A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES PRESENTED TO THE ASSITEJ/USA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP May 3, 2003
Who is the next generation of ASSITEJ/USA? We’ve been debating that question for many months now, and I finally came to the conclusion this morning that the only way to define it is this:
The Next Generation is anyone who is passionately and fervently committed to a future for the field of Theater for Young Audiences.
That describes all of us in this room, I think.
So, in this present moment (because that is where we are now), we present to you a vision for a future. They are only words, and only any good if they provoke us, if they challenge us, and if they spur all of us to action. We offer them in good faith, with heartfelt passion, and with great respect and honor to those who paved the way for us.
WE WILL BE COMMUNITY-BUILDERS
1. We will strive to educate members of the larger theater community and invite them to join us in conversations about our field.
2. We will seek every opportunity to see each other’s work in each other's theaters.
3. We will continue to develop stronger models that will help us meaningfully discuss each other’s work.
4. We will seek more local partners in our geographic communities and invite them into our process.
WE WILL BE COLLABORATORS
1. We will seek to work with passionate artists who, through risk-taking, challenge us to create exceptional art.
2. We will seek new models to support collaboration that goes beyond text-based work.
3. We will include not just directors and playwrights, but also designers, in our collaborative conversations.
4. We will seek out artists from other disciplines and invite them into collaboration.
WE WILL BE ADVOCATES
1. We will take an active leadership role in advocating for the arts locally and nationally.
2. We will continue to pound on the doors of TCG and demand to be included in the conversation.
3. We will listen to teachers and administrators’ needs, creating dialogue and enhancing partnerships with schools.
WE WILL HONOR OUR AUDIENCE
1. We will listen better to what children have to say about the complicated world in which they are living.
2. We will do our research and keep our fingers on the pulse of issues affecting children so our work will be a more meaningful experience for them.
3. We will constantly re-assess our ability and commitment to serving children of all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds, so that every child is invited to the party.
WE WILL ENJOY OUR LIVES OUTSIDE OF OUR WORK
1. We will strive to make our working conditions enjoyable and create environments that will allow us to raise a family, have a comfortable home, and participate fully in community life.
2. We will value ourselves enough to know that our work and the work of our peers demand higher salaries.
WE WILL SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED US
1. While we acknowledge that our theaters sometimes cannot provide us with a salary commensurate with other fields, we will, in those instances, ask our leaders to work with us to discover ways to stimulate our creative souls with frequent and continuous artistic challenges.
2. We will ask the leaders of our theaters to support us as we continue to learn and grow through professional development opportunities.
OUR MOTIVATION AND PASSION WILL NOT FLAG
1. We will be proactive about the creation of our own opportunities, and in turn we will ask that our employers support us in our efforts to tackle every challenge and seek new collaborative partners.
WE WILL COMMIT RESOURCES TO EDUCATION PROGRAMS
1. We will place the same amount of value on education programs that we place on productions.
WE WILL RETHINK AND CHALLENGE OUR INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES
1. We will explore and implement other models besides the LORT theater model, and seek structures that support collaboration over hierarchy, and the needs of art over the needs of the institution.
2. We will value the work of companies with budgets under $100,000 as much as the work of the theater with a budget over $5 million.
3. We will strive as artists to learn about, understand and implement business models that will sustain all of our work.
WE WILL BENEFIT FROM THE WISDOM OF OUR MENTORS
1. We will challenge the current leaders in our field to be pro-active in developing future leaders. We want and need mentorship to be than osmosis!
2. We will honor the work and people who have built TYA’s solid foundation in the USA. As we emerge and begin to bring our voices and talents to the field, we will need more access to our leaders. We will seek to learn about your creative process and business models as we develop our own. We hope that you will invite us in when we come knocking.
From the editors:
In May of 2003 at the ASSITEJ/USA One Theater World conference in Philadelphia, a significant population of “new generation” members led Roger Bedard, conference curator, to appoint a committee to lead select breakout sessions aimed at the newest members of the professional community. In addition to networking and brainstorming, these self-selected “emerging professionals” compiled a vision statement that they presented to the ASSITEJ/USA Board.
Answering questions such as: “What do you need personally and professionally to stay in the field of TYA?” the participants developed the above statement of goals.
NEXT is a direct result of the energy and passion generated by the creation of this manifesto; and, therefore, we include it in this first issue of our online magazine.
The workshop leaders were Emily Petkewich, Metro Theater Company; Michelle Kozlak, The Kennedy Center; David Kilpatrick, New Victory Theater; Jeremy Kisling, Lexington Children’s Theater; and Kassie Misiewicz, Theater Squared.
Participants included David Ankrom, Julee Baber, Steve Bianchi, Rachel Briley, Adam Burke, Kim Gundry, Lucy Hazelhurst, Eric Johnson, Nicole Kaplan, Jeanne Klein, Stephanie Lash Kilpatrick, Corey Madden, Steve McCormick, Bruce Merrill, Wesley Middleton, Alan Poindexter, Johanna Smith, J. Richard Smith, Lauren Spear, Laura Stevens, and Debra Jean Zwicker.