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The Artists’ Way

Posted on April 23rd, 2009 by Travis Bedard

There is a very active discussion going on at Scott Walter’s Theatre Ideas about the artist’s responsibility. It is a broad ranging discussion spawned from a discussion on Offending the Audience.

I didn’t hop into the discussion because it got hostile quickly, and because honestly? I’m not sure I don’t reject the premise.

What is the Carpenter’s responsibility?
Start with: What kind of carpenter?
Aesthetic or framer?
Boutique or KB Homes?

What kind of artist? Where? When? Constituency?

I’m not arguing that artists don’t have a responsibility.
They do. I’m saying that there is no general catchall Responsibility that we need to adhere to aside from not sucking. If you want me to swear a Hippocratic Oath to not suck? You’re on.

What I offer instead is what MY responsibility is to my theatre community, and the broader Austin community (aside from not sucking).

I have a responsibility:

  1. To make the best theatre I can.
    Not the best theatre I can for the money, not “Don’t Suck”. To make the highest quality professional level theatre I can make, regardless of pay or resources. 
    a.) Don’t cut corners
  2. To be a good steward of the resources I have.
    Human and financial. Do not take advantage of those who choose to work with me.
  3. To provide value for my investors.
    Whether that’s City grants, corporate investors, or individual donations. Though you’re not traditional business investors, I have a responsibility not to squander what I’m given.
  4. To maintain and increase my knowledge.
    If I am a professional continuing ed is a given.
  5. To connect to the Austin community
    What is my/our place here in the broader sense?
  6. To connect with and support the Austin theatre community.
    To better fill the gaps that I can in what this community is producing, to not replicate effort (or dear lord – programming), and to allow my skills to be used to their “full-out extent”.
  7. To pursue my goals without ego.
    (As little ego as possible, I’m human)
    Recognition comes from quality and consistency.
    Do the work.

I don’t know about content, not so far as specific responsibility. The audience votes on my content every time I open a show. I think I prefer that to me  making content decisions based on what I think they want.

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Tags: Uncategorized // View Comments

  • I've stayed on the sidelines of that particular discussion as well, though I have found it interesting to read. But I do want to pick up a thread of yours, Travis, cuz you are using a phrase I also use and which keeps me focused on my role and responsibility in the theater: the responsibility to be a good steward of resources. I have framed it for myself as being "an effective steward of the cultural resources under my care". And these are many different sorts of resources: I work for a theater with financial resources, with human resources, with visibility resources, with artistic resources etc. I have developed a large network of relationships in the field and have a position through the NEA NPDP program that puts me in regular communication with many more. ALL of this is my responsibility to effectively deploy on behalf of the form, the field, the artists and the audiences. It's not a heavy thing, though it sounds like it when I write it down. It's a helpful thing to remember that these resources are precious, somewhat fragile, and belong to the general public-- I work for a 501 (c) 3, after all. There's a lot of people in our field who approach it this way. We just don't talk about it directly or loudly, but it's great to see it in your list.
  • Thanks Travis. A reminder of what we do and for whom.
  • walt828
    Obviously I disagree. And I would disagree with your premise concerning a carpenter as well. That kind of specialization and compartmentalization, to my mind, is at the center of the crisis that our approach to living has created. I believe that all of us, first as human being and second as members of our individual communities, have a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of the world. This line -- "The audience votes on my content every time I open a show" -- could have been written by Adam Smith or Milton Friedman. There is something larger that artists do than simply providing a product, something deeper and more important to the soul of our audience. We can continue to ignore that, and define our work in terms of products and sales, or we can accept that noble and important work and begin trying to enhance and enrich the lives of our fellow men and of our world.
  • walt828
    P.S. The audience can only vote thumbs up or thumbs down on what you provide. If there are no alternatives, then all they will know is what you provide them. Everytime you choose one play over another, you are making content decisions based on what you think they want. The question is whether you have a philosophy underlying those choices, or alternately have a solipsistic approach (if I like it, they will like it) or marketing approach (they liked X last time, and this is a lot like X). Ultimately, my argument boils down to a simple statement: it's not about you.
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