The Lazarus Arena

In early May 2012, an announcement that WNY regional production house, Shea's Performing Arts Center, was purchasing the 710 Main Street fossil called Studio Arena. A collective "yea" was raised among the community as the lifeless shell of the once proud LORT house had new life breathed into it. 

Curtain will rise again at Studio Arena: wivb.com

This prompted a positive reaction from numerous representatives from the Buffalo Theater community as all saw some sort of benefit to be had by this resurrection. Spokesperson and board-member for every conceivable Arts agency, Randall Kramer jumped at the PR opportunity and happily announced "Its an exciting day for theater, but also for arts in Western New York." 

Scott Berhand, who's company Rod Less Travelled had the distinctive honor of being last production that closed the doors on Studio, generically exclaimed "...a big win not only for the theater district but also for the entire theater community." 

How so? 

Shea's Executive Director, Anthony Conte indicated the new theater would accommodate production companies from Cleveland, Rochester and, even, New York City. "The key on our part is to assess, evaluate, if we think XYZ show can sell in Buffalo" as Conte indicated the focus is to sell tickets and not originality.

This would mean Lazarus Arena would be importing productions and exporting revenues (minus the portion of what Shea's takes out) to communities outside of Buffalo. 

Not so the case as Conte also indicated that local theaters and college companies will be included into the production scheduling. The stipulation is that a 625 seat theater will certainly require local theaters and college companies to have XYZ shows to fill atleast 200 per night to cover costs.

Again, not sure how this will benefit Buffalo Theater. 

Perhaps those local theater representatives most overjoyed about this announcement will be the only ones with an active part in bringing in their own productions. 

And why not? If you're aiming to fill 625 seats on a nightly basis to cover the production cost alone, then safe XYZ bets are sing-along, jukebox musicals or celebrity endorsed (or casted) productions. Hell, that model worked well for Studio Arena in the past why not follow the same plan again?

Right? 

There is acting method to understand a role by looking at the "sub-text" of a script. This in-between-the-lines method assists the director and actor in gaining a sense of the character and scene, thus having insight into story's bigger picture and the characters placement within it.  

What is the "sub-text" of having Lazarus Arena back among the living theater scene? 

Lost ticket revenue. All those lost-souls Studio subscribers who sought out other companies and supported them in the absences of Lazarus Arena will now funnel their money back to this establishment (providing they're still alive). 

Lost Public and Foundation money. Having the reputation through Shea's parental affiliation, this new production house adds its tin-cup to the thinning soup-line of public and foundation money and will get a greater, warmer portion than the ones in the back of the line. 

Placed in a region of shrinking populace, the emergence of another entertainment source furthers dilutes the artistic diversity this city prides itself on. If there was a sense that Buffalo was on an economic rebound and a hard-factual indicator the population was on the rise, this rising of a dead dinosaur would seem appropriate. This is not the case. There is not enough dramatic art supporters to spend money on Lazarus Studio and then find the resources to attend lesser known companies putting on diverse and unfamiliar works. 

An argument could be made that those patrons who actively look for diverse and unorthodox theater will continue to support theater who maintain this creative mission. For these companies, the existence of the new Studio will not effect their box-offices. It just means companies are left to fight among themselves for the "scraps" of these particular patrons' support. 

Finally, when it was mentioned that theater companies would rather sell 625 seats instead of 90, there is an underlying message sent to Western New York theaters. Pack the patrons in, put on safe XYZ shows with celebrities or out-of-town talent, and don't spend your money on diverse and/or  unfamiliar works (unless these have been commercially successful elsewhere). 

With all that said, alongside the giddy automated generic responses, some sort of positives takes should be taken from this Lazarus taxon. 

The job creation from the resurrection will mean several folks will find employment as box-office people, lower-teir admin positions or production crews (providing the Local #33 is brought back). 

Having the "lights back up" on 710 adds a nice touch to Main and is crucial to the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo. This boost could mean increased profits for local businesses resulting in an increase of job opportunities for out-of-work waiters, dishwashers, bartenders and pan-handlers. 

Hotels could see an increase in stays as out-of-town performance companies need to house their imported talent for a performance's run. 

And... I'm running out of positives.

Who knows what type of impact this will have on the community? No official studies were made public, no questionnaires were submitted to the community, no polls, no input and no plans were to be seen. 

 

Just a solo 2.1 million dollar bid for a building left dark for the last four years. Faith would have us to believe that the business plan put into place to secure that much money would be more than the vague, generic responses to this public announcement. 

Still Anthony Conte is confident with some sort of plan in place to bring Lazarus Arena to the forefront of Buffalo theater, but echoes the gamble of such a venture, "We still will be taking a certain amount of risk." 

No doubt. 

A 2.1 million dollar risk in which the rewards are uncertain? Anyone for a trip to the Seneca waterfront casino. 

C'mon Lazarus, roll a lucky 7. 

Professional: An Overused Adjective?

There are over twenty theaters in the greater Buffalo region and a dozen or more outside the city limits.

For the average theater goer, every weekend they have a choice of attending a theater specializing in juke-box musicals, a theater that focuses on issues surrounding the homosexual community, a theater that presents works to young minds, or among the theatrical diversity, a pro-union theater that doesn't hire equity. 

Plenty of options with something for everyone in this city. 

Yet, with all these choices, a patron could easily become disorientated, confused and in search of some clarity to which theater they should attend. To the rescue comes forth a catchy word issued by Buffalo theater groups to help these poor, lost souls find their way to the right company. 

What is this buzz-word foghorn? 

In a recent interview with Buffalo Spree Online, a director for a local theater company had to say this about a production of Tracy Letts, "He's a very important playwright in American Theater," stating the obvious, "(our production) may be the first professional production of his work in Buffalo." 

Can anyone spot the catch-phrase? 

Try this, "A Professional Theatre at D'Youville College," or this, "A non-for-profit professional musical theatre dedicated to quality musical theatre." Not yet?  Try "Western New York's only professional regional theatre." 

Indeed, the word professional is wielded around like some great tool that separates those theater companies from the lesser-thans, and leads folks through the haze of diversity to their doorstep. By using this bold word, they loudly proclaim, "We pay our actors and therefore our productions are good", and, by golly, the people believe this to be true. 

So.

What is a professional theater? 

Although there are no clear rules outlined in a theater manual, three classifications of professional theater have been defined. The first is amateur theater in which the actor does not get paid, the second is semi-professional theater in which the actor does get paid but not to union scale, and the third is professional theater in which all involve get union pay-scale or are of Actors Equity Association (AEA) and Local Stagehand #33. 

The last Buffalo theater that hired mainly union and belonged to the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) closed its door when Studio Arena filed for bankruptcy in March 2008. 

Based on the definition above, evidence points out that Buffalo theaters are semi-professional and, regardless if they pay an actor $1,000 or $10 a show or hire one AEA member and pay the rest a lower scale, the lack of an union pay-scale (including payment for rehearsal time) places them at this classification. 

Then is this use of professional misleading? 

There is the argument that the use of professional indicates a commitment to bringing a sense of quality performances to the stage because those who are on stage have the drive and passion to be actors. The pay justifies their dedication to the craft. In turn, the production benefits from this professional commitment. 

Others use the argument that when a actor professes his or her belief in what they are doing, this defines them in the true sense of the word. In turn, this is what makes them a professional.

AEA and Local 33 says a professional is someone who gets union scale. 

The definition of professional is broken down into several explanations. Two definitions that stand out list professional as being "following an occupation as paid job: engaged in an occupation as a paid job rather than a hobby," or to be "very competent: showing a high degree of skill or competence." 

A third definition can indicate what most theaters mean by being professional, "Businesslike: conforming to the standards of skill, competence, or character normally expected of a properly qualified and experienced person in a work environment-'professional attitude'." 

Ultimately, whatever label is used really doesn't matter. What's in a name? Five years ago not one company spelled theater with an "er" and now there are at least three that do so. 

Does the spelling effect what is presented on stage? Absolutely not. 

What matters is the leading of people through this saturated haze of theater diversity by labeling the work presented on stage as professional. This label creates a way of separating one theater from another by having patrons assume that because the work is define as such, this is the type of performances audience should attend; regardless of what work is presented on stage. 

By using a misleading label to define some sort of pedigree, theaters that use the word professional deceitfully place themselves in a higher position over their peers, and create a comparison grade for audience and media members. This affects box-office sales, theater reviews and the reputation of lesser-known and community-based theater companies. 

Whether or not the quality of works presented could maintain a professional "grade" (as according to the definition), the label should be removed unless companies decide to go completely union and join LORT. 

Of course this is expensive and in this economy placing the professional theater label is a cheaper move.

Despite whatever label is used, what matters is what is presented on stage. If a theater is presenting solid works with solid acting, they can call themselves whatever they want. If an actor feels he/she is doing the best work and is wholly committed to the role and dedicated to the process, then they can call themselves whatever they want. If the tech crew is providing a solid backbone to every production, then they... okay, you get the point. 

Start paying them AEA or Local 33 scale on every production throughout the season, then everyone can claim to be working in a professional theater. 

Matthew LaChiusa is the Executive/Artistic Director for the semi-professional American Rep Theater of WNY, Inc. "Western New York's only professional regional theatre"comes from the now defunct, and Buffalo's only LORT house, Studio Arena.

No Goal; Wide Right; Civic Identity?

Out of the mouths of babes.

Last month as the World Junior Hockey Championships were underway in Buffalo, the Forward for Team America, Emerson Etem, tweeted this about the city, "Buffalo is a ghost town!! The worst city ever, it makes Medicine Hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that."

After this tweet went public and the city and media went ballistic, Etem was prompted to post an apology to his hosting city and the denizens citing weather as a reason why people don't come out.

So the kid said something stupid on a social network site primed for folks who love to blurt stupid things out into public light. My only concern with this is why is a teenage kid worried about his nightlife being exciting when he should be focusing on winning a Gold Medal for his country? Guess it clearly explains why Team America got trounced by the Canadians.

But does Emerson Etem have a point? Does Buffalo give outsiders the impression things close-up at 5:00 PM?

Or is it a matter of the city's and, in greater extent, Erie County's inability to market the vast amount of cultural offerings on any given night, great restaurants & a diverse music scene to visiting folks, regions beyond WNY and even to the people who call this town home?

I recall a conversation I had with a couple from Central New York. They were staying at the same bed and breakfast in Lewiston and over a wonderful breakfast we began to chat about the Shaw Fest theater offerings and how they enjoyed coming to Lewistown for the performances, the shopping and the great restaurants.

I never forgot their blank expressions when I asked them if they've ever checked out Buffalo and enjoyed the same amenities provided by the Canadian counterpart.

"We didn't know Buffalo had a theater scene." They said.

"Oh sure!" I said, "We also have some of the best restaurants, great shops and about 18 theaters to choose from." I also mentioned Buffalo attractions including architecture, art galleries and a world-class orchestra.

They innocently replied, "Gosh, we didn't know Buffalo had all that stuff."

Not from the mouth of a babe, not from a cynical homer and not from a myopic Shawphile. This came from an open-minded, older couple who actively seeks cultural destinations.

And, of course, the question then becomes, how many of these couples choose to go to places like Toronto or the Chautauqua Institution because they don't know that Buffalo has all this cultural "stuff"?

There are numerous online resource sites for inquiring tourists including the Buffalo/Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance, Theatre Alliance of Buffalo and several other grass-roots informational websites. Anyone can punch "Cultural Activities in WNY" into Google and will get an assortment of events, so why isn't this doing enough to create that great cultural tourist economic engine for the region?

In most "destination cities", there is a civic identity. This could be a distinct music scene (Austin), food culture (New Orleans) or a vivid Cultural scene (Toronto). Some cities are known to host international festivals that generate millions of tourist's dollars for local businesses. The best of them have all of these distinct qualities roll into one. In turn this identity builds civic pride felt by each resident and aids in the selling of their cities to outsiders.

In the past, Buffalo & Erie County have attempted to create civic pride:

To the most recent Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau video promoting the 2011 National Preservation Convention to be held in Buffalo:

Both presentations do their best in creating feel-good images of Buffalo, and to a certain degree indicate individual pride in a city as well as identifying city qualities, but where do these presentations indicate where Buffalo stands as a community and where the community's passion lies? Eventually begging the question in what does Buffalo truly believe in?

Buffalo has tremendous assets. UB 2020, although may be shelved, is a brilliant plan in creating jobs and supporting a top-notch educational institution, The Medical Campus is world-class with advanced research and the commercial exportation of these medical finds, and even US Congressman Brian Higgins' diligent efforts in creating an engaging and practical Waterfront, contribute to the makeup of this city's positive qualities. But how are these great attributes and many others, including a rich cultural scene, being integrated into the bigger picture and how are these resources being utilized?

That is the multi-million dollar and the good-paying job creation question.

The answer simply may be that all these educational & medical institutions, businesses, cultural groups need to become more interrelated and gain greater appreciation of the value each group provides. This comes from a cohesive message and economic plan that unites & strengthens all of Buffalo civic assets and, ultimately, creates a city identity.

Once this great meeting of all groups occurs and there is an agreed united message with a comprehensive economic plan, then all those feel-good video promotions and informational websites not only generate that elusive tourist dollar but keep that investment in the community for now and future generations.

Isn't that what legacy about?

Otherwise, young hockey players who punch into Google to see what's happening in Buffalo will get this:

Matthew LaChiusa is the Executive/Artistic Director for American Rep Theater of WNY. He is dedicated to the preservation of cultural groups and how they can benefit the community in both civic and economic growth.

Erie County Budget Cuts--In the Heart of Darkness

It has been few interesting months for Erie County cultural groups.

The Evil Erie County Empire swept in and Darth Collins imposed his imperial will on the people of the Creative Class. This overlord proclaimed he was cutting funding and the days of free handouts were over for these groups while those he deemed worthy were saved from his lightsaber cuts to the Erie County budget.

Okay, you get the point.

Anyone involved in the Arts receiving Erie County funding is up in arms to protest this extreme measure and proclaiming that Collins is taking away quality of life and depriving an economic engine of needed resources. The loudest voices are those who have had a longstanding budget dependencies on Erie County funding and now face the daunting task of filling these huge, and potentially crippling, gaps in their own budgets.

Although American Rep Theater of WNY has never received Erie County funding, ART retained allegiance to those who faced these extreme measures as well as shared in disgust with Collins' arrogance in determining which cultural groups were worthwhile or relevant.

As the cries of protest grew louder and calls for unity echoed throughout, it became apparent that those voices who put themselves in a position to be spokespeople for all were actually acting out of self-preservation with an sense of entitlement based on reputation and establishment.

Indeed, in a recent interview on WECK with an artistic director of a reputed theater company, this individual indicated that those established theater of 20 years were committed to the community whereas some unestablished theaters who "parachute in" or are "hit and run" are not.

I was shocked to hear this comment and, in attempt to gain some clarity, wrote this individual only to get a personal attack detailing my lack of being a team player and "sniping from the sidelines". The overall feel of the response was that I lack the experience and insight to see the bigger picture and that my energies should be spent fighting Collins.

Okay, fair enough to sling this, but the issue of explaining what was meant by "hit and run" theaters was never addressed leaving me the impression that the big picture is if your cultural group lacks reputation or is unestablished, shut up, sit down, and support efforts to save the budgets of those who are established.

So what is this big picture?

There's the big picture of government. This country is in one of the worst economic downturns since the 1930's, New York State is broke and local government budgets are stretched to provide the common amenities to the public. In light of this, the Collins cuts are necessary evils in the name of governing.

The idea that a cultural group should be entitled to have their funding restored means Collins would have to close, for example, a Buffalo General Hospital trauma unit in order to do this. Government 101 says restored funding for cultural programs would mean another program would have money cut or eliminated. What serves the County better? BOCES buses for special needs students or an art gallery?

Everyone has to tighten their belts in this current economic condition. The cultural groups are a small fraction of those who are suffering. Libraries are being closed, county workers are being laid-off and parks are being closed because of Erie County budget cuts. Overall, everyone is forced to adapt to these present conditions, and, most importantly, nobody should have a sense of entitlement in these times.

So when a business colleague calls me and tells me "Your people are laying on County Hall steps and there's a Grim Reaper hovering over them. What's up with that?" I shrug it off. "Nothing. Creative folks being creative."

I do not begrudge anyone who makes the effort to express dissent. There is tremendous value in the Arts community having a united front. What makes protest worthwhile is the result and how it achieves that goal. For example, restaurants have seen a 2% growth in this economy, why not petition Erie County restaurants to sponsor one boutique theater and one smaller art gallery per year? Corporate sponsorship of the arts in below national average in Erie County, so why not organize boycotts of businesses that fail to support the arts?

Not sure if holding up small, harmless signs "Stop Cutting Cultural Funding", or wearing Halloween costumes will get Chris Collins to overturn his budget cuts. If anything, it gives those who are outside the Arts another reason not to take us seriously. If the Cultural groups need to come up with a message, it should be an acknowledgement that not one group is entitled to funding because they have reputation or are established.

To say one Cultural group or another helps improve the way of life in Erie County and therefore is entitled to keep its Erie County funding is arrogant and reflects the same judgemental blindness diplayed by Collins.

Trauma units improve the way of life in Erie County and that, for me, is the "bigger picture".

Matthew LaChiusa is the 2009 winner of the Artvoice Awards Emanuel Fried award for Best Original Play, and is the Eexecutive/Artistic Director for American Repertory Theater of WNY.

Four Seasons and Still Kicking

American Repertory Theater of Western New York is proud to be entering into the fourth season and, as the Executive/Artistic Director for the company, I find this to be an amazing accomplishment.

In December 2007, just before ART became an official 501 C3, this country entered into one of the worst economic collapses since the Great Depression. To compound the lack of fiscal resources were accelerated cuts in Federal and State funding of the Arts as well as limited investments by foundations and individuals.

Additionally, it was becoming increasingly apparent that established Cultural 501 C3's were the main focus of the public and private sector investments. Whatever crumbs left over were to be greedily fought over by the less prominent Cultural entities. Newcomers who lacked the history and reputation were left to find progressive ways of generating income without this support.

In this economic climate, Cultural organizations were placed in a Darwinian contest of strength and weakness with the winners being those with the loudest voice and the biggest reputation. Sadly, being the "most fittest" did not amount to being the best in what was presented on stage.

In this vacuum of quality, ART has been able to survive.

ART does not depend on celebrity endorsements to justify their works nor lives off the reputation set forth by one's grandparents to support the works. ART survives because of the dedication of presenting a good story with a careful eye on presentation without trendy gimmicks or pretension.

And this approach seems to be working because despite the lack of government funding, deep-pockets for marketing or generations of subscribers, and with several local nominations and an award for theater excellence, ART is still kicking.

Onto our fourth season!

I am excited about our fourth season because we have chosen to salute the Golden Age of American Television.

Before American TV gave itself over to programming for ratings and not quality, this creative engine produced numerous and endearing American cultural icons as well as some of the most creative American writers and filmmakers in our pop-culture history which has directly influenced characters, TV show themes and films of the late 20th and early 21st century.

ART has chosen to do three works that all differ in style but best capture the essences of the Golden Age of American Television.

The first in the season is an stage adaption of the classic, Sci-Fi meets Morality Play, Twilight Zone entitled Twilight Zone Redux. Adapted by Drew McCabe and co-directed by Kristin Bentley, three classic TWZ stories are rendered for theater presentation with careful attention to the pathos of each characters as well as dedication to the writing style that made these TV shows classic.

Second show of the season is a homage piece to Alfred Hitchcock written by Gary Earl Ross entitled Murder Squared. Mr. Ross does a wonderful job capturing the nuance of the famed suspense writer but also the film-noir of early American TV. Honest and compelling, this piece is right out of the script-rooms of NBC.

The last production of the season features the semi-biographic story of Neil Simon's experiences as a junior writer for the TV variety show, Your Show of Shows, featuring the legendary Sid Caesar. Laughter on the 23rd Floor mixes both the sharp wit of Simon with the all-but-accurate characterisations of famed American writers, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Carl Reiner. Laughter on the 23rd Floor is a comedic, historical insight into American TV during a time when networks began to put ratings over quality.

Overall, this season should be entertaining to say the least. Whether you were able to watch these programs or just a gleam in your grand-father's eyes, this fourth season has something for you.

We'll see you around.

Matthew LaChiusa is the Executive/Artistic Director for American Rep Theater of WNY and is excited to be co-directing with Robert Ball of Ujima Theater with "Murder Squared"