tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038758839748765572.post4653704379329547408..comments2018-05-08T04:44:51.970-05:00Comments on The Last Uniblog: How Theater Failed AmericaEd Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732795917690844247noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038758839748765572.post-72496056528953012092010-04-28T11:57:26.243-05:002010-04-28T11:57:26.243-05:00I agree with you that having a place to do the wor...I agree with you that having a place to do the work matters. And I certainly wouldn't equate what you've done with Theater Wit with the 'gaudy palaces' I refer to in my posting. But certainly you'd be among the first to agree that the concerns of building your space were a huge time and resources drain on your company that had nothing to do with actually producing a play- and now that it's built, the headaches of maintaining and managing it will continue to be a drain independent of the art that Theater Wit is doing. There are certainly perks to having your own space as well- not having the headaches of renting from someone else, being able to plan your production calendar further in advance, having supplementary income from renting to others, etc. And having a space of your own does make a theater company seem more established and less ephemeral, somehow.<br /> But without the artists, the building is just a building. I would maintain that if you pay an artist enough, they don't have to live a gypsy lifestyle. And 'enough' is probably surprising low given how little artists earn. I think there's something to be said for creating loyalty to a company based on artists that you trust and can look forward to seeing again and again, rather than just the 'where' of it. For example, with Theater Wit, it matters to me more that you're directing it, or that Penny wrote it, or that you've gotten Tom Mula back again, than that I get to scope out the new digs on Belmont, undeniably nifty as they might be.Ed Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12732795917690844247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038758839748765572.post-91687829395359067632010-04-28T11:04:42.618-05:002010-04-28T11:04:42.618-05:00Obviously, I fell on the side of the "sacred ...Obviously, I fell on the side of the "sacred space" argument. But, it is a mistake to reduce the question of raising money to artists vs. building. Neither exists without the other, but the financing and construction and maintenance of each is very very different and would need different approaches to one's funders. <br /><br />I would argue that without a home, artists are even more doomed to an itinerant professional life. And a building is a key aspect into raising the money required to fund the artists. We are all still dumb monkeys in our backbrains; we build emotional associations with locations and small family units. The audience member who has been coming to the same location and seeing those artists for a long time is the audience member who will transform into a donor. The audience member who has to remember that your particular production company did that show they liked across town three years ago is an audience member you must win over again and again with every show.<br /><br />I believe a home creates support systems for the artists working there. I'm seeing Mike's show on the 2nd, but don't be so quick to think that facilities steal bread out of our mouths. Spaces give us a place to bake bread.Jeremy Wechslerhttp://www.theaterwit.orgnoreply@blogger.com