from Judson Jones, Artistic Director
Gestalt. It’s one of my absolute favorite words. It's a German word that basically means that the whole cannot be derived by a simple summation of its parts. For me, this isn’t an example of how theatre can work, but instead how theatre should work. A few years ago a group of artists, members of our business community, and supporters gathered in a room to ask a question. That question was:
Can we build a theatre company whose commitment to community, whose commitment to operating in a transparent and inclusive manner, whose commitment to the incredible power theatre possesses, is matched only by the commitment to producing earnest, catalyzing, provocative, needed, and great work?
While
it has not always been easy, and we haven’t always succeeded, this
continues to be our goal. The success of this company—our
educational and community programming, past and future productions—is not due to the work of any individual, but to the work of many.
I’m
constantly fascinated by the process of putting a production
together. Everything about it. From selecting the script (or the
script selecting you)…to assuring the playwright you won’t destroy
their play…finding the space…hoping you can afford it…bringing
on the director, supporting their vision…hiring the creative team
and hoping the designers get along…the director leading the
creative team to his or her vision and then being brave enough to let
them run with it…finding your cast…hoping you find them…trusting
that you’ll find them…being so thankful when you finally find
them…doubting every decision you make…production meetings….staff
meetings…marketing meetings…board meetings…meetings about
meetings…publicity…unions…realizing that, while you have 10 bottles
of wine for the opening night gala, you need to frantically run to the
store immediately after curtain because no one brought a
corkscrew…all of this, and ultimately hoping you have the budget to
pull it off.
And
you do all this in the fervent hope…to share a moment. All of
these people working together, giving of themselves, their craft,
working around the clock, hours of rehearsals, months of
planning…hoping to create a single moment. A single shared moment
with you. Why? Because it is in that moment we are closest to the
gods.
I
believe that.
TomOppenheim, Artistic Director of The Stella Adler Studios, lauded
Theatre East at our first benefit with the following words: "I see
there a mirror that reflects exactly the vision of a sane theater
that Harold Clurman calls for. They have beautifully articulated alist of values, which are sound, noble, and creatively potent. They
sing of the theatre providing a communal experience, connecting us to
the world and each other, catalyzing critical thinking, educating us;
they insist the theatre be accessible and, like Harold Clurman, see
it ultimately as a civilizing force." I told Tom then that we
did not deserve such words, but I hope we can earn them.
All my very best,
Judson
All my very best,
Judson
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