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| Julane Havens working with students in Nicaragua. Photo courtesy of John Fitzgerald. |
Commentary by Julane Havens
Text Copyright 2013 by Julane Havens. All rights reserved.
I believe in a theater as engaging as the Louisville
Cardinals’ championship game. I believe in a theater community as inviting and
uplifting as a church on Sunday. I believe in the power of storytelling to
unite and inspire our city, our country, our world.
Theater saved my life. As a child, I took my parents’
divorce and subsequent absence of my father very hard. I would have done
anything to feel important and included. That great need presented me with
choices that had the potential to impact my future. Luckily for me, there was
Drama Club: my drugs, my alcohol, my defiance.
On July 5, 2013, I found myself in a barrio of Managua,
Nicaragua (the second poorest country in the Americas), with a group of over 40
children presenting a play they created about home: their experience of it,
their fears, their dreams for the future. This was the first time a play was
performed in this area. But, the greater achievement was giving those amazing
young people a new choice in life. “That was fun. I am proud of my friends and
myself. I want to be a part of something like that again, so I won’t….” You can
fill in the rest.
Theater isn’t just for inspiring young people. Adults need a
theater that encourages them to laugh and lift the seriousness of life off
their shoulders for a minute. Perhaps they need this even more than children,
who still know how to play. Unfortunately, the people who need the joys of
theater the most often can’t afford the price of admission, don’t feel welcome,
or don’t have the leisure time to attend. I want to change that.
Let’s start by examining what community means in
theater-speak. The term community theater needs to be redefined as a
group of artists with shared traditions and values that create theater
together. We must stop using community when referring to lower monetary
value of productions or lesser quality/talent of the artists. We must encourage
our local artists to be proud of working in and with their community.
Imagine if all of our most creative citizens abandoned us
for the larger metropolises where they could be considered “serious
professionals” in their craft. What a loss for the city of Louisville. But the
fact is that our most creative citizens do not always leave. They cannot always
afford and do not always want to live somewhere else. The grass is not always
greener in New York and Los Angeles. That is why it’s time to change the
opinion that the artistic worth of a theater production (or any art for that
matter) has anything to do with a zip code.
My dream for Louisville theater (and theater everywhere) is
inclusion: local artists valued and respected on the same level as anyone from
out of town; out-of-towners welcomed and excited to participate in our vibrant
theater community; artists, donors, and leaders collaborating together to find
solutions to problems and to build an environment that embraces creative
risk-taking; theaters no longer worried about keeping their doors open because
their work is considered critical to the health of the city. Instead of asking
what production will bring in the most dollars, local theaters will be able to ask,
“What impact will telling this story have on our community?”
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| Julane Havens in Bunbury Theatre's production of Buried Child. Photo – Lily Bartenstein. |
I am eager to share stories. And I want to share them with
an audience that expands beyond other artists, their patient family members,
and students who are taking a theater class because they assumed it was an easy
arts-elective.
You can’t tell a community to go to the theater because it
is good for them and their city. You can’t tell a community you are worth
supporting because of your history, your credentials, or even your enthusiasm.
You can invite them and hope they give you a chance. Even better, you can offer
your hands, your ears, and your heart to them and give them a real reason to
see your show: because you are telling their story. You can become relevant.
Break down the social and economic barriers that have made
going to the theater a privilege for the few. Have at least one pay-what-you-can
night for each show in a season. I’d rather have 100 audience members who paid
$5 a ticket than 25 who paid $20. Make theater available to more people by
making it as affordable as possible. If you can share a story for free, more
power to you. Just don’t make the free seats the ones in the back.
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| Julane's Nicaragua project in performance – July 2013. Photo courtesy of John Fitzgerald. |
Bring theater experiences to neighborhoods, schools, and
parks where there are none. The great shows don’t have to live downtown. Invite
everyone and find a way to include anyone who wants to take part. Reach out to
people by being accessible to them; they will be more likely to come to your
part of town if they have a relationship with you.
Television and film will never replace the experience of a
live performance. There is great power and an immediate energy potential
between artist and audience. That is why political leaders throughout history
have silenced so many artists. They can bring a community together. They can
inspire action. They can ignite change.
Change begins here with using the word community
positively. Have pride in Louisville artists and support the production of work
that is relevant and accessible to the people who live in our great city.
Julane is an Artistic
Associate for Walden Theatre and an Artistic Ensemble Member of Savage Rose,
where she is playing Viola in the upcoming production of Twelfth
Night. She played the role of Shelly in the Louisville premiere of Sam Shepard’s
Buried Child at Bunbury Theatre. She is currently working on expanding
Walden’s Connecting Cultures program in Managua, Nicaragua, and Appalachia, Kentucky,
with Hand in Hand Ministries and the Fund for the Arts.
Julane would like to invite you to a free community event on August 4th at 2 p.m.: An Afternoon of Shakespeare Scenes and Sonnets at Memorial Park (Fourth and Kentucky Streets), featuring local artists and community members who love the Bard.
An Afternoon of Shakespeare Scenes and Sonnets
August 4, 2013
2 p.m. – FREE to the community
Memorial Park
4th and Kentucky Streets
Louisville, KY 40203
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