March 2008 Field Letter

Written on February 15, 2008

Dear Friends,

2008 National Conference and NPAC

I am writing from Denver, where TCG continues work on the 2008 National Conference and the National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC) scheduled for June 10-14. My airport cab driver, a Sudanese refugee who became a U.S. citizen last year, is voting in his first U.S. presidential election. Stuck in traffic, we talk at length about the dramas of the various campaigns and how the Democrats will soon be in Denver for that historic moment when either a woman or an African American man will be put forth as candidate for the next president. He’s curious about what brought me to town. When I tell him about our June arts convening, the conversation shifts from politics to our favorite artists, performing or otherwise. He tells me about two particular Sudanese painters working in the U.S. and calls a friend on his cell to get their web addresses for me. I ask him about theatre in Sudan. Is there a theatre tradition? To which he replies, “Well yes, we have it but not so wildly popular the way it is here in the U.S.” I feel momentarily validated, to be in an industry that is perceived by someone as “wildly popular.” He points to the number of theatres and other performing arts organizations in Denver as evidence.

It’s hard to imagine what it must be like to flee a country known for some of the worst human rights atrocities in the world, spend years in refugee camps and finally to arrive in a place of relative peace and civility, to be able to vote, to talk to a random taxi cab passenger about your views on elections, to participate in and discuss the rich and wide availability of art and creative expression in one’s own community. And these contrasting realities remind me of the things we sometimes take for granted and why our performing arts convening is so very important.

NPAC will be an historic gathering of performing arts professionals, who will examine together the issues, challenges and opportunities we face as a sector—and seek to determine how we can most effectively make progress through collective action, rather than through isolated, individual efforts. The convention will include a series of presentations, small group cross-disciplinary discussions, art making workshops, topical breakouts and a final town hall meeting. Within that context, theatres will also be able to gather separately for programming under the theme Theatre at the Center, which is about how theatre navigates change and keeps itself at the center of public discourse and community life. And the early bird deadline is coming up so here are a few tips on getting ready for the convention:

The Denver Spirit

The Denver cultural community is a beacon of bold vision-setting and collaborative action. The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, founded in 1989, came about as the result of a fierce coordinated campaign of zoos, museums, theatres, orchestras, etc., who successfully convinced the public of the need to designate a portion of sales tax proceeds (0.1% or one cent for every $10 purchase. That’s the equivalent of $25 for a $25,000 car) to provide a substantial revenue stream for the arts and sciences. That fund generates $40 million annually. Denver is also gathering its forces to develop a vision for the city and the role of the arts in it in 20 years, called Denver 2028. The city’s cultural community will present that to us at the convention. In an election year—and being in Denver just a few months before the Democratic National Convention— we have an opportunity as an arts community, gathered en masse, to make a major statement for the candidates and the world about the importance of the arts in healthy communities. It’s interesting to note that Obama recently released a revised policy statement on the arts and is mentioning arts education in his speeches. Clinton has also made available a revised arts policy statement. Huckabee has released a statement but we have nothing from McCain. Visit the ArtsVote2008 website for more information.

Back to Denver and arts aside, Mayor Hickenlooper has launched one of the nation’s most ambitious 10 year plans to end homelessness. For instance, in order to discourage panhandling—and to ensure that alms are directed toward providing food and shelter rather than less healthful alternatives—Denver has a system of parking meters where passersby can put change that contributes to food and shelter for the homeless.

Thank you Congressman Norm Dicks

Earlier this month, the leaders of several arts service organizations had the chance to meet with Congressman Norm Dicks of Washington State, thanking him for his key role in winning an increase for the NEA in the President’s Omnibus Budget Bill in December. He is a fierce arts advocate and is in some ways the Sidney Yates of his time. Yates was the great arts warrior and congressman from Illinois who retired in the early 90s. While Dicks was pleased to be able to help push through a large increase in 2007, he warned of proposed dramatic cuts in the President’s budget bill this year, and not just affecting the NEA. These include, once again, truly draconian cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Meanwhile, a New York Times article on Sunday questions if PBS is still necessary, noting that its viewership has decreased, and that it becomes more and more difficult to rally the necessary support to fight the President’s proposals to cut funding for the agency. Whether or not you agree with the premise of this article, the idea that PBS may be losing the public’s interest and attention—translating into an apathy when it comes to fighting budget reductions—is either food for thought or a wake-up call as we continue to imagine how theatre changes and develops in relationship to its environment over time. AND this is a reminder to keep your eyes peeled for Action Alerts that notify you when it’s time to write to your legislators on behalf of theatre and the arts. We don’t want to be the ones unable to rally support for our cause.

Thank You Visitors!

I spent a lovely hour with Susan Loewenberg of L.A. Theatre Works. This company’s primary mission is in creating high quality recordings of plays that are distributed via CD and radio. Susan is undertaking some ambitious projects to preserve and disseminate plays on tape and to encourage the use of these plays and their themes in enhancing academics. Visit their website for more information. I also had the opportunity to talk with artistic director B.J. Jones, executive director Tim Evans and literary manager Meghan Beals McCarthy from Northlight Theatre, who stopped in for a visit and shared with me some of their successes this season—such as a large increase in subscriptions—as well as some of their thinking about opportunities for the future.

And finally, if you haven’t completed your Fiscal Survey 2007 yet, please do so. The deadline has been extended until March 7!

Until next month, I wish you all the best,

Teresa Eyring
Executive Director

 

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