Scott Walters, a leader and advocate for participation and creation of art in smaller communities (with populations under 100K for his specific project) has written a very thought-provoking letter to Rocco Landesman that you should check out. Whether you agree or disagree with Scott, he makes some interesting points about NEA funding priorities.
The following statistics jumped off the page and have stuck in my mind since reading it five days ago:
Right now, almost 50% of the Theatre Communications Group member theatres are in six states, while there are an equal number that have none at all. The average population of the counties where TCG member theatres are based is 1.35M people, whereas 96% of American counties have populations under 500,000.
Forget for now whether the NEA should be concerned with this or focus on democratizing the arts. Forget about the NEA completely and re-read that statistic:
50% of the Theatre Communications Group member theatres are in six states.
The average population of the counties where TCG member theatres are based is 1.35M people, whereas 96% of American counties have populations under 500,000.
It doesn’t really matter where you stand in the debate about NEA funding being based on “quality” or “geography,” as theatre artists we are obligated to think about the relevancy and future life of the art form; as theatre artists we are obligated to train future artists; and as theatre artists we are obligated to nurture theatre audiences. (The fact is that the NEA has such a small budget that it can’t fix the problem and money is only part of the solution.) What can and will make a difference is if we as artists make a commitment to fulfilling our obligations.
If we, as theatre artists want there to be an audience in the future and want there to be theatre artists in the future we had better lend a hand to Scott and others who are working to get theatre into those smaller communities. It doesn’t take a genius to know that if you never experience something you will never miss it in your life.
We cannot sit by idly while a significant portion of the country grows up in and lives in an arts-free culture.
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