Hi there,
I'd like to pose a list of questions to NO theatres in order to get a local perspective on theatre after Katrina. Before I start calling organizations (my thought was to work down that internet list of NO theatres, calling only the relevant or major ones), I'd like to run these questions by the group. They are meant to be general in nature and therefore serve our project in whatever direction it ends up taking; we don't want to be too Katrina-focused, but theatre after Katrina focuses on rebuilding and regenerating so in light of the conference's theme I feel grounded starting there.
Here are some questions, for your approval/discussion:
Initially, I'll give the person on the other end of the phone a schpeel about ATHE and how I'm part of a small group of theatre researchers looking into Katrina's effects on the industry. I'll say that any information they provide is going to be used in a presentation at ATHE geared for raising awareness about the local theatre scene post-K (aka they should provide public information but I'm not asking for anything that may be sensitive or internal, and I'm not a journalist).
First, three questions about the event itself:
1. Was your physical plant (theatre) damaged by Katrina? Has it been rebuilt, and if so, how was this financed?
2. Did your organization hold any specific events directly after the event to encourage rebuilding of physical and/or social structures?
3. Even if your building wasn't affected, how did the disaster affect your patron base?
And a few questions about post-K regeneration:
1. How has your programme of events changed since Katrina? Is there a new focus in your work at all?
2. Has theatre attendance bounced back? How do numbers compare to before the event?
3. Is there anything special that your theatre is doing/has done since Katrina that ATHE should know about?
*Any comments or revisions from the Actions group would be much appreciated!
Kathleen
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3 comments:
Oh, and just FYI, there's an 8 hour time difference between the west coast and me, so NO, I'm not posting this at 2am, but 10am...
There's dedication, and then there's dedication!
These questions look great! I am particularly interested in how the programming may or may not have changed post-K and how the community different theatres serve may or may not have changed as well, especially in light of the number of displaced NO residents.
I agree that grounding your research, at least for starters, in the idea of rebuilding and regeneration is right on. Theatre in general is always trying to cultivate a theatre-going community, and I think that Katrina certainly must have ruptured that community - I am very intrigued to hear the responses from different theatres!
I think a related question you might ask is what these theatres might want the nation at large to know about their activities now, and how the larger theatre base can assist them in their rebuilding.
K
Hi Kathleen:
I concur with Karen - great questions but I, too, am interested in what these individual theatre companies want the rest of us to know. What questions do they want the rest of us to be asking (of them/ourselves?) What do they want us to take back to the classroom/stage? How can we help? What do they need?
I wonder, too, if you might open your search to those companies that are minor/underfunded/grassroots/ etc. Maybe the people performing in the park and in the garage are sooner back at it than those with permanent/once permanent homes?
Interesting, good work. Thanks, Lisa
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