Your first assignment on our lovely adventure in play reading is to define the lens through which you are reading plays. Now, I know some of you have seen the poster hanging in the lobby of the Tornabene theatre that outlines ART's mission and vision. I know few if any of us could actually quote from that poster. And here, I'm not actually asking you what it says: I'm asking what you think it should say. So in 250 words (or so), answer the following questions:
1. What do you think the mission (primary goals and objectives) and vision (values and guiding beliefs) of ART should be?
2. What kinds of plays do you think ART should produce? Why?
***just FYI, I'll always try to choose images that both hit the topic and link to something fun/interesting. Today's image links to the webpage/blog for Happenstance Theatre, based in DC. Check out their mission and vision in the "about" section of their website.***
Arizona Repertory Theatre must function like an educational institution and a professional theatre. The primary goals should be to educate students on the theories and processes that serve a production, while preparing students to work in professional theatre. ART should provide training pertaining to theatre, such as acting, musical theatre, design and technology, and theatre history and dramaturgy. Students should be able to choose a focus but must also be well rounded in theatre studies and must understand how all of the different processes come together to build a production, so that every element of production is appreciated. Students should also be trained in professionalism and career opportunities.
ReplyDeleteART should produce works that help build a students repertoire as well as challenge them creatively, artistically, and educationally. This includes works that not only enhance the classroom learning, but also challenge students outside of their education. ART should supplement class work with the productions. A classical work, a new work, and a musical work should be featured in each season. ART should educate students on season selection challenges and requirements and then should consider and produce appropriate student suggestions. ART should produce the appropriate amount of shows a year as determined by budget. ART should produce between four and six shows as the budget fluctuates.
ART’s main concern should be providing its students with the best education possible while producing supplemental but challenging works.
ART prides itself on being a professional training program and consistently attempts to function as such. However, as a theatre company that is part of the School of Theatre, Film, and Television at the University of Arizona, Arizona Repertory Theatre has another very important goal. First and foremost, ART needs to function as the educational company that it is, taking into account the needs, desires, interests, and skills of the student body. In addition to faculty members, students take a variety of leadership roles in so many different positions on main stage productions at ART, from actors to stage managers to designers. While it not only lies in with the faculty to assign shows to qualified students, the plays that are chosen need to reflect the abilities of the students and allow students to exercise the skills they have acquired from the courses given as part of the BFA degrees. ART should strive to create both a challenging and educational environment in order to help its students create quality theatre to the best of their abilities and prepare them for work in the professional theatre world.
ReplyDeleteIn term of plays that ART should produce, they need to coincide with the needs and demands of the mission and vision of the company. Keeping in mind that ART is an educational company, plays that are chosen need to be those that will help its students become well rounded and challenged. That being said, plays should vary and a season should feature plays of different styles, genres, and times periods. Plays by Shakespeare and Chekhov should be balanced with those by Neil Labute or Theresa Rebeck (who’s work we should definitely consider for future seasons). Similarly, musical choices should vary from the classics, such as Cinderella, to more contemporary pieces, like next season’s Avenue Q. ART needs to select plays that feature both phenomenal writing and material for actors, but also pieces that will challenge the design students.
By taking courses into consideration and the needs and desires of the students, ART can fulfill the need to service the students, while still making sure to put on a quality piece of theatre.
The vision of Arizona Reparatory Theatre (A.R.T.) should be to function first as an educational environment, and second as a professional company. While it is educational for our students to participate in a company, there is a pitfall to viewing ourselves as first a group of professionals: it can cause us to prioritize making money over exposing our students to a variety of works. While our classical training program is centered on the great works of old, we must expand our students’ repertoires and produce not only different works, but different styles as well. Our mission must be to educate our students in the most well-rounded and commercially useful way possible, since we are training them to make it in today’s theatre world. Our vision must be first to educate our students and expose them to everything from Greek drama to postmodernism, while still maintaining our audience’s interest and devotion.
ReplyDeleteMy desire is to see more variety on both ends of the spectrum: more of the Greek and Roman classics, and more of the non-English playwrights who were influential during Shakespeare’s day (such as Moliere), and even English contemporaries of Shakespeare (such as Marlowe). On the other end of the spectrum, let us see works from some of the historical dissenters from the form, like Brecht, or plays that incorporate the styles of other cultures, such as kabuki. Also, let us do contemporary works more often, like those of Martin McDonagh, or absurdist works, like those of Beckett. My dream is to see A.R.T. cast a much wider net, and put plays on stage that broaden our student’s view and knowledge of what theatre has been and can be.