RANDOM THOUGHTS/RANDOM FEARS

Fiscal responsibility is a value that I hold as closely as artistic excellence. My commitment to balancing the 2009 budget is keeping me awake at night and it is consuming my concentration. How will the current economic crisis impact our upcoming season? Will the price of gas continue to go up as we approach our summer production schedule? Will this impact attendance and therefore impact our projected “earned income” from ticket sales? As of yesterday our early ticket sales are doing better than expected…but I am concerned about future ticket sales.  I am very concerned that our contributed income from individual supporters is lower than last year at this time. And we have experienced significant cuts in funding from grants…and we expect even more cuts in the future.  So we are meeting daily to adjust our budget to prepare for difficult days to come. 

We are all living in uncertain times. Those of us who produce theater…non-profit theater… are frightened and full of fear and uncertainty…just like all Americans. BUT… because we are artists…we are emboldened with a new sense of spontaneity and creativity. We will not shy away from doing important work that matters. We will not shy away from the deepest questions and our search for meaning in life. We will continue to make art that is like life itself: unrepeatable, illuminating and unforgettable. We will continue to create opportunities for risk taking and reinvention. We will continue to dream with ambition, creativity and a dedication to excellence. But I am going to need you help, your support, your advice… and… your attention. Because I believe that the strength of our plays lies in what happens in the “dark room”, the space, between the performer and the audience. You and I crave the “immediacy” and the “aliveness” that keeps CATF a vital part of our community and industry. So I invite your comments…your counsel…and I invite you to help me nurture new work and innovative artists. I invite you to join me in this conversation:

How do we respond to these difficult economic times?

How do we provide a better living wage for our theater artists?

How do we stimulate more people to see contemporary theater…and can they even afford to attend?

How can the THEATER FESTIVAL make a difference in our community?

How can we develop theater/patron evangelists… who place a high value on the FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE…and then “spread the word” throughout the region?

How do we motivate our “base audience” our “tribe” to communicate the value of new plays… the importance of our our mission: “to produce and develop new American Theater”?

We all realize that the American Theater needs more funding, more adventurous new work, more diverse artists and audiences and more affordable tickets.

 The Contemporary American Theater Festival is offering our patrons a rotating Repertory of Five new American plays at affordable ticket prices…including PAY WHAT YOU CAN PREVIEWS and SUNDAY NIGHT DISCOUNTS. We are producing new work that is exciting, adventurous and relevant. I believe that the 2009 Repertory will stimulate public discourse…by continuing to make noise…cause a ruckus…and make waves.

Producing a new play festival is like going on an uncharted adventure. We are at the beginning of our adventure… and I have dreams about what we may discover. Please join me…please help me…Lets make a difference…Lets make it happen.

I welcome your comments:

Ed Herendeen