BLOG: We're Still Here

All Your Art is Dying Around this time of year, the lack of sunlight starts to play havoc on my sensibilities. I really start to sympathize with Ebenezer Scrooge and his heroic cry of "Bah, humbug!" in the face of our officially-sanctioned and institutionally-enforced Time of Great Joy™. There's nothing I hate more than someone trying to force me into being happy about a situation when there is clearly something going wrong, which is why I quit watching The Walking Dead. It's easy for me to fall into a funk about the state of our arts and culture. According to the internet, everything is dying: newspapers, television, movies, comic books, poetry, literature, painting. To top all that off, I've just now learned of the death of the American playwright. At this rate, the only culture we will have left will be disturbing combinations of cosplay, slashfic and slow motion CGI fireballs. For now, though, theatre is still with us; but in preparation for for its inevitable death, I am working on a new book about a sexual relationship between Merry and Pippin from Lord of the Rings, who are also both wearing Iron Man armor. I would love to tell you the title here, but unfortunately, it is just a series of carefully-rendered explosions set to early-80s pop songs. The State of Theater Is, ummm… You may know that we now finally have a new chair of the NEA, but did you know that it's been over a year since the NEA had a Director of Theater?. Ever since Minneapolis' own Ralph Remington left the NEA to sign up with Actor's Equity, the NEA has been seemingly unable or unwilling to fill the position. (Side note: Remington has already ditched AEA as well.) Also in D.C., Theatre J, one of the leading Jewish theaters in the country, unceremoniously dumped its longtime artistic director, Ari Roth. Theatre J has been as opaque on the issue as any major corporation worried about its image, but Roth has been characteristically candid about his firing being due to his dedication to fully exploring the ugly complexity of Israel and the Middle East instead of more family-friendly, hyper pro-Israel fare. Both Roth's firing and the foot-dragging on replacing Remington at NEA are signs of an industry entering into a hyper-cautious protection mode, not unlike the TARDIS in siege mode. For my non-Doctor Who fans, that means everything shrinks and nothing new gets in or out. That's not surprising, considering that 2014 saw the collapse of not one, but two LORT houses, and the near-death of a third. You can add to that LORT deathwatch the last minute bailout of Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, who will now skirt oblivion on the winds of a $5 million loan from their host county. This is not a problem unique to LORT houses, though. Exhibit A is Actor's Theater of Phoenix, which closed up shop after the money ran out. We're Still Here So, here we are, it's near Christmas, and I'm being dour enough to deserve a visit from a few ghosts tonight (which I would be OK with if they were the ghosts from Scrooged). However, I want to share with you something I learned recently about the true meaning of Christmas. For most of human history, this bleak season right around the shortest day of the year marked a time in which many of us could expect mortality to come knocking. All this holiday cheer, when you get right down to it, isn't about celebrating anything other than the fact that, against all odds, we still continue to exist. So, while not ignoring the fact that theater in general isn't exactly in a great place, let's look at the things that prove we're still surviving around here: (1) Like it or not, the Guthrie is the flagship in Minnesota's theater fleet, and it's never a great sign for the rest of us if it's not doing well. Remember last year and the big deficit? Well, after cutting back by $1.5 million from its budget, the big G is in the black again. (2) Just like in comic books, team-ups are happening everywhere. Whether it's two small companies leaning on each other in less than optimal times; or a larger house inviting in three smaller groups to share a new space; or the biggest house welcoming in seven companies to do new work, or fifteen companies banding together under one roof. (3) That whole Theatre J mess I mentioned above? A bunch of artistic directors from major theaters across the country signed an open letter decrying Roth's firing. This group includes Minnesota's own Playwrights Center, Ten Thousand Things, Children's Theatre Company and Guthrie Theater. As the letter says, "A free people need a free art; debate, dissent and conflict are at the heart of what makes theater work, and what makes democracy possible." (4) Then there's all the things you've done well this year, Twin Cities. In addition to Lavender's list last week, the "Best Of" lists are rolling out. The Star-Tribune alone has at least three different ones I've seen so far (here, here, and here). l'etoile magazine has one mega-list of their own. MPR's Art Hounds are eager to tell you what they liked this year. And I'm sure more lists are to come as 2014 winds to a close. (5) And there's one more thing. Minnesota Playlist is throwing a party, and you should be there.