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“Prolific Arts Require Plentiful Resources”
By Edith Snow
In 2023, A24 — the artistically-driven film and television company — purchased The Cherry Lane Theater of NYC in partnership with a holdings company. They have been overhauling it for the past two years, with a goal to prioritize off-Broadway theater. They’ll also include comedy, film, and music. There is no subscribed season planned for this 167-seat theater; it will add events as it goes. They’re not expecting to make heaps of money at Cherry Lane but do expect it to become self-supporting over time. This move is brilliant and it’s brave; I’m interested in how the concept and business plan may spring up in our own arts habitat, here in Chapel-Boro. Are there any potential spaces we might overhaul? Can we successfully mesh local theater with town development and investment prospects?
I met up with a handful of professional, independent theater artists to mull over ideas on space, concepts, and pitfalls. We discussed what we’re thankful for, what we need to more fully thrive as theater artists in this area and why it is a struggle to make quality indie theater-work here on this side of the Triangle.
So, what do we have here right now that we love?
The top answer is a devoted audience; this town is teeming with theatergoers. Over the winter, I had the opportunity to co-produce a dark comedy at The ArtsCenter theatre (the new one) and we sold out multiple nights. It was a bit of an experiment for both The ArtsCenter and us producers, but the community feedback was fervent and pointed to a clear desire for more live, staged theater in the space.
We also love the brick-and-mortar theater companies here that help us with set pieces, rehearsal space, audience risers, advice — Playmakers Rep, Center Theater Company, I’m lookin’ at you.
There are businesses, individuals, and community facets in Chapel Hill-Carrboro that willingly carve out time/space/materials for plays, readings, improvs, and other theatrical goodies — The ArtsCenter, Lanza’s Café, East Chapel Hill High — LOVE!
Finally, Chapel-Boro is awash in talent — actors, technicians, teachers, writers, designers, casting pros, dramaturgs, directors, producers. We got it — it’s all right here — and we love it.
We have all of this and yet we indie artists and freelance techies still find ourselves commuting to Raleigh on the reg for semi-paid creative and technical theater work. This means our local audiences are also commuting to Raleigh to see this work or they’re just opting out altogether. I don’t blame them: have you driven to Raleigh lately?
I’m gonna paint a hypothetical for you:
You’re a highly trained actor, perhaps with an MFA. By day, you work a nine-to-five job in Chapel Hill where you choose to live and raise your family. By night, you slay the Triangle regional theater circuit. Sometimes you work in indie films and years ago you had a small role in the Hunger Games film series. You teach classes and workshops. You’re never not in a show somewhere, because companies enjoy working with you and you’re great at what you do. Also, ya love it.
You’re cast in a modern, edgy dramedy that touches on wealth disparity, race, political unrest, and shamans — it was a hilarious and poignant hit on Broadway and Triangle audiences will devour it.
You arrive at 8:30am to your 9 to 5 so you can leave by 4:30pm to make your rehearsal at 6pm, which is located off the Capital Boulevard Exit via the 540 outer loop. You must eat the dinner that you packed the night before, in your car on the way, hoping not to be involved in one of the inevitable crashes that will occur during rush hour. And why does it feel like rush hour is all day long these days — have you become a commute-curmudgeon? You may arrive at your destination a half hour early or late — ya never really know, so you keep the stage manager’s number at the ready. You will be doing this almost every day for six weeks until the show opens. Yes, you can write off your mileage, but can you eliminate the stress-toll you endure to work on a great play? Will your partner and children hate you for the next six weeks? You wonder why you aren’t performing in your hometown. Should you move to Raleigh? Should ya just quit?
Quitting or moving is not the answer.
If artists aren’t making art, then we’re forfeiting our wholeness as humans and denying ourselves the privilege to enhance the cultural welfare of our communities. Artists deserve to choose where to live, where to create. Not all artists pine for New York or Los Angeles; bloom where we’re planted, I’ve heard some say.
What is the answer?
I believe it’s to produce more work on this side of the Triangle, to make theatre an obvious choice for bringing vibrancy into vacant spaces and to uplift the talent and would-be patrons in this microcosm. But when the onus to fix the problem, falls directly on the artists, giant barriers must be broken. Sometimes, we’re just not big and strong enough, or rich enough to do it. We need community support. We need local government support.
What’s the biggest barrier?
Affordable, functional space is the number one challenge. Putting on a show requires room for rehearsal: unencumbered areas, chairs, a table, bathrooms, (preferably free) parking, heating and air too — but we won’t be picky. Productions also need a shop or garage-type area to build a set — we’re talking elements of construction here: lumber, tables saws, paint, nail guns, what have ya. And then there is the performance space: a sound system, a lighting board, a grid, audience seating, a dressing room and a green room to hold costumes and actors.
Paying our dues?
Typically, indie theater-makers aren’t afforded the above luxuries, so we get scrappy. We ask bars, restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, churches, and schools if they have free spaces and available times for performances and possibly rehearsals. We minimize our set pieces so that they fold easily into a sedan. We forego lights. And, hey, why not just run sound from our iPad into a portable Bluetooth speaker? Oh wait, we forgot about props. And, we’ll use the $1500.00 of grant money we were generously awarded to pay three of our seven cast members a 500$ stipend for (approximately) a hundred and sixty-six hours of their time dedicated to this show (fyi, that’s about three dollars and one cent per hour). Also, actors, sorry but you’ll be providing your own wardrobes — can you steam out those wrinkles before opening?
Some may believe this falls into the category of “paying your dues.” We get it — a struggle can certainly enrich the art and build stamina and character in the artist. But if you’ve been scrappin’ around for twenty-five years, getting rave reviews for the work you make, and your peer professionals now call you for advice on how to scrap, what to scrap, where to scrap… and you ‘re still scrappin’?
If you meet an artist — no matter the age — it is safe to assume they’ve paid their dues.
Multi-Use Spaces
Over the last several years, a number of local, beautiful multi-use spaces that have theatrical production capabilities have cropped up. The price by the hour is high. Maybe you can get a friends and family rate if you have a connection there. If you’re a touring road show, you’d only need to rent it for about five hours. These types of spaces are promising, but a multi-weekend running production with traditional elements (lights, sound, props, wardrobe) doesn’t realistically fit in there, for these items require static housing over a period of time.
Here’s a conservative scenario: let’s say a medium-scale, regional production needs four weeks of rehearsal, six nights a week, four hours a night — that’s 96 hours. Then, it runs two long weekends from Thursday to Sunday, which requires four hours a night from sign-in to sign out — 32 hours. Add 20 hours for load-in, build, tech rehearsal, two dress rehearsals, and load-out. That’s 148 hours total and the venue charges $150/hour. That’s $22,200 for the space at their hourly rate (this doesn’t include rates for overnight and day storage of play elements or locking down the lighting design on the grid for the duration of the run). If the theater seats eighty people and you sell out every show, you can charge $34.69 per ticket to cover the venue cost, alone. This is sans taxes or liability insurance, it doesn’t include rights to the script, rented wardrobe or equipment, and you haven’t yet paid your people.
Questions to ask and options to explore:
Will tax breaks work to encourage property owners of empty, viable spaces to host theater rehearsals or productions? Can we socially elevate developers and architects of new, commercial properties as a reward for integrating theater spaces into builds? Can we require a percentage of free or subsidized use to community and regional productions? Can we ensure follow-through on space management and upkeep? Is management an entity that can also be subsidized? Is this an opportunity to provide artist liaisons and advocacy workers employment?
It may sound odd, but why not? We require developers to include common areas — sculptural artwork, public walkways, a gazebo. Why not an intimate theater with simple essentials? Chapel Hill and Carrboro are highly educated, progressive and fiercely opinionated towns that embrace the arts. If any locale can integrate theatre-making into a town covenant, it is here.
So, who’s gonna be our deft A24? Any takers? ‘Cause I know a group of seasoned theater-makers who have a whole lotta vision and are ready for this town to rally.
—Edith Snow
Conversationalist-contributors include: Marcia Edmundson, Tamara Kissane, Devra Thomas and Jeri Lynn Schulke.
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