"Wonderful Town" Theatre Conference
By Chad Fasca
On Monday, October 29, and Tuesday, October 30, the worlds of commercial and non-profit theatre converged as executive directors, researchers, theatre artists, producers, city officials and journalists gathered at Columbia University's School of Journalism to discuss issues that confront New York theatre today and ideas that may lead theatre toward a new future.
Titled "Wonderful Town: The Future of Theater in New York," the conference, organized by the National Arts Journalism Program and Columbia University's School of Art, assembled five distinguished panels to examine theatre from a variety of perspectives: research, public policy, real estate, new entertainment media, and news media (specifically criticism). The event also included an open forum for participants to comment on the proceedings and offer their own input and advice.
News from the Front
In the wake of September 11th, there was much to discuss, but not all of it was grim. At the event's start, Monday evening, Jed Bernstein, president of the League of American Theatres and Producers, delivered remarkable news: Broadway ticket sales had rebounded from the attack. Meanwhile, John Breglio, a partner in the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and chair of the Theatre Development Fund announced a tax initiative proposed to Congress that would provide credits and downside protection to those developing new productions over the next two years.
News from the front was not entirely positive, however. Virginia Louloudes of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York injected a dose of reality into the opening address as she updated conference attendees on the challenges her non-profit theatre constituents face in the wake September 11 and the subsequent Anthrax scare.[ See Bronx is Up and the Battery's Down ]
Dramatic Moments
The two-day event had its share of dramatic moments. On Monday, Alan Eisenberg, executive director of Actors' Equity took Jed Bernstein to task about the one-sided nature of concessions made by unions to producers after September 11. It was one of a couple notable exchanges between Bernstein and Eisenberg. Their first exchange ended with Bernstein reassuring the audience that "Alan and I share love on a regular basis."
In the open session, one artist raised the point that as theatre undergoes a Darwinian moment, in which tough funding choices will be made and a number of companies will be forced to close: Will the pursuit of diversity and future of minority theatres be sacrificed? Also during the open session, Ted Berger, executive director of New York Foundation for the Arts, called attention to the current arts-in-education crisis. While Mayor Rudolph Guiliani and New York Public Schools Chancellor Harold Levy square off over how to meet the mayor's demand that 15 percent of every city department budget be cut, Project Arts and other arts programs are in jeopardy, according to Berger.
John D. Callaway, a broadcast executive and journalist with more than 45 years' experience (and father of Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway), moderated the most dramatic panel discussion in the conference. Callaway, whose stocky stature, pink flesh and white hair resembled Alfred Hitchcock, by turns prodded, provoked and skewered the panelists of "Hypothetically Speaking: News Media Coverage in the 21st Century" for more than an hour on behalf of fictional Mrs. X, a "wealthy but humble" widow looking to start a media company. The result was a number of hilarious moments and sharp exchanges. For instance, well-known sports commentator (and theatregoer) Frank Deford quipped that theatre needed to enact a point spread--an allusion to gambing--if it wanted to compete with sports for editorial pages.
Decision 2001
The upcoming election and unprecedented turnover of public officials entered many of the conference's conversations. Several panelists expressed optimism for the state of the arts under the next administration. One panelist, Fran Reiter, did not share this feeling. A theatre executive with the most government experience, Reiter said members of City Hall are concerned about issues that can win them elections, and "the arts ain't it." Her statement was revisited in conversations throughout the conference as attendees grappled with the concept of how politicized the arts community should be.
The name Rockefeller was recalled often during the conference as theatre leaders old enough to remember the former governor recalled his administration and its nurturing of the arts.[ See Straight to the Top ]
Crunching Numbers
Research, most panelists agreed, is the key to unlocking the doors of City Hall, specifically good research that gives politicians an accurate view of the whole picture from commercial Broadway and commercial off-Broadway to non-profit off-Broadway and non-profit off-off-Broadway.
Susan Chin, assistant commissioner for capital projects for the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, said a question that needed to be asked was: "How do you find quantifiable data to sway politicians who are looking for votes?"
On Monday evening, the National Arts Journalism Program pulled together a panel of researchers to discuss just that. The result was an informative, figure-rich snapshot of theatre depicting its constituents and place in the arts landscape. George Wachtel, founder of Audience Research & Analysis, charted the cyclical nature of Broadway ticket buying. Randall Bourscheidt, president of the Alliance for the Arts, offered a few details from his forthcoming research report: "Who Pays for the Arts," which tracks and compares the revenue size and sources of various arts institutions (big and small, old and new). Karen Hauser, director of research for the League of American Theatres and Producers offered League data on recent tourism and ticket sales before and after the recent attack. Kevin McCarthy, a Rand Corporation researcher, analyzed trends in performing arts groups and theatres specifically and Christopher Hawthorne delivered preliminary findings from NAJP's qualitative report on how theatres compare with museums in attracting audiences.[ See Just the Facts, Please ]
Theatre and the New Media
One set of panelists had the tough task of seeing how theatre could fits into the new arts and entertainment environment of the 21st Century. The panel's conversation lacked optimism, which alarmed many audience members. Delivered directly before lunch, it became a main conversation topic among younger artists at the proceedings. One of the panel's most salient points was the growing gap between Hollywood, which has moved on from the events of September 11, and New York, where artists are still digesting the effects of the attack and searching for meaning within their own work. Fisher Stevens, New York actor and Naked Angels founder, discovered this divide on a recent trip to Hollywood. While differences always existed between the two regions, Stevens anticipates that New York and Los Angeles will drift even further apart artistically.
Reactions
Reactions to the event were overwhelmingly postive. The inevitable minor dislikes and disagreements set aside, most agreed that it was not only the right timing for this dialogue (and, in some cases, long overdue), but that it was a conversation that should not stop.
"It's great that you start the dialogue, but what's going to guarantee that it is going to continue," asked conference attendee Meghan Beals, a director who also works at The Pearl Theatre Company.
Her point was that in a year filled with rehearsals, openings, fundraising and other work, there is not much time left to sit and think about, or discuss, the issues and ideas raised at this conference.
"I just wish we would have a conference like this every year. I think it would help communication and would be the first step to a unified platform."
[ See Outtakes: Conference Organizer ]
