GOOD NEWS FOR THEATRE!

GOOD NEWS FOR THEATRE

May 18, 2020   What a day.

I've been lobbying the Library Arts and Culture Department in Glendale to find a way to deliver art to the masses. Well. to folks in Glendale. I learned that libraries in Newport Beach and in Colorado are accommodating patrons by taking orders on line and leaving bags with materials outside the door of the library for pick up.  If burger joints can deliver curb side, why can't the library do the same?

And to ART.. This press release is pretty exciting. In Los Angeles, small theatre (usually 99 Seats or fewer) is the heart of what theatre is supposed to do.. They deliver a panoply of shows that feed the spirit, entertain, rouse the innards, provoke, evoke and stoke the fires of society.  

This press release is good news.  As we figure out next steps for patrons (and theatre critics), these artists are collaborating to get actors back on stage and bums in the seats..so to speak.  

Please take a look at the press release below. If you attend any of these theatre companies and want to help, please send a donation or contact them to pre-pay a ticket or a season.  We have a thriving stage community here and the sooner we al breathe the same air and  share the art, the better!

This from Judith Borne (Borne Identities PR for the Stage).. 

Los Angeles Intimate Theatres Release 

a Message of Hope and Solidarity for Their Future

 

Los Angeles, CA (May 14, 2020) – Artistic Directors of 44 Intimate (aka 99-Seat) non-profit theatres have created a roundtable to discuss the post COVID-19 re-emergence of theatre in Los Angeles. Today the group released the following statement:

“Like Los Angeles, our theatre community has always been at the forefront of innovation. As an integral part of the cultural conversation, a group of 44 artistic directors from LA's intimate theatres came together two months ago to discuss how we can move through the current COVID crisis and come out stronger. We are committed to raising the bar and pushing the boundaries of professional theatre. At weekly virtual roundtables, we continue to remind each other that theatre is a collaborative art form, in every sense of the word. We are stronger together as one community regardless of company size.

While the doors to our theatres may be shut, our artists continue to innovate and utilize new technology to serve Los Angeles and promote the importance of theatre. Our creative work has never been limited to our stages, and the boundless creativity of Los Angeles theatre artists will ensure that our theatres will reopen with a renewed sense of purpose. Los Angeles is one of the cultural capitals of the world, and together we make sure that #LALivesOnStage.”

This statement was signed by the following intimate theatres:

24th Street Theatre, Actors Co-op, After Hours Theatre Company, Ammunition Theatre Company, Antaeus Theatre Company, Boston Court Pasadena, Celebration Theatre, Chance Theater, Company of Angels, Coeurage Theater Company, Echo Theater Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Fountain Theatre, Ghost Road Theatre Company, Greenway Arts Alliance, IAMA Theatre Company, Impro Theatre, Latino Theatre Company, Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, Matrix Theatre Company, Moving Arts, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Open Fist Theatre Company, Ophelia's Jump Productions, Playwrights’ Arena, Pacific Resident Theatre, Rogue Machine Theatre, Ruskin Group Theatre, Sacred Fools Theater Company, Sierra Madre Playhouse, Skylight Theatre Company, Son of Semele, Theatre of NOTE, The 6th Act, The Group Rep Theatre, The Inkwell Theater, The New American Theatre, The Road Theatre Company, The Robey Theatre Company, The Victory, United Stages, VS. Theatre Company, Theatre West, and Whitefire Theatre 

The group is taking this opportunity of a pause in their programming to consider some of the bigger issues facing Los Angeles intimate theatres. Most importantly, they have implemented action committees for creating collaborative strategies in health and safety protocols for audiences, staff, and artists. Other areas of focus include marketing, and planning an online Intimate Theatre Festival, with a Live LA Theatre Festival in the works once everyone is able to gather again. Partnering with LA Stage Alliance/onStage.LA, the group is aiming to establish a central hub for all Los Angeles theatre activities.