Claire Willet uses the example of Portland to explain why, when ticket-sales are king, challenging work rarely finds the space to develop. She shares her ideas for what venues could do to change this.
A very smart actor friend asked a question on Facebook about why Portland arts organizations seem particularly risk-averse when it comes to programming new work. Why are plays that have been workshopped in Portland getting premieres in New York – often at small companies, in modest spaces – before Portland companies (even the large ones, even the ones that invested in workshopping them) will give them the time of day? Without disparaging the work of New York artists, but openly acknowledging that those productions aren’t objectively “better” than what we can do here, why is it so hard to move those shows to a production in this city... Keep reading on ClaireWilletWrites
A very smart actor friend asked a question on Facebook about why Portland arts organizations seem particularly risk-averse when it comes to programming new work. Why are plays that have been workshopped in Portland getting premieres in New York – often at small companies, in modest spaces – before Portland companies (even the large ones, even the ones that invested in workshopping them) will give them the time of day? Without disparaging the work of New York artists, but openly acknowledging that those productions aren’t objectively “better” than what we can do here, why is it so hard to move those shows to a production in this city... Keep reading on ClaireWilletWrites