Taking risks part of the artistic mission
Afew issues need to be addressed regarding The Globe Theatre board of directors’ recent response to letters written by Gail Bowen and Michael Scholar Jr. The board’s response was in defense of a Dec. 26 article written by Shawna Stirrett which singled out the Globe Theatre as a leader in the area of producing plays written by Saskatchewan playwrights.
Firstly, the board identifies the Canada West Foundation (for which Stirrett is senior policy analyst) as “an independent academic research group.” The CWF is in fact a rightwing think-tank with strong affiliations to corporate Canada and big oil.
In her article, Stirrett correctly identifies the need for performance companies to address demographic change characterized by the simultaneous growth of a multi-ethnic population and aging “baby boomers”. But while advocating for innovation, she fails to identify any truly innovative theatre companies. What is even more curious is that the only western Canadian theatre company she names is Regina’s Globe Theatre. Not only is Globe Theatre not known as a leader in addressing multi-ethnic and diverse narratives on stage, neither is it known nationally or regionally for investing significant resources in new work by Saskatchewan playwrights. The Globe board members must certainly be aware of this.
At the heart of this issue is how the arts are funded and perceived by governments, corporations, the general public, and non-profit arts companies (and their boards). When the Saskatchewan government unilaterally decimates its own film industry — an industry populated by scores of artists — there is little room for art in its agenda. When Globe Theatre promises you will love its show or it will give you your money back (as it did last season with one of its plays), it is marketing the play as furniture — not art. Our own University of Regina seems to have abandoned art when it guarantees a job to every graduate. There are few guarantees in art. There are no guarantees that everyone will “like” it and most certainly no guarantees that everyone will find jobs. One does not choose to be an artist because of its promises of high levels of employment.
The corporate model for the arts seeks guarantees of success; that art will “sell” and show a solid — even profitable — bottom-line. But art is not a commodity. Art may anger you; it may make you think; it may make you question why we are on this earth. At times it may reassure and please you, but it may also provoke, impassion, or even offend. Art is about risk, and seeking out minority voices or producing plays by local or regional playwrights must be part of that risk.
If the Globe board truly wishes to improve upon its current practices — which it states it does — perhaps it might begin by looking to Saskatchewan aboriginal playwright, Kenneth Williams; a Saskatchewan playwright with “uniquely Saskatchewan stories”. His work is excellent, fun, challenging and produced all over Western Canada. He currently has three different plays being produced in Toronto and was recently featured in the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Art thrives when those at the helm of arts companies and funding agencies passionately champion risk and seek a diversity of voices and means to explore their stories. Stirrett’s article — though perhaps well-intentioned — is at best naïve and at worst, poorly researched and superficial.
That the Globe board so readily defended this article suggests that they should do more homework. Perhaps Stirrett’s own misinformation is why the only theatre she named was Regina’s Globe, which — we must remember — is a publicly funded, not-for-profit, arts company. Macdonald’s work has been nominated for Saskatchewan Book of the Year and Regina Book of the Year. He is a past recipient of the Regina Writer’s award and the Enbridge National Playwright’s award. He writes and teaches in Regina.