Why them? Why Not Us?If one company draws in new audiences, chances are those same individuals will start exploring other local theatre companies as well.
by Crystle Reid
Last summer at Magnetic North Theatre Festival I attended a discussion panel about the arts in Canada. One of the younger emerging artists' questions for the panel of more experienced artists was: “What can we do to improve the audience sizes in theatre?” The immediate response from the panel: “Why are you asking us?”
I agree with that response wholeheartedly. Why are we asking older, established theatre artists to figure out how to appeal to people in our own age bracket? Shouldn’t we be able to determine how to entice our peers? I really believe we can. First of all, many of our peers are already theatergoers, they just don’t know it yet. For example, a Lady Gaga concert or WWE match are instantly recognizable as theatrical events. I think that by broadening our perceptions of what defines a theatrical space we can increase interest in our artistic work. This notion has led me to presenting the ArtHere! series with my company Astra Theatre. ArtHere! events take place in found spaces: a house, a hotel, even a crypt. At each event there is a main area in which to relax, see lots of great visual art and listen to music. This space serves as a launch site for various interdisciplinary pieces happening in repetition all night long. The audience members can see as many of the 15-20 minute pieces as they like, choosing their own adventures. Each piece is in a radically different space ranging from a hotel room, to a church tower, to a parking lot or a pool deck. It’s exciting for the audience to see how the artists will choose how to use these new unexpected spaces. Working in a non-traditional space is both a challenge and a thrill for participating artists.
