The Need for an “Artistic Home”
Theatre is an especially collaborative art. It truly takes a village to create, develop and produce new work, and that needs to happen face-to-face, with a collaboration of artists that know, like and trust each other. Yes, collaboration can and does happen on Zoom; that has been a decided beneficial outcome from the pandemic. However, theater is “live” and must happen with the actors and audience in the same space.
Theatre’s professional developmental path, as it stands now with its three-week rehearsal schedule, is built for commercial success more than development. What’s needed is an “artistic home” to serve as a nurturing ground, to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation, with other trusted artists.
An artistic home can provides a supportive environment for theatre artists to explore and experiment with new ideas. It offers a ‘safe space’ where they can take risks, challenge conventions, and push the limits of their artistic abilities. This freedom to explore and create without fear of judgment or failure is crucial for the development of groundbreaking and transformative work.
Moreover, an artistic home allows theatre artists to collaborate and exchange ideas with like-minded individuals. It brings together a diverse community of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and technicians, fostering a rich and stimulating environment for artistic collaboration. It also can provide critical resources and support necessary for the development of new work, with funding, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities, empowering artists to overcome financial and logistical challenges that often hinder the creation of new work.
It fosters a sense of belonging, an identity of professionalism, and provides concrete networking channels leading towards production.
Need to experiment with form? Let’s do it. What about trying out your latest draft with actors, to see if what you have on the page is working? That’s different than a typical reading, where you invite others in to see the work, or a cold “pizza reading” that you plan with friends to get some feedback. I’ve been to two cold musical readings with minimal prep time, that are absolutely outstanding, and we’re now trying to help the work go forward.
I’m proud that CreateTheater has been considered an artistic home for our writers, as it’s playing a vital role in nurturing new scripts and fostering artistic development. The New Works Festival has proven to be a platform for artists to showcase their work, gain exposure, and receive critical feedback from their peers and industry professionals, helping these artists to refine their craft, develop their unique artistic voice, and establish themselves within the professional theatre community.
I also want to say, as an artist with both a BFA and an MFA, that forming your artistic vision among other more established artists gives you a foundation to become, in time, an established artist yourself. Mindset matters; community matters. People you trust to hear your work and offer feedback, matters.
An artistic home is essential to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation. A supportive and nurturing environment can allow artists to explore new ideas, collaborate with peers, access resources, nurture emerging talent, and push the boundaries of our art form. By investing in such places, we not only empower theatre artists in the 21st century but also contribute to the growth and evolution of theatre as an art form – which needs some help right now.
Let’s Develop New Work Together
I’ve created a space where artists can challenge traditional norms and conventions and create some groundbreaking and thought-provoking work. Whenever you gather creative people in a singular space, some wild things can happen… especially in a theatrical hotspot like NYC. The people are here. Are you?
Last spring I offered a free Collaboration Event to introduce creatives to each other online, and people have been asking me to start up the ‘Cocktail Hours” that I held during lockdown. So, I’m starting it up again. Would you like to participate?
Any other ideas? There will be a “Welcome to CreateTheater and ETC” in the works for August 29, so you can meet us and see what we’re all about then.
I’d love to hear your thoughts as I continue to figure out ways to help all of us develop and produce theater in this ever-changing environment.