbying. It's great to be able to work directly for more money for the agency—one hopes substantially more money in coming years.
I want to mention two books with clear implications for our field that have been eliciting much discussion of late. The Long Tail by Chris Anderson talks about democratization of the distribution of art within a niche society. And Applebee's America by Douglas B. Sosnik, Matthew J. Dowd and Ron Fournier posits how business and political leaders can connect with the new American community through lifestyle characteristics and the preferences of individuals—peer to peer—rather than by geography. Should you feel so inclined, be sure to forward your thoughts and reactions.
I've been lucky to see a few shows in New York in recent weeks, giving me the chance to catch up on last season and begin the new—among them the innovative production of Sweeney Todd, featuring a powerful performance by Michael Cerveris, at the Eugene O'Neill on Broadway as it closed out its run. I also saw the Atlantic Theater Company's stunning interpretation of Spring Awakening, with direction by Michael Mayer and choreography by Bill T. Jones, prior to its planned move into the O'Neill later this season. The story of the show's evolution offers a fascinating example of development within the not-for-profit field. Primary Stages produced A.R.Gurney's Indian Blood—a gentle, touching memory play of life in Buffalo in the mid-40's directed by Mark Lamos and masterfully played by a remarkable ensemble cast. And, at the 59E59 Theater, I enjoyed the Norwegian double bill presented by Oslo Elsewhere, consisting of a new translation and adaptation of Ibsen's Rosmersholm directed by Timothy Douglas and deathvariations by the contemporary Norwegian novelist, poet and playwright Jon Fosse. deathvariations also featured a fine performance by TCG staff member David Townsend. Next up is, Signature Theatre Company's much heralded production of Seven Guitars, part of its all-August Wilson season. Though we needed no reminder, the season underscores the immensity of his genius and contributions to American theatre.
I feel as if I am writing of our communal losses all too often. With great sorrow I note the passing of Nancy Roche, longtime CENTERSTAGE trustee, TCG Board member and co-author (with Jaan Whitehead) of the immensely influential The Art of Governance. Nancy buoyed the spirit of all who knew her and she will be deeply missed. And only today the theatre community has been grieved to learn of the death of Patrick Quinn, who was set to assume the position of executive director at Actors Equity Association this October. He served as president of Equity from 2000 to 2006, was a founding member of Equity Fights Aids and was greatly respected by actors and theatre professionals throughout the country.
I will end as I began—with anticipation of a brilliant, joyous new season. Please stay in touch, come to visit, send us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions and take good care.
Gigi Bolt
Interim Executive Director