Ben Cameron Discussion
As advertised, the Ben Cameron discussion that I have been putting off follows. I will be in Saratoga Springs, NY doing the SITI company's workshop and I'll be blogging about that so I figured I needed to get this one done.
( Ben Cameron is the former head of Theatre Communications Group, the organization that prints American Theatre MAgazine and compiles data about Americas Regional Not-for-profit Theatre Movement.)
Subscribers- They are your cash flow. They are money ahead of time.
They are guaranteed audience
Subscribers are less costly to renew and maintain a subscriber. It is twice as much to get a new audience member
But, the problem is single ticket sales are outpacing subscriber ticket sales.
How do we: a) Change that?
b) accept that and still make do?
*** Society is reflecting back to us our worth. We need to see this as feedback and change/respond ****
We need to ponder these thoughts to prove our worth:
1) Who we are-
Are we adept at speaking to a diverse audience?
2)How we think-
Society has changed the way it views the world. If you are over 45 years old you view the world ( and therefore storytelling) in a linear narrative way. If you are under 35 you view the world ( and therefore storytelling) in a visual associative way. This is in large part due to the invention of the television remote. Our generation grew up on watching three or more channels SIMULTANEOUSLY and still maintaining the plot and story of each show. Our generation sees the world in patterns. But the overwhelming majority of all dramatic literature is linear narrative, not visual associative. Does the Dramatic structure need to change to be built on patterns?
3)How we congregate-
With an on-demand culture growing, how does theatre operate as a specific time frame event? If you can choose to watch any movie any time you want, How does theatre with its 8:00 or 3:00 curtain compete? This is leading to our polarization, we aren't standing next to strangers in line anymore. *** We are still in search for our common meaning though***
Read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
4) Retail Shift-
We are in an experience economy. "The Starbuck's experience" However the new economy will be based off of Participation. Think of the success of American Idol, So think you can Dance, and other such entities that require your participation to operate. Do you know how many MP3 players there are on the market? There are over 11,000. But we only think about the iPod. Why? Because they have based them selves on co-creation. Make the soundtrack to your life. Our economy will be based off of co-creation not just consumption.
Read the Long Tail by Chris Anderson
5)Artistic Production and Distribution has become democritized-
There is an entire amateur class doing professional work: Wikipedia, SETI, Astronomers, etc. the Pro-Am movement is growing exponentially. What are the opportunities with a heavily trained professional audience who don't necessarily use their training ( Schools graduate 400,000 MFA students a year. They are not all working in their field, the market can not handle that many people. What does it mean to be trained and learned in a subject but not use that training or learning.)
Read the Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
Do Artistic Director need top be more Museum Curators with a cadre of associate curators and creators? (Andre Bishop at Lincoln Center is not a director but he leads the direction of the artistry at Lincoln Center like a curator)
Genius is internal, not external
TCG's New Generations Program, a mentorship program
Theatre's incubating other theatre's- Steppenwolf and About Face, etc.
1) What's the value we offer the Community?
2)What's the value we alone offer the Community"
3)How would the Community be damaged if we close?
***Now answer those questions without using the words "theatre" or "art"***
Children's theatre of Minneapolis ( perhaps the best children's theatre in the country) has recently changed it's mission statement and motto to be:
"We bring Joy to Children"
Horizon Theatre in Atlanta:
"We connect Audience's to great Stories"
What are our Core values?
1) Core Values pervade the institution
2)Excellence is not a Core Value it is a given. Core Value is a choice
3)Core Values are something you'll do even if you are punished by it. You'll do it through thick and thin. If you say your Core Value is to produce works by artists of color, and you decide to produce Arthur Miller instead because it is more financially feasible, Producing works by artists of Color is not your Core Value.
Burn out is not exhaustion, it is a disconnect from your core values.
Generational divide is what is galvanizing the theatre.
Museums are getting it though ( MoMA, Wexner, etc.)
See a show at 6:00 p.m. then a tie in with a local restaurant for a Prix Fix dinner at 8:00 p.m. with questions on table about show to talk about.
Drama could be shifting to Linear narrative AND Visual associative
Should we say goodbye to Naturalism and realism? T.V. and Film do it so much better.
Let's open up everything to the audience. Why do we keep it so precious? Anne Bogart has open rehearsals and Open Tech. Ariane Mnouchkine has that and you can walk through and see the actors putting on make-up and costumes. The wizard is behind the curtain and the audience knows that. Isn't it more exciting to know he is behind the curtain and still be wowed, confused, and amazed?
Chittlin' Circuit- you can buy the DVD of the play you just watched at the show.
What are the positive things that we have going for us, that we can ride?
Americans get on average 3,000 marketing messages a day. How do we compete for attention? How does anyone know we are doing a show?
How to manage change:
Pick a partner and observe each other in silence. Then turn around and change one thing about yourself. Turn around and describe what changed. Turn around and change 10 things, repeat, 20 things, etc.
Change is increasing exponentially
Anxiety is inevitably linked to change
When asked to change people become competitive not cooperative
When focused on change, people focus on what is lost.
When confronted with change we focus on what is ours
When change is eliminated, we revert to old habits even though it may be less comfortable
3 regrets of retiree's:
1)Not enough reflective thinking
2)Never Clarified life purpose
3)Not enough risk
Don't let that happen!
If you ever have the opportunity to meet, or hear this man speak DO IT. He is brilliant in a thousand ways. I think he teaches at Columbia. Please God let him teach at Columbia. I'm off to Saratoga Springs now, wish me luck. I'll blog soon about it.
All my best to y'all
Here's to a better tomorrow.
( Ben Cameron is the former head of Theatre Communications Group, the organization that prints American Theatre MAgazine and compiles data about Americas Regional Not-for-profit Theatre Movement.)
Subscribers- They are your cash flow. They are money ahead of time.
They are guaranteed audience
Subscribers are less costly to renew and maintain a subscriber. It is twice as much to get a new audience member
But, the problem is single ticket sales are outpacing subscriber ticket sales.
How do we: a) Change that?
b) accept that and still make do?
*** Society is reflecting back to us our worth. We need to see this as feedback and change/respond ****
We need to ponder these thoughts to prove our worth:
1) Who we are-
Are we adept at speaking to a diverse audience?
2)How we think-
Society has changed the way it views the world. If you are over 45 years old you view the world ( and therefore storytelling) in a linear narrative way. If you are under 35 you view the world ( and therefore storytelling) in a visual associative way. This is in large part due to the invention of the television remote. Our generation grew up on watching three or more channels SIMULTANEOUSLY and still maintaining the plot and story of each show. Our generation sees the world in patterns. But the overwhelming majority of all dramatic literature is linear narrative, not visual associative. Does the Dramatic structure need to change to be built on patterns?
3)How we congregate-
With an on-demand culture growing, how does theatre operate as a specific time frame event? If you can choose to watch any movie any time you want, How does theatre with its 8:00 or 3:00 curtain compete? This is leading to our polarization, we aren't standing next to strangers in line anymore. *** We are still in search for our common meaning though***
Read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
4) Retail Shift-
We are in an experience economy. "The Starbuck's experience" However the new economy will be based off of Participation. Think of the success of American Idol, So think you can Dance, and other such entities that require your participation to operate. Do you know how many MP3 players there are on the market? There are over 11,000. But we only think about the iPod. Why? Because they have based them selves on co-creation. Make the soundtrack to your life. Our economy will be based off of co-creation not just consumption.
Read the Long Tail by Chris Anderson
5)Artistic Production and Distribution has become democritized-
There is an entire amateur class doing professional work: Wikipedia, SETI, Astronomers, etc. the Pro-Am movement is growing exponentially. What are the opportunities with a heavily trained professional audience who don't necessarily use their training ( Schools graduate 400,000 MFA students a year. They are not all working in their field, the market can not handle that many people. What does it mean to be trained and learned in a subject but not use that training or learning.)
Read the Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
Do Artistic Director need top be more Museum Curators with a cadre of associate curators and creators? (Andre Bishop at Lincoln Center is not a director but he leads the direction of the artistry at Lincoln Center like a curator)
Genius is internal, not external
TCG's New Generations Program, a mentorship program
Theatre's incubating other theatre's- Steppenwolf and About Face, etc.
1) What's the value we offer the Community?
2)What's the value we alone offer the Community"
3)How would the Community be damaged if we close?
***Now answer those questions without using the words "theatre" or "art"***
Children's theatre of Minneapolis ( perhaps the best children's theatre in the country) has recently changed it's mission statement and motto to be:
"We bring Joy to Children"
Horizon Theatre in Atlanta:
"We connect Audience's to great Stories"
What are our Core values?
1) Core Values pervade the institution
2)Excellence is not a Core Value it is a given. Core Value is a choice
3)Core Values are something you'll do even if you are punished by it. You'll do it through thick and thin. If you say your Core Value is to produce works by artists of color, and you decide to produce Arthur Miller instead because it is more financially feasible, Producing works by artists of Color is not your Core Value.
Burn out is not exhaustion, it is a disconnect from your core values.
Generational divide is what is galvanizing the theatre.
Museums are getting it though ( MoMA, Wexner, etc.)
See a show at 6:00 p.m. then a tie in with a local restaurant for a Prix Fix dinner at 8:00 p.m. with questions on table about show to talk about.
Drama could be shifting to Linear narrative AND Visual associative
Should we say goodbye to Naturalism and realism? T.V. and Film do it so much better.
Let's open up everything to the audience. Why do we keep it so precious? Anne Bogart has open rehearsals and Open Tech. Ariane Mnouchkine has that and you can walk through and see the actors putting on make-up and costumes. The wizard is behind the curtain and the audience knows that. Isn't it more exciting to know he is behind the curtain and still be wowed, confused, and amazed?
Chittlin' Circuit- you can buy the DVD of the play you just watched at the show.
What are the positive things that we have going for us, that we can ride?
Americans get on average 3,000 marketing messages a day. How do we compete for attention? How does anyone know we are doing a show?
How to manage change:
Pick a partner and observe each other in silence. Then turn around and change one thing about yourself. Turn around and describe what changed. Turn around and change 10 things, repeat, 20 things, etc.
Change is increasing exponentially
Anxiety is inevitably linked to change
When asked to change people become competitive not cooperative
When focused on change, people focus on what is lost.
When confronted with change we focus on what is ours
When change is eliminated, we revert to old habits even though it may be less comfortable
3 regrets of retiree's:
1)Not enough reflective thinking
2)Never Clarified life purpose
3)Not enough risk
Don't let that happen!
If you ever have the opportunity to meet, or hear this man speak DO IT. He is brilliant in a thousand ways. I think he teaches at Columbia. Please God let him teach at Columbia. I'm off to Saratoga Springs now, wish me luck. I'll blog soon about it.
All my best to y'all
Here's to a better tomorrow.
posted by The Necessary Theatre at 12:35 PM
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