[NEohioPAL]WARNING: The Economy Stinks!

Fri Mar 21 23:48:58 PST 2003

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Dear Ms. Buss,
In reference to your note to members of the Neohiopal and theatre participants everywhere, concerning the cancellations of their seasons....
As a producer/director who recently (Summer 2002) had to cancel a theatre production due to the changing economics, I have to wonder if you think producers and directors like to cancel productions. Have you looked around you? We are currently at war and the last thing people are thinking about is going to the theatre. This directly affects their bottom line. Non-profit or for profit, college theatre or community theatre, we are all in the same boat. 
The decision to cancel a show or a season are not made lightly. Ms. Buss, the money to put on a show comes from individuals, corporations and foundations. All are under a great deal of financial stress these days, as are all theatre organizations. I personally believe it is going to get worse before it gets better. Given the choice of granting a small theatre company or a school system $20,000 for 'artistic enrichment' who do you think the Foundation, corporation or individual is going to make a grant to? 
When I cancelled Sunday in the Park with George last year I positively outraged at least 30 people who had depended upon me for not only salaries but also artistic succor. It was a decision taken completely out of my hands. Yet, many blamed me. Indeed, while there were several individuals that understood the vicissitudes of the marketplace, there were those who did not. "That's life in the theatre," two of my Equity actors told me. They understood, and indeed felt worse for me than for themselves. I found the entire situation a humiliating experience that even now I am not quite over.
The theatres in Northeast Ohio who have had to cancels shows or parts of their seasons, I'm sure, are terribly dishearted and distressed at their decision. I can't believe that Ms. Casey or Ms. Colombi or Mr. Levin are very happy right now. I believe we owe them, and the other theatre producers/directors who have provided us with theatrical opportunities over the years, a great debt gratitude. 
Yes, we love to hate their choices of casts and plays and interpretations but they are there for us 'theatre people.' 
We do need to attend the theatre this weekend and next weekend. But we also need to understand where these producers and directors are coming from. 
Martin Friedman, Ph.D. Lakeland Theatre/ John Carroll Unviversity
 Kato Buss <livchant at msn.com> wrote:Theatre artists hit by disturbing outbreak. How many local directors, designers, technicians, and actors have been affected by this spring's rash of season cancellations? Personally, I was precast (last August) in Dobama Theatre's production ofRaised In Captivity, due to open mid-April, only to find out that Dobama hascancelled the remainder of it's season….along with other local theatres. It has left me quite disappointed and not necessarily due to the loss of revenue.As any non-union actor can tell you the flat-fee at local theatres hardly coverspost-show libation. I'm far more disappointed in the loss of creative work. I understand there are many facets to operating a theatre and the decision to"close the doors" is not an easy one. However, if I may be so bold as to posea question. Does the artistic staff and board of directors of a theatre, who selecta season, hire a production staff for each play, and as in my case, precast actorsmonths-and-months in advance, rely on the general pubic to fulfill their season? Finally, at the risk of sounding political, could there be a worse time for theatres to go dark?Has there ever been a time in recent history when our country needed the voice of theatre?And to quote a "Frenchman" (in an act of utter diplomatic irony): "The Theatre must give us everything that is crime, love, war, or madness, if it wants to recover it's necessity. It is no wonder the Great Public looks to the movies for violent satisfactions, whose intentions do not deceive them." oh screw it….SPIDERMAN IV opens this weekend….popcorn anyone?

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Dear Ms. Buss,
In reference to your note to members of the Neohiopal and theatre participants everywhere, concerning the cancellations of their seasons....
As a producer/director who recently (Summer 2002) had to cancel a theatre production due to the changing economics, I have to wonder if you think producers and directors like to cancel productions. Have you looked around you? We are currently at war and the last thing people are thinking about is going to the theatre. This directly affects their bottom line. Non-profit or for profit, college theatre or community theatre, we are all in the same boat. 
The decision to cancel a show or a season are not made lightly. Ms. Buss, the money to put on a show comes from individuals, corporations and foundations. All are under a great deal of financial stress these days, as are all  theatre  organizations. I personally believe it is going to get worse before it gets better. Given the choice of granting a small theatre company or a school system $20,000 for 'artistic enrichment' who do you think the Foundation, corporation or individual is going to make a grant to? 
When I cancelled Sunday in the Park with George last year I positively outraged at least 30 people who had depended upon me for not only salaries but also artistic succor. It was a decision taken completely out of my hands.  Yet, many blamed me.  Indeed, while there were several individuals that understood the vicissitudes of the marketplace, there were those who did not.  "That's life in the theatre," two of my Equity actors told me. They understood, and indeed felt worse for me than for themselves. I found the entire situation a humiliating experience that even now I am not quite over.
The theatres in Northeast Ohio who have had to cancels shows or parts of their seasons, I'm sure, are terribly dishearted and distressed at their decision. I can't believe that Ms. Casey or Ms. Colombi or Mr. Levin are very happy right now.  I believe we owe them, and the other theatre producers/directors who have provided us with theatrical opportunities over the years, a great debt gratitude. 
Yes, we love to hate their choices of casts and plays and interpretations but they are there for us 'theatre people.'  
We do need to attend the theatre this weekend and next weekend. But we also need to understand where these producers and directors are coming from. 
Martin Friedman, Ph.D. Lakeland Theatre/ John Carroll Unviversity
 Kato Buss <livchant at msn.com> wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>

<DIV><EM>Theatre artists hit by disturbing outbreak.</EM></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>How many local directors, designers, technicians, and actors </DIV>
<DIV>have been <EM>affected</EM> by this spring's rash of season cancellations?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Personally, I was precast (last August) in Dobama Theatre's production of</DIV>
<DIV><EM>Raised In Captivity</EM>, due to open mid-April, only to find out that Dobama has</DIV>
<DIV>cancelled the remainder of it's season….along with other local theatres.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It has left me quite disappointed and not necessarily due to the loss of revenue.</DIV>
<DIV>As any non-union actor can tell you the flat-fee at local theatres hardly covers</DIV>
<DIV>post-show libation. I'm far more disappointed in the loss of creative work.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I understand there are many facets to operating a theatre and the decision to</DIV>
<DIV>"close the doors" is not an easy one. However, if I may be so bold as to pose</DIV>
<DIV>a question. Does the artistic staff and board of directors of a theatre, who select</DIV>
<DIV>a season, hire a production staff for each play, and as in my case, precast actors</DIV>
<DIV>months-and-months in advance, rely on the general pubic to fulfill their season?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Finally, at the risk of sounding political, could there be a worse time for theatres to go dark?</DIV>
<DIV>Has there ever been a time in recent history when our country needed the voice of theatre?</DIV>
<DIV>And to quote a "Frenchman" (in an act of utter diplomatic irony):</DIV>
<DIV>    </DIV>
<DIV>    "The Theatre must give us everything that is crime, love, war, or madness,</DIV>
<DIV>     if it wants to recover it's necessity. It is no wonder the Great Public looks </DIV>
<DIV>     to the movies for violent satisfactions, whose intentions do not deceive them."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>oh screw it….SPIDERMAN IV opens this weekend….popcorn anyone?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><p><br><hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.com/splash.html">Yahoo! Platinum</a> - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, <a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.com/splash.html">live on your desktop</a>!
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