Dear Friends of Drama,
As I write this message, I am in Ashland, Oregon where in a few days I begin technical rehearsals for a play that was written in 1599 “based on a true story” that happened in 44 BC. It is remarkable how this play, written by an Englishman about one moment in ancient Roman history, can be so resonant today in the United States of America.
In my long career as a lighting designer, I’ve often been reminded, as I am now, of the significance the arts can have in our lives “to hold as ‘twere the mirror up to nature” for us to see our own reflection…to reflect upon ourselves and the lives of others.
At this moment, there are professional theatres across the country struggling to stay solvent. Some have closed their doors; others are finding creative strategies to continue. In Seattle two such theatres, ACT and Seattle Shakespeare, have just merged! In many places across the country, we see audiences shrinking as funding becomes less abundant and more competitive to procure.
Despite these fiscal challenges, it is Drama’s power to stay relevant, that inspires us to continue to train dramatic artists, practitioners, and scholars in its many diverse and unique forms.
Drama can be process focused, text focused, movement or music focused, and can include stories of love, stories focused on social justice, stories of escape, linear and non-linear stories, even performances not based on narrative, and ALL of it for the betterment of our humanity, our happiness, our morality, our society, and our collective joy.
In this newsletter you will find stories that highlight the many diverse ways our work in the School of Drama manifests. [And, if you haven’t figured it out already, you can also find out which play I was referring to in the first paragraph above.]