NFP Boards, Good Idea Run Amok? - State of the Art

NFP Boards, Good Idea Run Amok? - State of the Art

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Theatre as a foundation for community

Arts space has been theorized as a temple and a site of community -- by Richard Schechner and Augusto Boal perhaps most persuasively.

An upcoming production of Sarah Ruhl's PASSION PLAY in Brooklyn further underscores the potential intersections of theatre, community, and belief. Read here.

For those engaged in the act of theatre, the actors, designers, technicians, etc., it is a home, a passion, a devoted life not unlike a nun or a priest. Those engaged in the arts would seem to follow a similar level of commitment as there are no other incentives to justify the choices for the average artist (the income is well below average and the work environment less than most would find acceptable).

I frequently tell those going into the field the same thing that was said to me -- if you can do anything else, do it. Admittedly, I tried. I was miserable, so I returned to the fold.

For those entering the management of the arts, their paths frequently emerge from the making of art. The relationship of their professional and personal satisfaction changes, from one directly linked to the art to one responsible for the environment of the product (the organization or its own works). The transformative quality of the art -- the BELIEF in the art is at the center of why one comes to work each day.

Strangely and perhaps disturbingly, the arts, like religion, are increasingly segregated from the everyday experience of the public. The public (and those studying to work in the arts) blurs the understanding of 'art' with 'entertainment' as art has become increasingly commodified in order to exist in America's capitalist society AND audiences align the use of non-work time with either family or entertainment options (be they shopping, watching movies, going out to dinner, or seeing a play).

Back to the importance of the Sarah Ruhl work in Brooklyn. The play offers an opportunity for its audience to evaluate and discuss their relationship to belief and religion. What offers audiences the opportunity to evaluate and discuss their relationship to the arts?