From Guest Blogger, Caitlin McCarthy
(For a summary report from all the sessions held at this event, click here)
This past Saturday March 26, I had the day off (this rarely happens). What better way to spend an afternoon than to talk about the thing that engages me, frustrates me, (sometimes) employs me and (always) keeps me coming back for more: THEATRE.
The event, Let’s Talk About Theatre! was hosted by the GVPTA at the Vancouver Playhouse Production Centre as a follow up to the Devoted & Disgruntled Conference held back in November 2010.
In my mind, I pictured sitting in the back of a chair-filled room, listening to someone inspiring talk about the state of theatre for three hours. Instead, I walked into a room where there were about ten chairs in a circle, with three of them filled. Fortunately, I love a good discussion, and as the room filled up, I started formulating in my head what I would bring to the metaphoric table.
Daniel Martin and Adrienne Wong were patient, approachable hosts. They laid some ground rules, or rather mindful guidelines, and each of us was to write down a topic that we would like to discuss and then share it with the circle. Some were general, mine was specific: “Why don’t larger theatres offer more PWYC pricing?” A few topics were amalgamated due to similarity, and off we went to our first session, knowing that at any time we were free to leave one and go to another.
First I participated in a session about how we might garner some influence for arts funding in the upcoming federal election. In under an hour, what could have been a complain fest became a jam session full of tangible steps to make ourselves heard. A slogan that emerged was “Arts Delivers Votes”, which directly speaks to strength we have in numbers. I am continually reminded how strong and supportive the arts community is, and I believe we now have an opportunity to affect some change. The experience for me was evocative of a familiar adage: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” Artists, this is a call to arms.
I then moved on to a more philosophical discussion about making theatre relevant in today’s society. There was a common sentiment that the hope lies in the education system, and that if youth grow up with theatre in their frame of reference further engagement will happen. I wish it were that simple. I believe that theatre can offer much that movies and television can’t: it is that live experience of poetry in motion where anything can happen. I adore theatre and yet, I objectively understand why someone wouldn’t, especially in my age demographic of under 30. We are living in a time rife with isolation: we can tune out the world with an IPOD, play a video game, or have any movie at our fingertips in mere minutes. Theatre requires more of a participant: leaving the house, money, and entering in to a sort of social contract: for a few hours, you are sharing an experience with other strangers that will never occur in the exact same way again. Theatre often flourishes in societies that need a voice in times of conflict, societies that must rediscover community because of strife. I only hope that Canadians do not wait until it’s too late to discover that we want to share our stories.
And on that note: VOTE!
