Pulp fiction or stealth arts management texts?

The stories of troubled arts institutions abound these days: the closing of the New York City Opera, the end of Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Theater of the Stars, the year-long standoff at the Minnesota Orchestra. That’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure you can think of others.

While the steady decline of City Opera and the intractable situation in Minnesota have been fairly well reported in the arts press, they’re the exception. Typically, organizations in extremis keep their woes close to the vest as long as possible, until they’re forced to go public with what one of my former bosses called a “fire sale”: unless we raise this much by this date, we’ll have to close. Often as not, that’s just the sign that the canary in the coal mine has fallen off its perch.

Because the business of the arts is rarely covered as if it’s actual business (which it is) and because understaffed arts desks don’t have the resources to analyze and report on the fiscal health of companies on a regular basis, the ends of organizations seem precipitous and alarming. To those in the know, they’re anything but, and even when there’s an effort to assign blame, it’s rarely representative of the whole situation.

For perspective on this, I turn to Michael Crichton.

The late author specialized in a certain brand of fiction that would usually take some kernel of present day fact and extrapolate stories in which he imagined how that fact would impact us at some future date. Some of what he wrote was sci-fi (The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park) while some was social or cultural dynamics (Rising Sun, Disclosure); what he lacked in literary cachet he made up for in plotting and invention, even if some disliked his penchant for long asides about scientific or technological facts deployed to underpin his sometimes overheated stories.

In one of his less popular works, the mostly forgotten corporate espionage thriller Airframe, Crichton described in detail how airplanes crash. While I no longer have the book and wasn’t about to buy it again, I remember the central concept very clearly. Crichton explained that, save for an explosive device either onboard or launched at a plane, a crash doesn’t occur because of any single event. Typically, they emanate from some failure which then triggers others; Crichton notes that a swift and proper response to the inciting incident by the plane’s crew can usually avert disaster. It is when one or more of these smaller failings go unchecked that they multiply, eventually resulting in a crash. Crichton described the sequence of proliferating crises as an “event cascade.” That term has stayed with me, long after the rest of Airframe has been forgotten.

The fact is, arts organizations crash because of event cascades as well. It is rarely a single unforeseen occurrence which brings down companies; it is a series of actions, or lack thereof, that result in closure. They are of course best seen in hindsight, since boards, artistic directors and executive directors don’t have anything on their desk that will begin insistently flashing red the moment the first failing occurs. Absent such an indicator, it’s easy to overlook the first events in a cascade: the belief that consecutive operating deficits will somehow be solved at a future date; the utter conviction that a couple of seasons underperforming at the box office will be righted by some future succession of hit productions; the surety that going over-budget on a show will yield that long-sought hit; the expectation that funders will always step in insure the company’s stability for the long-term.

What if arts orgs had controls like this?

The lack of any alarm that goes off when bad decisions are made, decisions that often arise from from a place of  passion and the very best intentions, means that arts organizations are subject to event cascades that are out of hand before anyone realizes they’re taking place. Shrewd, successful boards and staff leadership are constantly on the alert for warning signs, not out of pessimism, but from a position of cautious responsibility. Even as they do well to embrace risk in order to possibly yield the greatest achievement, they also know when steer the safest course.

Just last week, Carnegie Hall settled a stagehands strike in a matter of days (with undisclosed terms), even though it was over a matter with long-term ramifications for the company. Did they solve a problem or trigger a cascade? Time will tell. And that’s the other challenge for arts organizations: our event cascades happen in slow motion, sometimes played out over months or years, making the inciting event even harder to spot. They are only evident in retrospect, as seen by the many post-mortems that have flourished in the wake of City Opera’s closure (this one from Bloomberg News is particularly blunt). Then, of course, it’s too late.

No one dies when an arts organization goes down in flames (an oft-used metaphor), but many lives are disrupted and vital cultural resources are lost. That’s why vigilance is called for at all times on the part of everyone with operational and organizational responsibility. To use an image from a better-known Crichton creation: you can have the best containment system money can buy, but when the electricity goes out, it’s useless. And then the raptors are loose.

Yes, I’m serious about the headline. I feel your scorn, but before your jerking knee sends you to the orthopedist, let me get right to the point.

There are any number of things one can object to in the Fast & Furious movies: the crudely drawn characters, the wooden acting, the endless (albeit largely bloodless) violence, the reckless driving, the disregard for the rule of law, the recurrent crashing cars, the nonsensical plots, the impossible (digitally created) stunts. I could go on.

But there’s one major aspect of this popular series that’s being increasingly looked at as a reason for its success, and it’s one to be admired: the thoroughly integrated, multinational cast.

We can say that it’s Hollywood’s crass way of appealing to every possible demographic and market, both domestic and foreign, and I suspect that’s true. But the net result is a series of films in which race isn’t a major issue – and loyalty, camaraderie and self-made families are, regardless of skin color.

Sure, the nominal stars of the films are the bland white Paul Walker alongside burly Vin Diesel, who lays claim to “ambiguous ethnicity” and whose character is identified as Italian American. But look at the group surrounding them: Michelle Rodriguez (Latina, from Texas by way of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico), Tyrese Gibson (African American from LA), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (African American and Native American from Illinois), Elsa Pataky (Spanish), Sung Kang (Korean American originally from Georgia), Gal Gadot (Israeli) and Dwayne Johnson (from California, of Canadian and Samoan heritage). It’s not the U.N. (the villains are predominantly British, with one hulking Dane thrown in for good measure), but it is a melting pot. The director of the most recent films in the series is, not so incidentally, Taiwanese.

How many stage events can lay claim to this kind of diversity? Do we see this in our orchestras, our dance troupes, our stage productions? If we have to provide models in order to promote acceptance, and indeed our ongoing health as a field, are the Fast & Furious flicks leading the way in racial equality, under the cover of a mass entertainment that we might prefer to disdain?

And even though almost every character is strikingly attractive, both male and female, the usual gender barriers don’t apply. We might well be troubled by the gunplay and the hand-to-hand combat, but no one can say that the films are particularly sexist, since the women are equal (and often victorious) combatants, while the men take time out in the most recent film to express deep caring for a newborn child, to the extent their acting chops permit.

Don’t read too deeply into these movies – they’re all surface. But since there will always be potboilers and popcorn flicks, isn’t it remarkable to find ones that are ahead of the curve on race relations in a way that many arts groups can’t consistently demonstrate. Might not this approach ultimately serve our own bottom lines, as well as our loftier ambitions? I’m not advocating a Fast & Furious musical (dear god, no), but rather the reinforcement our own commitment to multiracial stories, colorblind casting and other initiatives, because we’ve still got a long way to go and our futures depend on a true embrace of multi-culturalism.

As Fast & Furious 7 is already in production, I can only hope that by the time number 8 roars in our direction, it will feature gay and lesbian characters as well among our band of heroes, as the series’ popularity enables it to integrate ever more inclusivity into its midst, among the explosions and wrecks. Even market-driven ensemble shoot ‘em ups need to grow up in that respect as well.

Oh, and by the way, I’ve seen four of the six films: the first was OK, the second was dull, I skipped 3 and 4, but the last two were absolute hoots. If you like that sort of thing.

With U.S. theatre seasons being announced almost daily, things have been pretty lively around the old Twitter water cooler, with each successive announcement being immediately met with assessments at every level.  How many female playwrights or directors? Is there a range of race and ethnicity among the artists? Is the season safe and predictable or adventurous and enticing? How many new plays, or actual premieres? How many dead writers? How many American playwrights? Any new musicals? The same old Shakespeare plays?

Thanks to social media, what once might have incited some e-mails and calls among friends in the business is now grist for the national mill, and the conversations swing their focus from city to city as rapidly as a new announcement is made. While some of the critiques may strike a more strident tone than I would personally adopt, I have to say that this is evidence of the developing national theatre conscience, under which news of upcoming work is not merely relayed but considered, from a macro rather than micro viewpoint, and not only by artistic directors at conferences or journalists in major media. People are keeping score.

I find this heartening and useful; last year I wrote a column for The Stage in which I declared my belief that the work on U.S. stages must better reflect U.S. society. But even as I applaud every recounting of a season being graded on a variety of balances (gender, race, vintage, etc.), and hope that it informs not only a national conversation but action and change at the local level, I want to strike a note of caution about one of the criteria being applied, specifically: why are so many theatres doing the same plays?

It’s easy if one lives in a major metropolitan area that’s rich in theatre to wonder why certain plays are receiving 10, 15 even 20 productions in a single season, typically works that have been seen in New York, whether on Broadway or off.  We all see the list compiled each fall by TCG and American Theatre magazine; it generates stories about the most popular plays at U.S. theatres and usually mirrors the NYC fare of the past year or two. But at the same time, how many new plays remain unproduced, or receive a premiere and then don’t find their way to other stages?  Have U.S. theatres become ever more safe and New York-centric?

What seems like a herd mentality has a more practical basis. It has been some time since plays have toured the country with any regularity (before the current War Horse, the last significant non-musical tour I recall was Roundabout’s Twelve Angry Men); the days when a play would run a season on Broadway and then tour for a year are long over. So while not-for-profit theatres may have been born in part to offer an alternative to commercial fare that was once available throughout the country, the life of plays has fallen almost exclusively to institutional companies.

Those companies tend to be fairly hyperlocal, drawing the majority of their audience from a 30 to 45 mile radius. This holds true even for larger cities, although they may benefit from some portion of a tourist trade. Generally, only “destination theatres” like Oregon Shakespeare Festival or Canada’s Stratford and Shaw Festivals can lay claim to a wider geographic spread. So while our overview of production may be all inclusive, the communities being served are less transient and more insular than that view.

On top of that, we can’t deny that theatre in New York has a range of media platforms which, even in our online era, few other cities can match. Consequently, a success in New York, or merely a New York production, gets a boost in the eyes of all concerned – theatre staffs, freelance artists, funders, audiences. And as a result, companies which are the major – or only – theatre in their community may feel duty bound to offer those “name” works in their seasons, because their audiences may not have any other opportunity to see them and also because their artistic leadership believes in the quality and value of that work. Of course, in some markets, theatres may compete for these “name” works, especially if they’re accompanied by the name Tony or Pulitzer.

This was brought home to me years ago during my time as managing director of Geva Theatre in Rochester NY. Geva was by far the largest theatre in Rochester; its peers were the former Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, 60 miles to the west, and Syracuse Stage, some 80 miles to the east. Each city had its own theatrical microclimate, with only the smallest sliver of die-hard theatre fans traveling among all three, an effort hampered by a snowfall season that ran from November to April.

Having come from Connecticut theatre, where a daytrip to New York was commonplace for professionals and audience alike, I wasn’t used to working on “last year’s hits” (though Geva’s seasons were certainly much more varied than that). In Connecticut at that time, doing work recently available in NYC was redundant. Frankly, what had been a source of pride at the places I’d worked had become a sign of elitism in my new setting, and I had to adjust my thinking accordingly – a mindset that has stayed with me as I ventured back into Connecticut and then to Manhattan.

This year, Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop has been one of those frequently produced plays; on the east coast alone I know of productions in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC without even looking at schedules; I could just look at the Amtrak Northeast Corridor schedule for that rundown. Some might call this copycatting, especially after its Broadway run the prior season, but based upon reviews and reports of sales, The Mountaintop has been meaningful at each venue where it has appeared, presumably without overlapping audiences. And on a personal note, I have to say that even in a production compromised by a labor dispute, I found the Philadelphia incarnation to be even more affecting than the Broadway one.

Even as I lobby for artistic directors to be ever more committed to a wide range of essential criteria, I acknowledge the difficulty of their task. Aside from taking into account the questions I highlighted in the first paragraph, they also have to consider issues like budget, educational commitments, work that might prove especially meaningful to their audience or their community. Many have to do that with only five or six shows in a given season and it may not be possible to hit every desired mark.

A national survey across a range of criteria will certainly show us trends in production at the country’s institutional theatres, and I avidly support such an effort. But as we look theatre by theatre, we might allow, slightly,  for what else could be happening at other theatres in the same city, and perhaps for how each theatre’s season does (or doesn’t) make improvements in diversity year over year. We also have to accept that in meeting one of many goals, a theatre might fall short on another; watching how they trend over time will be the most telling indicator. And while we need more and more platforms for truly new work, if a show with a New York imprimatur is a genuine part of a season striving towards meeting a range of goals, it is not necessarily a cop-out.

A final word for the theatres that face this new scrutiny, from playwright Stephen Spotswood during yesterday’s water cooler chat on Twitter: “Dear theatres whose seasons people are complaining about: This means we care and are invested in you. Start worrying when we stop.”

As I said in Part 1 of this series, Matt Trueman’s piece for the Financial Times got me thinking about a variety of issues relating to the exchange of new plays between England and the United States. After focusing on perceived favoritism or bias, and then the common issue of support beyond the box office and its apparent impact on new work, let me circle back to focus more directly on the original issue.

I agree with Trueman, and the people with whom he spoke, that despite a handful of big name plays traversing the pond every year, each country only scratches the surface of the vast number of plays produced by the other. Now, unencumbered as I am by more comprehensive data, what could be the causes for this?

Personally, I don’t really hold with the idea that some of the plays are mired in cultural differences not readily understood. I have certainly seen plays in which cricket plays a role (I don’t understand anything connected with cricket), but the plays aren’t about cricket, and the minutiae of the game is typically irrelevant. We may mention footlong sandwiches in a play, calling them subs, grinders or hoagies, but so long as it’s clear its an item of food, either from other dialogue or stage action, I don’t think English theatergoers would be lost in incomprehension. We may not know the particulars of the National Health Service, or the English may not understand the nuances of city, county, state and national government here, but those are mechanics, not meaning. If we can find common ground in Monty Python and Downton Abbey, I have no worries about plays – even those that require specific regional accents.

I certainly think familiarity and awareness plays a role, and it amplifies a frequent intra-country challenge: if a play is produced in a regional theatre outside of a major media area, how does it get noticed? I don’t doubt that large theatres in both countries have the means and the inclination to look beyond New York and London alone, but how do they look? Literary offices are likely stocked with unread homegrown material, even if they only accept work by agent submission. Media websites may offer reviews of work, but who has the time to scan it all on a daily basis, hunting for a lesser known but worthwhile work. If a play doesn’t get published, or added to the catalogue of a major licensing house, how does it get attention, at home or abroad? Some may like to decry the influence of reviews, but good reviews distributed by theatre or producer may have the most impact, but is there a readily accessible list of artistic directors and literary managers in both countries (and other English-speaking countries) to make the dissemination of that material efficient? To be interested in a play, one first has to hear or read about it.

But let me come back to “homegrown.” In America, we constantly see mission statements that, rightly, talk about theatres serving their community. This can take many forms and be interpreted in a variety of ways, but the fact is that even those not-for-profit companies which also speak of adding to the national and even international theatrical repertoire must first and foremost serve their immediate community, the audience located in a 30 mile radius of their venue, give or take. Many theatres are also making an increased effort to serve the artists in their local community as well, instead of importing talent from one of the coasts. I have no reason to suspect that it is any different in England.

So the question about producing plays from other countries is less one of interest than adherence to mission. If your theatre is the only one of any scale for 30 miles, or the largest even in a crowded field, where should your focus be? Unless your company is specifically dedicated to work from other countries, on balance it’s going to be wise to focus on homegrown plays, especially if your company does new work.

Several months back, the artistic director of a large U.S. theatre and I were discussing a British playwright we both hold in high regard, but the A.D. said he couldn’t make room for that author’s work in a season, even for a U.S. premiere. “If I do that, that’s one less slot I have for a new American play.” With most theatres having perhaps four to seven shows a season, not all necessarily new, it is in fact a tricky political prospect to debut or produce foreign work. Look at the flack Joe Dowling took for his season of Christopher Hampton plays at The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.

Add to that the necessity of balancing a season for gender and race, plus the desire to show the audience work that may have debuted elsewhere in the U.S., as well as classics and the challenge grows greater for foreign work (though it doesn’t justify our significant blind spot towards our neighbor Canada or the limited awareness of theater from Australia and New Zealand either). I suspect this comes into play in England as well, but I’d need to speak with more English A.D.’s to know.

When I surveyed the Tony nominations it was quickly apparent that if one removed David Hare, Tom Stoppard, Martin McDonagh, Brian Friel and Yasmina Reza, foreign presence on Broadway would drop precipitously; the same would happen at the Oliviers if one excluded Tony Kushner, August Wilson, and David Mamet. Yes, England has premiered work by Katori Hall, Bruce Norris and Tarrell Alvin McCraney, but they are exceptions to the rule, not exemplars of a new trend.

I support the exchange of dramatic literature and artists between countries – all countries –not just the U.S.-English traffic that has been the focus here. Improved communication about that work might help to foster an increase and, as I said originally, a survey of past productions on a larger scale might reveal more than we’re aware of. But when it comes right down to it, English theatres and artistic directors must focus on what’s most important for their audiences, and American theatres and A.D.s must do the same. What that yields in terms of exchange is simply part of balancing so many necessary elements, tastes, styles and budgets; trends may appear when looking from a distance, but up close, it’s a theatre by theatre function.

In the process of debunking the idea that English and American plays experience bias, for or against them , when produced in the their “opposite” theatrical cities of New York and London, I began to notice something extremely interesting about the origin of plays nominated for the Olivier and Tony Awards. Thinking it might be my own bias coming into play as I assembled data, I expanded my charts of nominated plays beyond simply the country of origin for the works, adding the theatres where the plays originated. What I found suggests that the manner of theatrical production in the two countries may be even more alike than many of us realize.

In the U.S., of the 132 plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play between 1980 and 2012, 61 of them had begun in not-for-profit theatres in New York and around the country. That’s 46% of the plays (and even more specifically, their productions) having been initiated by non-commercial venues. In England, 99 of the plays came from subsidised companies, a total of 75% of all of the Oliviers nominees.

Together, these numbers make a striking argument for how essential not-for-profit/subsidized companies are to the theatrical ecology of today. And, frankly, my numbers are probably low.

To work out these figures, I identified plays and productions which originated at not-for-profits. That is to say, if a play was originally produced in a not-for-profit setting, but the production that played Broadway was wholly or significantly new, it was not included. As a result, for example, both parts of Angels in America don’t appear in my calculations, because the Broadway production wasn’t a direct transfer from a not-for-profit, even though its development and original productions had been in subsidized companies in both the U.S. and England.

These statistics also don’t include plays that may have been originally produced in their country of origin at an institutional company, but were subsequently seen across the Atlantic under commercial aegis. So while Douglas Carter Beane’s The Little Dog Laughed is credited with NFP roots in the U.S. it has been treated as commercial in London. Regretfully, I don’t know enough about the origin of all nominated West End productions in companies from outside London to have represented them more fully, which is why I have an inkling that the 75% number is low.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that in England, the Oliviers encompass a number of theatres that are wholly within subsidized companies, in some cases relatively small ones, which needn’t transfer to a conventional West End berth to be eligible; examples include the Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse, as well as Royal Shakespeare Company productions that visit London. While there are currently five stages under not for profit management on Broadway (the Sondheim, American Airlines, Beaumont, Friedman Theatres and Studio 54), imagine if work at such comparable spaces as the Mitzi Newhouse, the Laura Pels, The Public, The Atlantic and Signature were eligible as well.

Why am I so quickly demonstrating the flaws in my method? Simply to show that even by conservative measure, it is the institutional companies, which rely on grants, donations and government support to function, which are producing the majority of the plays deemed to be the most important of those that play the major venues in each city.

Since we must constantly make the case for the value of institutional, not-for-profit, subsidized theatre, in the U.S. and in England (let alone Scotland, Ireland, Canada and so many other countries), I say tear apart my process and build your own, locally, regional and certainly nationally. I think you’ll find your numbers to be even stronger than mine and, hopefully, even more persuasive. While it may seem counterintuitive for companies outside London and New York to use those cities’ awards processes to make their case, the influence is undeniable.

The conventional wisdom in theatrical circles is that America is stunningly Anglophilic, that we readily embrace works from England on our stages. Supposedly we do this to the detriment of American writers, and our affection is reputedly one-sided, as the British pay much less attention to our work. So they say.

This past weekend, British arts journalist Matt Trueman began a worthwhile conversation in an article for the Financial Times, in which he suggested that most American plays rarely reach England, and vice-versa. While a few of the assertions in the piece may not be wholly accurate, I think the central argument holds true: only a handful of plays from each country get significant exposure in the other. His piece set me thinking.

Much of America’s vision of British theatre is dominated by the fare on Broadway and, I suspect, it’s the same case in the West End for America. Now we can argue that these two theatrical centers don’t accurately represent the totality or even the majority of theatre in each country (and I have done so), but the high exposure in these arenas does have a significant impact on the profile and life-span of new plays, fairly or not. Consequently, our view of the dramatic repertoire from each country to the other is a result of a relative handful of productions in very specific circumstances.

Given the resources and data, one could perhaps build a database of play production in both countries and extract the most accurate picture. But in an effort to work with a manageable data set in exploring this issue, I took the admittedly subjective universe of the Best New Play nominations for the Tony and Olivier Awards, from 1980 to today. While significantly more work is produced than is nominated, this universe at least afforded me the opportunity to examine whether there is cultural bias among select theatrical arbiters. Although each has its own rules and methodology (I explain key variables in my addendum below), they are a microcosm of top-flight production in these “theatre capitals.”

So as not to keep you in suspense, here’s the gist: new English and American plays are nominated for Tony and Oliviers at roughly the same rate in the opposite country, running between 20 and 25% of the nominees when produced overseas.

In the past 33 years of Tony Awards, 32 English plays were nominated for Tonys out of a universe of 132, or 24% of the total. At the Oliviers, 20% of the Best New Play nominees were American. In my eyes, that 4% difference is irrelevant; though there’s no margin for error since this isn’t a poll, the total numbers worked with are small enough so that a few points means only a few plays, in this case, only five.

Now, let’s take a step back and look at this with larger world view. While Americans at large may have a tendency to blur distinctions between English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish, I’m aware that these national distinctions are extremely important. Blending these countries in our view of theatrical production may be contributing to the false American perception of English imperialism on our stages.

Factoring in all productions by foreign authors (the aforementioned Ireland, Wales and Scotland, as well as France, Canada, Israel and South Africa), we find that 44 plays from outside the U.S. received Tony nominations in 33 years, for 33% of the total nominees, while in England, foreign plays garnered 52 Olivier nods, for 39% of the total. So while the gap here is slightly wider, it shows that English plays actually are nominated less in their own country than American plays are at the Oliviers.

When it comes to the recognition of plays that travel between these two major theatrical ports of call, I think it’s fair to say that, so far as each city’s major theatrical award is concerned, there is no bias, no favoritism. Even if the number of plays being produced are out of balance, the recognition is proportional. Perhaps we can put that old saw to rest.

P.S. For those of you feeling petty, wondering whether there’s an imbalance in winners? American plays  have won the Olivier nine times since 1980, while English authors have won the Best Play Tony seven times. So there.

*     *     *     *     *

Notes on methodology:

• Musicals were not studied, only plays.
• There is one key difference between the Best Play categories at the Tonys and The Oliviers, specifically that the Oliviers also have a category for Best Comedy in many of the years studied. While it is not included in this comparison, it should be noted that, with a few exceptions, American plays were rarely nominated in the Best Comedy category. Whether this is a result of U.S. comedies not traveling to England at all, or cultural differences causing U.S. comedies to be poorly received when they did travel, was not examined.
• To some degree, nationality or origin of the plays required a judgment call. There are Americans who have resided in England for many years (Martin Sherman, Timberlake Wertenbaker), in addition to authors of South African and Irish birth who also make their home there (Nicholas Wright, Martin McDonagh). I have categorized these authors and their plays by the country with which they are most associated, as I do not have access to their citizenship records. In all cases, I have identified nationality to the best of my ability.

It is unfortunate that “zirkusschadenfreude” is not an actual German word, because there seemed to be a lot of it flying around last week, that is to say, “joy at the unhappiness of a circus.” Many news outlets and commentators were pulling out the wordplay a bit gleefully last week on the news that Canada’s famed Cirque du Soleil was laying off 400 employees after almost three decades of spectacular growth and acclaim. “Is the sun going down?” asked England’s The Independent.

The layoff announcement was the latest in a string of bad news emanating from Cirque, which has of late dealt with several shows closing much earlier than expected; Iris at the one-time Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles is the most recent casualty. A couple of years ago, New York witnessed the protracted birth and rapid death cycle of Banana Shpeel (which inexplicably went on national tour); Zarkana limped through two seasons at Radio City Musical Hall before being packed off to Nevada, where an Elvis-themed show had recently underwhelmed. There have been failures internationally as well.

Needless to say, the Canadian press followed the story most closely, given that this is a major employer and national treasure downsizing. On one newscast I watched, the anchor blithely asked Globe and Mail reporter J. Kelly Nestruck whether “greed” was a factor, seemingly misunderstanding or disliking the idea of commercial success that Cirque has enjoyed in spades. To his credit, Nestruck parried by saying it was perhaps a certain lack of attention and over-accelerated growth.

Now I should say that as an audience member, I’m wildly ambivalent about Cirque. I’ve seen them six times as I recall: their first U.S. tour, of Nouvelle Experiénce, in Seattle in 1990; Mystère at Treasure Island in Las Vegas circa 1998; the Dralion tour in Santa Monica in 1999; O and Love in Vegas in 2010, and Zarkana at Radio City Musical Hall in 2011. You’ll notice a 10 year hiatus, and that’s because after my enthusiasm for Nouvelle, my second and third experiences seemed diminishing returns; only years of emphatic recommendations brought me back two years ago, to my utter delight.

Then Zarkana brought me crashing back to dismay, and their 3-D movie this winter, Worlds Away, was a particular letdown. The movie, which hasn’t burned up U.S. box offices, was nothing more than a flimsy premise connecting pieces of their Vegas shows. I had been hoping that Cirque might reinvent film narrative the way they reinvented circuses, only to find myself watching a minimally conceived and eccentrically shot and edited greatest hits package.

I take no pleasure in the retrenchment of Cirque. But frankly, while I feel for those losing jobs, a company that has proven that live artistic undertakings can reach mass audiences can only be strengthened by reminders that they are not infallible, even when they’re working at such astronomically budgeted scales. I would dearly love to wield phrases like, “What clown was keeping their books,” but that fails to draw out what can be learned from the current troubles.

One has to applaud the entrepreneurship of co-founder and owner Guy Laliberté, who took the company from street performers to veritable rock stars, making it almost impossible for most circuses to survive unless they dropped “circus” for “cirque”; I am less sanguine about Soleil’s efforts to monopolize the word. As the world has grown more sensitive to the treatment of animals at circuses, their completely human entertainment carries no whiff of exploitation or cruelty, even as we may wonder how people learn the superhuman skills on display.

My own back and forth opinions on the shows themselves may be reflective of erratic quality control and perhaps overproduction (they recently began producing several new shows annually instead of one), but O and Love were so remarkable that I’m eager to see them again, even at $150 a ticket, and I’m regretting having skipped Ka, which I hear is also incredible. I’m not the first to suggest that Cirque is most successful when they’re in venues specifically built, or radically refurbished, for their sit-down shows; perhaps they have grown too big for the big top.

Producing to “fill slots” is often the bane of performing arts organizations; they have to put on something to give to their audiences, and perhaps they don’t always have sufficient brilliant ideas to fill the available holes. By creating more slots, surely Cirque has created the same problem for itself. The news reports also suggest that expenses weren’t carefully controlled, and that will fell any business; outside of real world arts, we can watch the same problem played out on Downton Abbey.

It’s very hard, when you’ve come so far, so fast, to stop and take a breath and reassess. But Cirque is no different than any performing arts organization, even if it no longer relies on public subsidy. It may need to get back to its core values. It can look to the simpler, grittier and altogether wonderful Les 7 doigts de la main (known in NYC for Traces), a mini-circus at the most human level. They succeed in no small part because the performers seem like people you might meet on the street, who go out of the way to personalize the performance and ingratiate themselves with the audience, making their feats that much more awesome. There is no wailing of indeterminately ethnicized pop music, no waddling oddballs spouting gibberish, just skill.

Stopping to remember that circus is in fact a form of theatre, and never more so than when it eschews animals, I’m eager to see Cirque’s Amaluna, directed by American Repertory Theatre’s artistic director Diane Paulus, to see how her theatrical sensibility infuses the Cirque formula. It’s interesting to note that Paulus is also coming to Broadway with a Cambridge-bred Pippin revival created in collaboration with 7 doits, further exploring theatre as circus and circus as theatre. The two may well be worthwhile case studies for Cirque (though Paulus is not the only theatre director to collaborate with them).

Despite avoiding them for 10 years, I remain hopeful for Cirque du Soleil, as performing arts wunderkind, as entrepreneurial model and, believe it or not, as “my” circus. I was never taken to a circus in my youth; my only “regular” circuses are the Big Apple Circus in 1984 when I was 22, Circus Vargas in about 1989 and Circus Flora (at the Spoleto Festival) in 2003. The only other experiences I’ve ever had at a circus have been with the Canadians — that’s right: no Ringling Brothers. That means that 66% of my lifetime circus-going has been with Cirque du Soleil (Traces was performed in a 499 seat theatre). Cirque has thrilled me and disappointed me, but for better or worse, it’s what I’ve known.  Unless they are overwhelmed by hubris, mismanagement or both, Cirque should to be around for a long time, and reports of their doom are not merely exaggerated but unfounded.

Yes, Cirque is a corporation now, with 14 million tickets sold a year and $1 billion in revenue; sympathy may be in short supply. It needs to ground itself before it flies again, econonomically and creatively. Cirque might look to the late 70s and early 80s, when people said Disney was on the ropes as well, and the company came back only stronger, proving that family entertainment can endure. Cirque du Soleil is not too big to fail, but the company is too inventive and successful to quickly start counting out, like so many clowns in a car.

Yes, Mr. Survey looks innocent enough, but does he belong in artistic programming?

“We choose our season largely in response to what our patrons tell us. Lately they are interested in seeing shows that they already know.”

The quote above, from the producing artistic director of a large not-for-profit theatre, appeared recently in a perfectly innocuous “season preview” round-up, the kind found in newspapers and online resources around the country at this time of year. Some of you may well be surprised by the sentiment, though it is one with which I’m familiar. My only surprise is to see it stated so baldly. I’m not naming the theatre, or the publication, because I have no desire to castigate or demonize the specific organization, since this practice is hardly unique. It is the issue that’s worth discussing.

For those who traffic in the language of grants, or for that matter the universe of arts blogs concerned with mission and marketing, it is quite common to read about the necessity of serving one’s community, one’s audience. I certainly support that sentiment, but serving does not mean servant. Not-for-profit arts organizations exist to serve by leading, offering work which connects with a community, local, regional or national, by finding the correct balance between being able to sell tickets and raise money on the one hand, and, on the other, advancing genuine artistic goals that support artists, craftspeople and technicians dedicated to creating good work.

In the recent economic climate, there has been a flight to safety in so many areas of society, making it harder for organizations to be progressive in their work. Some have been unable to negotiate the enormously difficult economic waters, and we daily read of the fallout, be it the diminution of New York’s City Opera, the suspension of production by Minneapolis’ Penumbra Theatre, or the labor struggles in orchestras just chronicled by Diane Ragsdale.

It would be glib to say that theatres which produce according to the express wishes of their patrons become de facto commercial producers, because that’s not fair to the commercial sector. While many decry the rise in Broadway musicals based on well-known movies, they are at least new works for the stage, and they do not represent the entirety of commercial product. Even commercial revivals don’t always play it safe, since many seek to reinvent material, even if they attempt to insure their venture with famous actors. And new work does still debut under commercial aegis, even if the majority of new work is now created in not-for-profit companies.

As I mentioned, the idea of doing what one’s audience requests is not new. Since I began in this business, I’ve heard about companies that survey their audiences and point blank ask them what they’d like to see the next year. I’m pleased to say that I’ve never worked for one. And there’s an essential flaw in this question of what people want to see, since audience members can only name shows which they’ve already seen; you can’t choose something which doesn’t yet exist. “Familiar” work is the inevitable and immutable result.  While a generic box for new play or new musical might appear on such survey, and might get checked now and again, if the risk of producing new work is taken at such a company, it’s very likely that the audience will only respond to work that feels very much like what they’ve seen before, and that experimentation and innovation – especially if it turns out to be unsuccessful artistically – will only reinforce the flight to the safety of the known.

Don’t let me give you the impression that I’m opposed to companies that specialize in classics, or revivals. Those are absolutely valid missions – so long as the productions are not trapped in amber, trooped out every five years because of their proven box office appeal. If the text is always approached as new, so long as there is a creative rather than replicative spark, I say go for it.

Once upon a time in theatre in America, there’s no question that the known dominated. Think of Eugene O’Neill’s father touring for decades as The Count of Monte Cristo or William Gillette’s sinecure as Sherlock Holmes; that was the norm.

But that’s not what not-for-profit arts organizations were created to do. It’s important to note that the old actor-manager model, in which a company was built around a singular star has given way to companies where artistic directors are charged with understanding, serving and leading the artistic appetites of her or his audience and supporting artists by creating homes for their work. If an artistic director opts to produce by survey, then they are certainly a producer, but they may have well abandoned the right to claim artistry. If they don’t explore work beyond the most standard repertoire, if they don’t bring exciting artists to bear, if they don’t feel strongly enough to decide for themselves what they believe should be on stage, then perhaps ‘artist’ shouldn’t be in their title.

Am I being harsh, judgmental, inflexible? Perhaps, and I know that reality is an endless series of gradations, of balances. But so long as organizations slavishly serve, rather than creatively embrace and advance, we run the risk that success in the former model will create ever greater pressure on the latter.  We have seen how opera companies and orchestras in particular struggle to incorporate modern work in their repertoire, risking creative stagnation. If we are not constantly creating opportunities and appetites for the new in every art form, then each will, at some point, collapse in on itself, like a TV channel that plays nothing but reruns. However much fun that may seem initially, at a certain point, the nostalgia burns out and if there’s nothing new, the form dies.

It is the responsibility of a not-for-profit artistic director to serve and lead and audience, a board, a staff, while at the same time serving and advancing the art form; I like to believe that most do. But if they outsource their most important responsibility to anyone else, even their audience; if they abdicate initiative in order to minimize risk; if that’s the only way an organization can survive, then they’re just staving off the inevitable and their audience, ultimately, will lose.

Continuing our now monthly Twitter conversations on theatre, Peter Marks of The Washington Post and I invited Kwame Kwei-Armah, the new artistic director of Centerstage in Baltimore to be our guest in February. A playwright and director, Kwei-Armah joined center stage after forging his career in England, and so we used the opportunity to explore the dual roles of artist and artistic director with someone who had just recently added the latter role to his portfolio of achievements. As an added bonus, Charles McNulty, theatre critic for the Los Angeles Times, joined in, just days after he’d published a much discussed critic’s notebook on the state of artistic leadership in southern California.

As before with these transcripts, they are reconstructed to the best of my ability, relying upon participants’ use of the #pmdhes hashtag for tracking, although it is omitted here. I have cleaned up some common Twitter abbreviations for ease of reading, and changed AD and MD to artistic director and managing director wherever I spotted it, but I was cautious about converting anything where I wasn’t absolutely sure about meaning; sticklers, as a result, will find some messages that exceed Twitter’s 140 character limit. Retweets of messages within the conversation have mostly been excised, unless accompanied by comments which expand upon them. Finally, the transcript is most expediently prepared (and trust me, ‘easily’ is pretty much of a misnomer) in reverse chronological order, so you’re advised to jump to the end of this post and then scroll upward for proper continuity.

*     *     *

ASC_Amy  1:04pm @HESherman @petermarksdrama *gleam in eye*

HESherman 1:03pm   @petermarksdrama I am not having the “who wrote Shakespeare’s plays” debate with Jacobi!

Petermarksdrama 1:02pm @HESherman Next month, maybe Derek Jacobi? Ok, I’m dreaming.

Theatreontario 1:02pm @kwamekweiarmah But with seriousness – it’s where my deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger (adap. from Frederick Buechner).

Petermarksdrama 1:01pm @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman A terrific theater convo, everyone.

Kwamekweiarmah 1:00pm Thank you all for a wonderful tweet out. It’s my first and def wont be my last! Thanks ya’ll — Kwamz

Kwamekweiarmah 12:59pm @HESherman Bless you. what fun!!!!

Kwamekweiarmah 12:59pm @AmandaThietje Nice. x

ASC_Amy  12:58pm Thanks to everyone for the great convo! @HESherman @kwamekweiarmah @petermarksdrama

AmandaThietje 12:58pm @HESherman @kwamekweiarmah Thank you much for your insights, Kwame…this was great!

_plainKate_ 12:58pm @kwamekweiarmah @petermarksdrama #HESherman Thank you, gentlemen, for the conversation.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:58pm @jabberjw Nice!!!!!!!

Kwamekweiarmah 12:58pm @petermarksdrama Love that. Another for my wall

CS_Dramaturgy 12:58pm multiculturalism: (in no order) Lydia Diamond, Lynn Nottage, Tom Gibbons, Kristen Greenidge, Lauren Yee…

Kwamekweiarmah 12:58pm  RT @petermarksdrama: Why Theater? Because it saved my life. And continues to.

Jabberjw 12:58pm  Why theater? Because it’s the place for a lot of the things that need to be said out loud, with an audience.

AmandaThietje 12:57pm @kwamekweiarmah Also, when it’s profoundly immediate, it’s our stories in our own voices.

Jamesholod 12:57pm @kwamekweiarmah It requires presence, engagement and constant dialogue, which for me enriches the way I view the rest of the world.

HESherman 12:57pm We seem to be winding down and it’s just about 1 pm. Let’s thank @kwamekweiarmah for being on with us today so he can slip away.

Halcyontony 12:57pm @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty Gotcha, makes sense.

Petermarksdrama 12:56pm  Why Theater? Because it saved my life. And continues to.

_plainKate_ 12:56pm  @kwamekweiarmah Sweet!

Rebcincy 12:56pm Why Theater? More fun to spend my life with this crazy pirate crew than any group of people I ever met.

Petermarksdrama 12:56pm @halcyontony @CharlesMcNulty You mean restaurant critics? I agree with that too. I meant dance, classical music — even movie critics not as much.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:56pm @_plainKate_ beautiful. That’s going up on my wall

Theatreontario 12:56pm  @kwamekweiarmah Combines enough passions in a way that astronaut and pro golfer couldn’t.

ASC_Amy 12:56pm  @petermarksdrama Indeed. Although, works in reverse too. We see lots of student mat kids bring their parents back.

HESherman 12:55pm Seeing lots of (well-deserved) love for @RealEmilyMann here. We all have to join forces and get her tweeting actively.

_plainKate_ 12:55pm  @rebcincy @kwamekweiarmah Steal away. That’s why I mention it.

Jamesholod 12:55pm @HESherman So true! So then, how aware is the public of the difference? Does it matter to them? Or just easier for the office?

Petermarksdrama 12:55pm @HESherman @CharlesMcNulty Not only for practitioners, but for young theatergoers as well.

Halcyontony 12:55pm @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty Don’t think I agree with that. I think restaurant critics are very much expected to be market analysts.

RivierePatrick 12:54pm @HESherman @CharlesMcNulty SO true when I was Education Director at Second Stage it was all about involving kids directly with process and multigenerational work

Rebcincy 12:54pm @_plainKate_ @kwamekweiarmah Very cool, steal-worthy idea.

HESherman 12:54pm  Why theatre? I was born this way. Can’t imagine doing anything else, and never really did.

_plainKate_ 12:54pm @HESherman @kwamekweiarmah @CharlesMcNulty Yes. I learned so much assisting @RealEmilyMann.

ASC_Amy 12:53pm @kwamekweiarmah Instant gratification. No other art gives you in-the-moment-of-creation connection with your audience.

Petermarksdrama 12:53pm @halcyontony @CharlesMcNulty For reasons that bewilder me, theater critics are expected to be market analysts in ways other critics are not.

HESherman 12:53pm  @kwamekweiarmah @CharlesMcNulty I feel the same way about @RealEmilyMann. She’s inspiring, brilliant and passionate.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:53pm  My question to you all. Why Theater?????

HESherman 12:52pm  @kevinhoule You are not alone. It’s a common story.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:52pm  @CharlesMcNulty @jamesholod @HESherman @petermarksdrama @RealEmilyMann Emily is awesome. Haven’t had the pleasure of others.

HESherman 12:52pm @CharlesMcNulty Mentorship in theatre (probably anywhere, but its all I’ve done) is so essential.

_plainKate_ 12:51pm @kwamekweiarmah Beginning of season, experts from all walks discuss themes of season at an event for subscribers, et al.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:51pm @jabberjw @_plainKate_ lol! This is the big challenge that lays before us.

Jabberjw 12:51pm  @HESherman Would you clarify difference between season and subscription models?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:50pm RT @halcyontony: @kwamekweiarmah @rebcincy Totally, general public will never care unless we give them a reason to care.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:50pm  @_plainKate_ @rebcincy @petermarksdrama @ASC_Amy Oh that’s interesting. Thanks for that

CharlesMcNulty  12:50pm @jamesholod @HESherman @petermarksdrama  3 great teachers of mine: @RealEmilyMann, Joe Papp, Village Voice editor Ross Wetzsteon.

HESherman 12:50pm @jamesholod Should make distinction between “season” (slate of plays) vs. “subscription season” (marketing model). Not always same.

Petermarksdrama 12:50pm  @ASC_Amy 🙂 I expect a song celebrating that.

Jabberjw 12:50pm @_plainKate_ @kwamekweiarmah Audiences are buying a la carte and theater wants to present prix fixe menu #stretchedfoodmetaphor

Halcyontony 12:49pm  @kwamekweiarmah @rebcincy Totally, general public will never care unless we give them a reason to care.

DavidGSchultz 12:49pm @petermarksdrama Walter Kerr being the classic example.

_plainKate_12:49pm @kwamekweiarmah @rebcincy @petermarksdrama @ASC_Amy Some companies, like Remy Bummpo in Chicago, hold events re ‘narrative’.

ASC_Amy 12:49pm @kwamekweiarmah That is the trick, isn’t it? How to speak & listen so that everyone cares.

Petermarksdrama 12:49pm @halcyontony Wasn’t ignoring your thought re critics. I think some of us struggle against the tide more successfully than others.

HESherman 12:49pm @kwamekweiarmah Don’t obsess about sports rules. I’ve seen well over 20 Ayckbourn plays and still know nothing of cricket or rugby.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:48pm @rebcincy @petermarksdrama @jabberjw @ASC_Amy @halcyontony We have to make them care. Or at least gently lead them there.

ASC_Amy 12:48pm  @petermarksdrama How romantic of you.

HESherman 12:48pm @MichaelHHarris Soviet director had no idea that entire audience would see shows in same order, play by play.

Petermarksdrama 12:48pm @rebcincy @kwamekweiarmah @jabberjw @ASC_Amy @halcyontony Even if it’s subliminal, I love the concept. Has poetry.

Jamesholod 12:47pm @HESherman Fascinating. I’d love to learn about the origin of the necessity for a “season.” Is it distinctly American?

HESherman 12:47pm @MichaelHHarris He was intrigued. I had to explain why there had been concern about his play following Turgenev adaptation.

Theatreontario 12:47pm @_plainKate_ @DavidGSchultz Need to provide value from a subscription purchase in a way that you don’t get from a single-ticket

ASC_Amy 12:46pm @jamesholod That’s why I loved Brooklyn College – classes at night & full-time internships all day. Need that experience on the ground.

HESherman 12:46pm  @petermarksdrama @kwamekweiarmah There are a million stories in Charm City…

Rebcincy 12:46pm  @petermarksdrama @kwamekweiarmah @jabberjw @ASC_Amy @halcyontony WE love season narrative. Does general public care? No.

MichaelHHarris 12:46pm @HESherman @petermarksdrama @kwamekweiarmah What did he think?

DavidGSchultz 12:46pm @_plainKate_ Thinking about how theaters obviously skew programming and mission toward bankable subscription audiences that won’t be there soon.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:46pm @petermarksdrama @HESherman Yes. I’m busy trying to learn the rules of basketball and football so my characters have opinions I don’t

Jamesholod 12:46pm @JessHutchinson @kwamekweiarmah I would hope so! After all, that’s why I want to make my livelihood in theatre.

HESherman 12:45pm @jamesholod I’m not speaking against training at all, but I think my experience coming into business was different than many today.

Jabberjw 12:45pm @HESherman @kwamekweiarmah How does the artistic director tell the story of the season in other ways than full subscriptions. Multi-storied?

_plainKate_ 12:45pm  @DavidGSchultz Heck, I don’t subscribe. I definitely cherry pick plays that interest me within a season.

JessHutchinson 12:45pm @DavidGSchultz @_plainKate_ Maybe it’s time to change the form to match the changing audience.

Petermarksdrama 12:45pm  Hey, [we’re] trending. Very cool.

HESherman 12:45pm @petermarksdrama @kwamekweiarmah At Hartford, we had Soviet guest director, and notion of “subscription season” was alien. I had to explain to him.

JessHutchinson 12:44pm  @kwamekweiarmah @jamesholod Love it – and doesn’t that build more organically, passionately connected ensembles/organizations?

DavidGSchultz 12:44pm  @_plainKate_ Not sure I see audiences subscribing at the same rate in the next 20 years. Big screen HDTVs changing the game.

_plainKate_ 12:44pm  kwamekweiarmah Plays that you love and people sharing joy sounds pretty wonderful!

Petermarksdrama 12:44pm  @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman So is your job also a research endeavor for your writing?

HESherman 12:44pm  @_plainKate_ @jabberjw @ASC_Amy I watched as 9/11 accelerated decline of subscriptions nationally. Fear of committing long-term.

ASC_Amy 12:43pm  @petermarksdrama Ya gotta have both!

Kwamekweiarmah 12:43pm @_plainKate_ @HESherman @jabberjw @ASC_Amy INDEED!

Jamesholod 12:43pm  @HESherman @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty A current student, I can say that classes are so helpful, but don’t equal practical experience.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:43pm  @jamesholod @JessHutchinson That’s my aim.

Jabberjw 12:43pm  @kwamekweiarmah The arc of a season tells its own story, but unbundling subscriptions breaks up story into “keywords.”

Kwamekweiarmah 12:42pm @petermarksdrama @HESherman Soon!

_plainKate_ 12:42pm  @HESherman @jabberjw @ASC_Amy Also, fragmentation of people’s leisure time dollars contribute to more single ticket buying.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:42pm @_plainKate_ Being able to say YES when I find a play I love. Being in a building filled with people that wanna share joy daily!!!

HESherman 12:42pm @jabberjw @ASC_Amy I subscribed to a theatre for  first time in my life this year. Fascinating experience. Customer service is superb.

Petermarksdrama 12:42pm @kwamekweiarmah @jabberjw @ASC_Amy @halcyontony Love “season narrative.” Way more than “mission.” !!!!

ASC_Amy 12:42pm @kwamekweiarmah @jabberjw Indeed. I’m just not sure subs are the best way to aid that consumption at this point.

HESherman 12:41pm  @jabberjw @ASC_Amy Not sure if research or simply slowing of sales drove move to flexible seasons/unbundling.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:41pm  @jabberjw @ASC_Amy Each artistic director attempts to create a season narrative. What ever aids that full consumption should be encouraged!

HESherman 12:40pm  @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty Oh, the kids today. I learned at the feet of Jim McKenzie, David Hawkanson and Michael Price.

Jamesholod 12:40pm  @JessHutchinson I like to think that new members jump on board because they are inspired by the mission. They then further the conversation.

Petermarksdrama 12:40pm @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman Are you writing that play now?

Jabberjw 12:40pm @kwamekweiarmah Time for the Centerstage summer picnic in Druid Hill Park. Bring the family together.

_plainKate_ 12:39pm @kwamekweiarmah I appreciate your candor about what you’re discovering, what you don’t know yet. What do you dig about artistic directing thus far?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:39pm  @HESherman Absolutely. And I’m so scared!!! My next play will be set in US with US characters. My first play in American!

HESherman 12:39pm  Other voices out there following [discussion]? Please join in. Only 20 minutes left.

Petermarksdrama 12:38pm  @HESherman @CharlesMcNulty I mean out of management programs.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:38pm  @jabberjw Not sure I know how to do that yet.

HESherman 12:38pm @kwamekweiarmah I had a feeling that was the case, but didn’t want to assume.

Jabberjw 12:38pm @ASC_Amy I think market research drove unbundling of seasons, but it means patrons don’t follow the arc of season, just parts.

HESherman 12:37pm  @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty That said, younger generation is coming into biz with more training. I essentially apprenticed.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:37pm  @HESherman To a degree. The UK artistic director has less beat by beat fundraising to do and doesn’t have to think about subscriptions.

AmandaThietje 12:37pm  RT @kwamekweiarmah: @HESherman @petermarksdrama Hear, hear! My managing director is an artist as well in this building

ASC_Amy 12:36pm  @jabberjw Do you think subscriptions are the best way to build those bridges?

HESherman 12:36pm  @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty How do you mean “credentialed”? Many managing directors don’t have grad school or arts management degrees (I don’t).

AmandaThietje 12:36pm  @JessHutchinson @DavidGSchultz @petermarksdrama Perhaps for audiences.

JessHutchinson 12:35pm  @jamesholod @RivierePatrick @HESherman If we want the work / company to be sustainable, yes. Otherwise, what happens post-founder?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:35pm @HESherman @petermarksdrama Here, here! My managing director is an artist as well in this building

CharlesMcNulty 12:35pm @petermarksdrama Definitely think that’s been a major factor. Most are excellent stewards but there needs to be a clarification of values.

HESherman 12:34pm  @kwamekweiarmah Sorry to keep tossing questions but: will living/working in US provoke you to write US-set work?

Halcyontony 12:34pm  @petermarksdrama @CharlesMcNulty Do critics have responsibility for that as well?

JessHutchinson 12:34pm  @DavidGSchultz @petermarksdrama Giving audiences a place who didn’t have a home before, yes? Artistic homes for more than artists.

Jamesholod 12:34pm  @RivierePatrick @HESherman Oh, absolutely. But having collaboration broaden our understandings is invaluable and (I think) necessary.

Jabberjw 12:33pm  @kwamekweiarmah Will you focus on increasing subscriptions to un-silo audiences from their preferred genre in season?

Petermarksdrama 12:33pm  @CharlesMcNulty Is the answer to the question, When did patrons turn into customers? The rise of the modern, credentialed managing director?

HESherman 12:33pm  @kwamekweiarmah Do you think or find that job of an artistic director is different for US theaters than in UK?

CharlesMcNulty 12:32pm  @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman @petermarksdrama They’re not but marketing has become much more pronounced. Values have changed.

DavidGSchultz 12:32pm  @HESherman RIGHT. They’re not replacing Lou with another Lou.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:32pm  @CharlesMcNulty @HESherman I would have to say I feel very outreach orientated. That’s why I’m a playwright. A political playwright!

DavidGSchultz 12:32pm @petermarksdrama I would argue that a great artistic director develops new audiences where none existed before.

Erauh 12:31pm I agree “@halcyontony: @petermarksdrama I think a truly visionary artistic director is able to create within the bottom line.”

Petermarksdrama 12:31pm  @CharlesMcNulty @HESherman That’s depressing.

ASC_Amy 12:31pm  RT @HESherman: @petermarksdrama Remember that managing directors are partners with just as much commitment to being part of great work.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:31pm  @petermarksdrama @ASC_Amy @AmandaThietje I think the challenge is to attempt both. I am trying to avoid that binary.

Rebcincy 12:30pm Yes MT @kwamekweiarmah The theater isn’t mine. I’m a caretaker of the seat. My gig is to ask and to lead. My choices are not only for me

Halcyontony 12:30pm  @petermarksdrama Inspiring people moves the bottom line faster than the status quo does.

HESherman 12:30pm  @petermarksdrama Remember that managing directors are partners with just as much commitment to being part of great work.

CharlesMcNulty 12:29pm  @HESherman That has been my experience out here. New artistic directors aren’t outreach oriented. Greatest innovation: dynamic pricing.

ASC_Amy 12:29pm  @halcyontony Bingo. And a truly visionary managing director helps the artistic director’s dreams come true (if perhaps on a longer timetable).

HESherman 12:29pm  @petermarksdrama That attitude would either cause managing director to lose their mind or — better — work to figure out how to make project work.

Halcyontony 12:29pm @petermarksdrama I think a truly visionary artistic director is able to create within the bottom line.

_plainKate_ 12:29pm  @petermarksdrama @ASC_Amy @AmandaThietje A bit of fantasy. Might say, ‘Let’s do this one show that might not sell’ but have to balance.

LeeLiebeskind 12:29pm  @kwamekweiarmah @DavidGSchultz What have you noticed about my hometown (Baltimore) audiences so far?

DavidGSchultz 12:29pm  @kwamekweiarmah Might that include going to other spaces in town?

Theatreontario 12:29pm @ASC_Amy @LeeLiebeskind Me too, but so much of “the art” comes from the artistic director, chosen and enabled by the board

ASC_Amy 12:28pm  Not romantic fantasy. There are some that work that way. But, I’m seeing more balance with managing director & board @petermarksdrama @AmandaThietje

Kwamekweiarmah 12:28pm  @DavidGSchultz i mean, what they like, where they might like to be taken, what our collective destination might be season by season

Erauh 12:28pm Truly enjoying the  conversation with @kwamekweiarmah and @petermarksdrama.

HESherman 12:27pm  @CharlesMcNulty Do you think the mindset has truly changed in that way? I haven’t been at producing organization since 2000, so I can’t say.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:27pm @_plainKate_ @AmandaThietje @HESherman I agree.

Petermarksdrama 12:27pm  @ASC_Amy @AmandaThietje So maybe notion of a visionary artistic director — who says f–k the bottom line, let’s create — is a romantic fantasy?

DavidGSchultz 12:27pm  @kwamekweiarmah What comes to mind when you say “learn about Baltimore audiences”?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:26pm  @CharlesMcNulty @HESherman @petermarksdrama Are they not both? Didn’t think it was mutually exclusive

AmandaThietje 12:26pm  @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman  Kwame, has your role shifted at all in light of trends toward localizing work/productions/artists?

_plainKate_ 12:26pm  @CharlesMcNulty Can you talk about how you perceive difference between patron and consumer?

ASC_Amy 12:26pm  @CharlesMcNulty I think some artistic directors always have and some artistic directors never will.

HESherman 12:26pm  @kwamekweiarmah I noticed that you are going to be doing directing in US, away from @CENTERSTAGE_MD. How does that fit in with new job?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:26pm  @petermarksdrama A little. But I’m not in the UK. I certainly have a notion of what UK audiences want. But must learn about Baltimore audiences.

CharlesMcNulty 12:25pm  @HESherman @petermarksdrama  When did artistic directors start treating audiences as consumers instead of patrons? Move from cultivating to marketing?

HESherman 12:25pm @theatreontario I agree completely. My role here is to toss out “red meat” (aka ideas) to provoke discussion.

ASC_Amy 12:24pm  @AmandaThietje And when board understands that it is the art at the heart.

LeeLiebeskind 12:24pm  @HESherman @ASC_Amy Depends on the institution and what trouble they are in or not.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:24pm  @petermarksdrama the theater isn’t mine. I’m a caretaker of the seat. My gig is to ask and to lead. My choices are not only for me.

@kwamekweiarmah around.

AmandaThietje 12:24pm  @HESherman @CharlesMcNulty  Managing director, artistic director and board relations are less frustrating when artists at helm deeply understand dollars equal production and people.

Theatreontario 12:24pm  @HESherman @ASC_Amy Seems to me that would depend on the organization – not a one-size fits all matter.

ASC_Amy 12:24pm  @HESherman No, the leaders are still artistic director & managing director. Board there for oversight and support.

JessHutchinson 12:23pm @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman Yes! The richness of a true home that can nurtures artists and a community – to me – comes in that diversity.

HESherman 12:23pm  @ASC_Amy Not saying that, but has the balance between artistic director’s authority and board authority changed as orgs have matured?

Jabberjw 12:23pm @kwamekweiarmah Who is writing self-consciously multi-cultural plays? Plays that address multiculturalism in ideas and casting?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:22pm  @petermarksdrama Hell no! Quite the opposite for me. I didn’t intend to write for Centerstage for a while until challenged and….

ASC_Amy 12:22pm  @HESherman I don’t think so. Just because artistic director isn’t founder doesn’t mean vision does originate there.

Ru_ality 12:22pm  @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman @petermarksdrama Got to go, but would like to know skills aspiring playwright and artistic director could focus on developing? THANK YOU!!

Petermarksdrama 12:21pm  @kwamekweiarmah I wonder if expectations for you are ratcheted up because you’re from the UK – notion that you have answers we don’t?

LeeLiebeskind 12:21pm  @kwamekweiarmah @HESherman @JessHutchinson Usually that one voice just echoes till you get a choir to sing with you.

HESherman 12:21pm  To @CharlesMcNulty’s point, as organizations shift from founders (now pretty much complete) has the board of directors become more prominent?

MimchaelHHarris 12:21pm  @HESherman @JessHutchinson Artistic home is the entire reason we started @InVioletRep. Finding time to work outside is challenge.

JessHutchinson 12:21pm  @LeeLiebeskind So much truth.

Egoetschius 12:21pm  Would love to participate, but #24mag calls. Suffice it to say, excited to be doing work in Baltimore with @kwamekweiarmah around.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:21pm  @HESherman @JessHutchinson Yes! But one’s goal can be varied. And seldom is a singular voice diverse enough to fill a home

JessHutchinson 12:21pm  @HESherman Of course – just pointing out the newest voices in that continuing conversation. Hopefully that topic never leaves us.

HESherman 12:20pm  @jamesholod A completely valid point. At one time, I think idea of artistic director as center of institution was even more prevalent.

ASC_Amy 12:20pm  Sure, but can produce results & be light-hearted or produce results and be stressed/finding the way @petermarksdrama

RivierePatrick 12:20pm  @jamesholod @HESherman True but when you are also FOUNDING the org it is often the artistic director’s vision that drives those early days.

JessHutchinson 12:20pm  @jamesholod @HESherman Amen. That. 🙂

HESherman 12:19pm  @JessHutchinson Artistic Home conversations date back to Todd London’s monograph on that topic for TCG some 20 years ago.

LeeLiebeskind 12:19pm  @JessHutchinson @HESherman @RivierePatrick and you can’t serve all those masters as well as you would like.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:19pm  @LeeLiebeskind it begins with the word! The idea the desire to connect words and thoughts n com those to others. The rest follows

JessHutchinson 12:19pm  @HESherman To me your home’s goals need to be paramount. If you’re lucky, there’s great overlap with your own.

LeeLiebeskind 12:19pm  @HESherman @JessHutchinson The inclination is to want to lift up many people to your home and expectation from others is also there.

Petermarksdrama 12:19pm @_plainKate_ @ASC_Amy @kwamekweiarmah And at same time, pressure to produce results IMMEDIATELY is intense, no?

Rebcincy 12:19pm  @ASC_Amy @petermarksdrama I second that motion!

LeeLiebeskind 12:18pm  @halcyontony That’s awesome. Just as Admin there are so many “Help me, help me!” that makes me want to scream back sometimes.

Jamesholod 12:18pm  @HESherman I believe that the organization’s vision is greater than artistic director’s vision. Diversity in contributors equals stronger results, but artistic director’s voice is part of that!

Petermarksdrama 12:17pm  @kwamekweiarmah I can see that in your play Elmina’s Kitchen. How did @CENTERSTAGE_MD and you first meet up?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:17pm  @HESherman I saw Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Tricycle Theatre and it turned my world around. August and Muhammad Ali both walked me into manhood.

RivierePatrick 12:17pm  @JessHutchinson @LeeLiebeskind @HESherman So true, and for me, I had to primarily just artistic direct; some writing but mostly grants. 🙂

HESherman 12:17pm  @JessHutchinson Devil’s advocate: if you are an artist with a home, shouldn’t you be focusing on pursuing your goals through it?

Jabberjw 12:17pm  August Wilson created room for black casts and stories on Broadway. @kwamekweiarmah did same in West End. Must compare.

_plainKate_ 12:16pm  @HESherman @ASC_Amy @kwamekweiarmah Maybe not, but that idea: it’s process to settle into job of artistic director or managing director, finding one’s groove.

JessHutchinson 12:16pm  @petermarksdrama @HESherman There’s been some great discussion @HowlRound on the advantage / responsibility of the artistic home.

ASC_Amy 12:16pm  @petermarksdrama Uh oh.

HESherman 12:16pm  @petermarksdrama Seductive indeed. All part of how does an artistic director balance own artistic drive with needs of institution & audience.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:16pm  @petermarksdrama He showed me on the page and on the stage that you could be proud and define your culture and self through theater .

JessHutchinson 12:16pm  @petermarksdrama @HESherman But isn’t it vital that you are responsible to your home, not making it a self-serving place?

LeeLiebeskind 12:15pm  @kwamekweiarmah Can you expound on what you mean by writing is leadership? In traditional we understand director as leader.

JessHutchinson 12:15pm  @LeeLiebeskind @HESherman @RivierePatrick The challenge there (for me) is the many masters you’re trying to serve – and serve well.

RivierePatrick 12:14pm  @HESherman Yes…which is why I had to limit the acting and allow the creating to happen as artistic director, which was very fulfilling.

ASC_Amy 12:14pm  @rebcincy I also stopped acting & directing when became managing director; still sing a bit on the side. Been asked if it will come back.

Halcyontony 12:14pm  @LeeLiebeskind sure there’s days that happens. Same with anyone. I am way happier than when I was a freelance designer without a home

Petermarksdrama 12:14pm  @HESherman I love that–must be hugely seductive, having a home to tackle serious plays.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:14pm  @LeeLiebeskind Don’t know but it all feels very natural. Writing is leadership whether we call it that or not.

HESherman 12:13pm  @kwamekweiarmah What was the August Wilson influence for you in England? How did it manifest?

Rebcincy 12:13pm  When I became managing director, I stopped directing. I couldn’t take the pressure of being responsible for the art AND the money at the same time.

Petermarksdrama 12:13pm  Can you say more about that? Was Wilson an inspiration for you? MT @kwamekweiarmah I’m here because of August Wilson.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:12pm  @MichaelHHarris @HESherman @halcyontony I agree.

HESherman 12:12pm  @petermarksdrama Mark Lamos, when asked if he would leave Hartford, used to say, “Who else would let me do Peer Gynt?”

_plainKate_ 12:12pm  @ASC_Amy @kwamekweiarmah Oskar Eustis said to me in second year at The Public that he was ‘about a year from being light-hearted in the job.’

LeeLiebeskind 12:12pm  @HESherman @RivierePatrick It is…trust me! Also try running an organization, while having to have a day job and acting/directing/anything.

Jabberjw 12:12pm  RT @kwamekweiarmah: have to create a process that allows writing to be just as vital as running the day to day business of theater.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:11pm  @petermarksdrama By not thinking it! By not having that attitude in my DNA I’m here because of August Wilson.

ASC_Amy 12:11pm  @kwamekweiarmah I love the conviction in that statement. and the acknowledgment that these things take time.

HESherman 12:11pm  @RivierePatrick I would think acting is particularly stressful. Performing at night while running organization during day. Like old-time rep!

Theshelternyc 12:11pm  @HESherman: Our artistic directors and executive director are also company artists. We find it most important to focus on a collaborative development process.

Petermarksdrama 12:11pm @kwamekweiarmah I would think there’d also be a tendency to say: I get a theater to put on any play of mine I want!

LeeLiebeskind 12:10pm @kwamekweiarmah Also that you have stronger skills to explain and analyze that type of process from having to draft so much?

ASC_Amy 12:10pm  @HESherman Then you definitely had a hand in its support and success. I think some discount the creativity that goes into that side.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:10pm  @_plainKate_ @HESherman Yes I am trying to create that process. it being my first year I haven’t yet found that rhythm but I will.

Gregreiner 12:10pm  Great  conversation happening now with @HESherman @petermarksdrama and @kwamekweiarmah.

LeeLiebeskind 12:10pm  @kwamekweiarmah That’s interesting. So do you feel you are in a better place to be process oriented rather then product?

HESherman 12:10pm  Lurkers, please leap in & join conversation with @kwamekweiarmah.

RivierePatrick 12:09pm @HESherman As an artistic director it was tough to juggle acting/writing; often took a back seat, but it also developed tools/relations for later.

TheShakesForum 12:09pm It’s not like there’s a thousand things to focus on but every moment there’s a new thing I get to explore.

MichaelHHarris 12:08pm  @HESherman @halcyontony Lots of joy in creating opportunity for others.

HESherman 12:08pm  @ASC_Amy I agree with you, coming from that background. My name isn’t on AVENUE Q, but it was workshopped at O’Neill when I was executive director.

LeeLiebeskind 12:08pm  @HESherman @halcyontony But don’t you also find a longing sometimes that you wish others do the same for your creative endeavors?

TheShakesForum 12:08pm I find working on the administration of our company very creative in itself.

Petermarksdrama 12:08pm  @kwamekweiarmah And coming from London, how do you avoid the “I’ll show ’em how we really do it in Britain” syndrome?

_plainKate_ 12:07pm  @kwamekweiarmah Do you silo your time, so that there is writing time distinct from artistic director time?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:07pm @petermarksdrama No, probably not. I think I’m looking for the playwrights that say the things I do not yet know how to say.

HESherman 12:07pm @halcyontony I’ve heard that before — that there’s an enormous sense of reward in the success of work you’ve brought to your stage

kwamekweiarmah 12:06pm @HESherman Have to create a process that allows writing to be just as vital as running the day to day biz of theater.

ASC_Amy 12:06pm  @halcyontony I find that true from the managing director side as well. Creativity comes in all forms.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:06pm  @HESherman Yes, I certainly am worried about that. Just finished a new play and had to write it in the cracks as it were.

_plainKate_ 12:06pm  @petermarksdrama @kwamekweiarmah Yes, yes, how are you selecting work? How is it connected to your own writing?

HESherman 12:05pm  I see artistic directors who work hard not to focus seasons on own work, and others who plan around what they do personally. How to balance?

LeeLiebeskind 12:05pm  @kwamekweiarmah I wonder if you could talk about how your skills as a playwright have been helpful in the task of artistic directing?

Petermarksdrama 12:05pm  @kwamekweiarmah Are the choices of what to produce informed in some ways by the content of your own plays?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:05pm  @petermarksdrama Not really. I love the idea of being able to develop VOICES period. Like people who think differently to me.

Halcyontony 12:05pm  @HESherman For me being an artistic director expanded my notions of what being creative was (i.e. my being creative also includes others’ work).

_plainKate_ 12:05pm  @HESherman Will lose some creative time, but paradox also gain since all time will be in theatre.

LeeLiebeskind 12:05pm  @HESherman most definitely, trying to help others artistic purists you can often times lose out on your own  but very rewarding.

HESherman 12:04pm  For those who are currently working artists aspiring to be Artistic Directors, are you concerned about losing creative time when you’re running an organization?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:03pm  @HESherman …. meaning most ideas are drafts until someone says it’s good!

_plainKate_ 12:03pm  @HESherman I’d think anyone doing the administration of being an artistic director while trying to direct or write has to juggle.

LeeLiebeskind 12:03pm  @HESherman Not as an artistic director but still administration. But yes, juggling.

Kwamekweiarmah 12:03pm  @HESherman By not sleeping very much. Seriously I’m loving it. I see most decisions I make through the lens of being a playwright.

Petermarksdrama 12:02pm  @kwamekweiarmah Are you looking for voices that are simpatico with yours?

HESherman 12:02pm  Are there others with us who are juggling their own artistic pursuits with the managerial needs of being an artistic director?

Kwamekweiarmah 12:01pm  @dloehr Interesting question. It means that I read all scripts from beginning to end because I’m feel guilty if I don’t.

HESherman 12:01pm  @kwamekweiarmah You’re wearing many hats now – playwright, director, artistic director. How do you balance these?

Petermarksdrama 12:00pm @dloehr asks the essential question: how does being a playwright affects your approach to being artistic director?

HESherman 12:00pm Because @dloehr couldn’t wait, we’re underway. And his question to @kwamekweiarmah was a variant of my first question.

DominicDAndrea 11:59am  Oooh, this is gonna be good!

Petermarksdrama 11:59am  I’m here! Great to have you, Kwame.

Dloehr 11:59am  @kwamekweiarmah Early question, since I’m vanishing…how do you think being a playwright affects how you operate as artistic director, as opposed to a director?