This isn't to demonize those who are affluent, but I've often wondered how much success in theater is tied to the ability to simply afford it. Sure, there's a talent factor and a connections/education factor (I'm looking at YOU Brown University MFA graduates!); but it's a perverse hardship on many writers who come from modest means to afford living in expensive cities, self-produce, have memberships to various organizations, afford mailing costs, etc.
You have to spend money to make money in almost all industries: but those industries often offer some rate of return for hard work. Even if a playwright goes into debt and does become a success, very few of us will be able to pay down the accrued debt without some other source of income. If you're going into debt for law school, the expectation is you're about to become a lawyer, after all.
4 comments:
I agree with Laura, and it's one reason I've been quiet on the subject, as of late. I simply don't have much sympathy for many of the companies who have gone into debt and may close, for primarily the reason Laura outlines ...
I guess it's hard, but then again, I'd note many large non-profits are pretty hard on their artists ...
Amen, Laura, for being so upfront about it. Sometimes it feels like this business is designed to impoverish as many as possible and enrichen (?) as few. Outside of those MFA programs that seem to come with guaranteed production upon graduation, it's a long, expensive slog for most of us. And many, many simply can't make it. I'm a proponent of self-producing, but it has to be tied to some sort of revenue stream. And working in the non-profit theatre system is a quick way to go broke fast.
I try not to think about this one too much because it makes me bitter and angry and there are already far too many dispirited people in theatre. If I had a dime for every young playwright/director/actor I run into who's really making moves and doesn't seem to have a dayjob I wouldn't need mine.
I second everything being said here, but I will say that MFA programs are aware of these problems and are trying to do things to mitigate them. NYU offers a few students in its design program full rides + employment. I believe Yale is moving towards trying to endow the entire Drama school and make it free to attend. Julliard's directing program (when it existed) was free. UCSD's directing MFA program is either very cheap or free to attend, I forget which. When Paula Vogel switched to Yale, i know that she got them to accept her current students and give them full rides, I'm not sure whether the next year of Yale MFA playwrights will have to pay or not.
I'm just saying yes its bad but I do think there's some recognition of the badness of this and some desire to do something to change it.
Post a Comment