THEATRE’S EMPTY TRIANGLE
It’s time to evolve or perish.
This is a White paper, of sorts. It’s also a philosophical argument. And although I work in Academia, I’ve written it with an editorial voice because this isn’t a research paper so much as it is a call to arms. So, maybe it’s also a wee bit manifesto. In any case, I’m offering the following “bonafides” to help you place my voice:
Tiffany Antone, she/her/hers: Assistant Teaching Professor at Iowa State University, Playwright (Broadway Play Publishing, Concord Theatricals, Next Stage Press) Producer and Artistic Director (Little Black Dress INK & Protest Plays Project), Artist, Agitator, Parent, Human, Weirdo
THE TWEET
Listen, theatre is not inherently a public good. Yes, we say we welcome everyone, but we don’t. There are gatekeepers all over the fucking place, companies get tribal, artists get catty and resentful, ticket prices go up and up and up (not to mention the cost of parking!)… none of this is actually welcoming. What theatre is, (not due to a philosophy, but rather due to its very operation) is collaborative. It takes oodles of people to make a play. And that does mean it has the potential to bring people together. But we have to stop assuming that community is a given. Community is an action.
