Comments on: The View from Paris #1: How Stupid Is Your Daily Paper? http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2008/03/19/the-view-from-paris-1/ News & Commentary from the Artvoice Editorial staff Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:38:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Kathleen Betsko Yale http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2008/03/19/the-view-from-paris-1/#comment-5 Kathleen Betsko Yale Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:31:28 +0000 http://dev.artvoice.com/blogs/2008/03/19/the-view-from-paris-1/#comment-5 Jamie, I couldn't agree with you more. On the very day of a recent panel discussion (the purpose of which one presumes was to discuss theatre district matters), this news was sent out by the ever-vigilant Darleen Pickering Hummert. She had just read the announcement in the Buffalo News. The event was to take place in that evening. No lead time, no word from the Arts Council (who may not have known,either), no time at all to plan attendance. The artistic directors were on a panel talking to each other about the future of Buffalo theatre. Unfortunately, most theatre people were not informed or invited. Here is Dar's hurried note to the theatre community culled from The News. PANEL WILL DISCUSS state of live theater in Buffalo Updated: 03/10/08 Monday SAVE EMAIL PRINT A panel discussion on the state of live theater in Buffalo will be held at 7 p.m. today in Wick Center at Daemen College, 4380 Main St., Snyder. Randall Kramer of MusicalFare Theatre, Vincent O’Neill of Irish Classical Theatre, Saul Elkin of Shakespeare in Delaware Park and Paulette Harris of Paul Robeson Theatre will debate live theater’s place in Western New York, rising costs versus diminishing funds and whether there are too many stages, among other topics. The event will be free and open to the public. Call 839-8372 for information. TO: Darleen Pickering Hummert Dar, thanks for making this announcement. It comes too late for me to a damn thing thing about it. Of course, that's not your fault,but what is up with these artistic directors? Same day notice? Not even that! I probably would never have known, if you hadn't read the News! It's outrageous! Every actor in town should be there. It's our livelihoods that are involved. Who is going to be in the audience? Don't they think the actors have any stake in this, or any opinions? Debate with whom? Is it purely an academic event to them? Or what amounts to a business meeting? I'm a member of the Arts Council, I received no announcement. However, I wonder if the AC knew--- they can only inform of us of what they've been told about. It really pisses me off. Best Kath Jamie... I think there is too much corporate thinking afoot in the theatre community. "Bottom Line" thinking. "Board room" thinking, the same sort of thinking that wants to close neighborhood libraries and cattle-drive readers to one mega-facility: Why keep the lights and heat on in all these little theatres with less than 20 people in the audience, when you could just herd them all over to Shea's for a good show when the wrinklies feel the urge for live theatre. Then those dwindling discretionary entertainment dollars could be funneled into the casino perhaps? I may be reaching, but something insidious is eating away at our theatre district. Everyone, including the theatre community, is quick to blame the "business model" of several theatres that have stumbled of late, when we should be asking how the hell we can come together and help. Studio Arena not only stumbled, but broke every bone its body. In my bleak opinion, it is only one of the dominoes about to fall as we slowly change from a town known for its live theatre to a town known for its gambling. Today someone else's theatre, tomorrow yours. Perhaps unknown to our theatre CEOs out lunching with the corporations, groveling for badly needed funds, those corporations may well be dining on the theatre community as "the money men" guide our wonderful theatres to corporate "business models" that have financial bottom lines in mind, not art. One thing our theatres can do is reduce the seat prices. Ask any restauranteur--better to have 40 rear ends in the seats at 20 bucks a seat,than 20 rear-ends at $40. Most non-theatre people I talk to can't afford to go to see live plays anymore. Let's have another "theatre debate" and this time invite the entire community of theatre creators and theatre-goers with plenty of time to get it on everyone's calendar. Peace Kathleen Betsko Yale (actor/writer/Artie Awards committee member) Jamie, I couldn’t agree with you more. On the very day of a recent panel discussion (the purpose of which one presumes was to discuss theatre district matters), this news was sent out by the ever-vigilant Darleen Pickering Hummert. She had just read the announcement in the Buffalo News. The event was to take place in that evening. No lead time, no word from the Arts Council (who may not have known,either), no time at all to plan attendance. The artistic directors were on a panel talking to each other about the future of Buffalo theatre. Unfortunately, most theatre people were not informed or invited.
Here is Dar’s hurried note to the theatre community culled from The News.

PANEL WILL DISCUSS
state of live theater in Buffalo

Updated: 03/10/08 Monday

SAVE
EMAIL
PRINT

A panel discussion on the state of live theater in Buffalo will be held at
7 p.m. today in Wick Center at Daemen College, 4380 Main St., Snyder.

Randall Kramer of MusicalFare Theatre, Vincent O’Neill of Irish Classical Theatre, Saul Elkin of Shakespeare in Delaware Park and Paulette Harris of Paul Robeson Theatre will debate live theater’s place in Western New York, rising costs versus diminishing funds and whether there are too many stages, among other topics.

The event will be free and open to the public.

Call 839-8372 for information.

TO: Darleen Pickering Hummert
Dar, thanks for making this announcement. It comes too late for me to a damn thing thing about it. Of course, that’s not your fault,but what is up with these artistic directors? Same day notice? Not even that! I probably would never have known, if you hadn’t read the News! It’s outrageous! Every actor in town should be there. It’s our livelihoods that are involved. Who is going to be in the audience? Don’t they think the actors have any stake in this, or any opinions? Debate with whom? Is it purely an academic event to them? Or what amounts to a business meeting? I’m a member of the Arts Council, I received no announcement. However, I wonder if the AC knew— they can only inform of us of what they’ve been told about. It really pisses me off.
Best
Kath
Jamie…
I think there is too much corporate thinking afoot in the theatre community. “Bottom Line” thinking. “Board room” thinking, the same sort of thinking that wants to close neighborhood libraries and cattle-drive readers to one mega-facility: Why keep the lights and heat on in all these little theatres with less than 20 people in the audience, when you could just herd them all over to Shea’s for a good show when the wrinklies feel the urge for live theatre. Then those dwindling discretionary entertainment dollars could be funneled into the casino perhaps? I may be reaching, but something insidious is eating away at our theatre district. Everyone, including the theatre community, is quick to blame the “business model” of several theatres that have stumbled of late, when we should be asking how the hell we can come together and help. Studio Arena not only stumbled, but broke every bone its body. In my bleak opinion, it is only one of the dominoes about to fall as we slowly change from a town known for its live theatre to a town known for its gambling. Today someone else’s theatre, tomorrow yours. Perhaps unknown to our theatre CEOs out lunching with the corporations, groveling for badly needed funds, those corporations may well be dining on the theatre community as “the money men” guide our wonderful theatres to corporate “business models” that have financial bottom lines in mind, not art.
One thing our theatres can do is reduce the seat prices. Ask any restauranteur–better to have 40 rear ends in the seats at 20 bucks a seat,than 20 rear-ends at $40. Most non-theatre people I talk to can’t afford to go to see live plays anymore. Let’s have another “theatre debate” and this time invite the entire community of theatre creators and theatre-goers with plenty of time to get it on everyone’s calendar.
Peace
Kathleen Betsko Yale
(actor/writer/Artie Awards committee member)

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