LOOKING FORWARD: Armina LaManna
LOOKING FORWARD: THE FUTURE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS IN L.A.
INTERVIEW: Armina LaManna
Founding Artistic Director Imagine Theatre
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
Now almost a year into the ongoing pandemic our fond memories of live entertainment seem to be waning—and too much so for my liking. Just like that rare blue moon we saw this Halloween, the ancient ritual of live theatre is now deemed rare and magical—an artifact of the “before times”. Even so, if we take a moment and tune out the din of social media, the news, our own inner anxieties and frustrations, I know we can recall, maybe even find hope in, our memories from the “before times”. The feeling of eagerly sitting in a full theatre as the lights begin to dim. The sound of an orchestra tuning moments before they play a majestic downbeat. The smell of popcorn wafting around a movie theatre like tasty electricity. The restless anticipation of waiting in the wings before making your first entrance on stage. The sound of applause that roars in a venue like thunder that means no harm. You see these memories are not dreams—they were real. And whenever these memories start to get fuzzy all we need to do is take the time to summon them, thus reminding ourselves that they will return.
In the spirit of looking forward, what’s next for live entertainment? Broadway has announced its return for June 2021—well what about L.A. and the rest of the world? When will we be able to appreciate the performing arts in person again? That date remains to be seen. Accordingly, what have performing arts organization been doing since the shutdown? How has this impacted them both now and in the future? In the next couple of weeks, I will be publishing interviews with artistic directors of various performing arts organizations in L.A. and they will answer these questions and many more. In this Tin Pan L.A. exclusive Armina LaManna, Founding Artistic Director Imagine Theatre, tells us about the future of theatre for her organization and the steps they are taking to keep it alive.
What was your fondest memory of live theatre by your organization before the pandemic?
It’s the student matinees. Those shows when the audience was almost entirely made up of elementary school-age kids. Their voices, presence, full commitment to the story on stage, their uncensored reactions, and their willingness to believe in magic wholeheartedly is what makes live theatre so wonderful.
How has the COVID pandemic impacted your organization and its current programming?
With the exception of our virtual presentation of last year’s production of The Tale of Turandot, Imagine Theatre will now be focusing on the expansion of our nonprofit theatre’s infrastructure, board, and operations. We have also commissioned local artists to create content for when we return to live programming post pandemic. As you can imagine, our individual and corporate giving stream has dried up almost entirely. The impact of this has been disenfranchising, to say the least. We don’t anticipate returning to live programming until 2022.
How can audience communities best support its theatre companies during and after this pandemic?
I urge those who are in a position to help theatres to seek out those companies that are known for supporting their artists (by paying them wages). Make donations or join their boards or advisory boards, become champions of their missions. As I like to say it, set the stage for tomorrow by playing your part today. There are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of artists who are completely out of work and will remain so for a long time. So this is the time to support arts organizations that take care of their artists and vote for candidates that support the arts through the power of the legislature.
Even with the ongoing pandemic and its unforeseeable end, what excites your organization most about the return of live theatre/events?
We cannot wait to welcome kids and their grown ups back into our theatre. That longing to hear the kids fill our seats and to hear their laughter and their reactions is our light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. We are working hard to create the next two shows that will go up live in our 2022/23. But we also must prepare ourselves for the possibility that there may be another global outbreak, so we must be ready with content that can serve our audience and community while live performance is at intermission.
What type of new work is your company looking for to best serve the city’s diverse performers, and audiences while upholding your company’s mission?
From the get-go, our commitment was to new work that spotlights female heroes and is derived from Los Angeles’ rich cultural fabric, all while hiring professional local stage artists and designers. Our inaugural production was about a young Chinese princess who fought to have control over how her life unfolds. In fact, that is the production that will be virtually streamed this month on November 14, 15, 21, 22 at 4PM. Our shows are dedicated to elementary school-age kids. Theatrical storytellers are the purveyors of empathy and empathy is something that must be taught and reinforced at a young age.
Is virtual theatre a tool that is more of the moment or will it stick around for a while? Is this something your organization is utilizing? If so, what are some of its advantages and disadvantages?
Our last production was seen by almost 1,200 kids. That’s not counting their grown up and educators. The connection that those kids made to artists and the art itself through that live shared experience is priceless. It cannot be replaced by anything else. The live experience, however, is not a possibility right now, and yet we cannot put our mission aside. This is why we are making our last year’s production available to audiences for free virtually this month. The Tale of Turandot will stream 4 times for two weekends on November 14, 15, 21, 22 at 4PM PST. The show’s main target audience is elementary school-aged kids. We will professionally tape all our future productions to create an archive that would be accessible by educators and also by the public should, world forbid, another pandemic sweep the world.
What does the notion of equitable theatre mean to your organization? How is this idea reflected in your organization’s mission or programming?
A commitment to a diverse leadership and artist force was made the moment we had the idea to create our company. Administratively, 60% our board of directors is made up of women, and 60% are also immigrants. Artistically, we tell stories that come directly from the diverse cultural fabric of our county. In addition, these stories spotlight female heroes with the hope of inspiring girls to aspire and teaching boys to value parity in society. This female forward attitude, if you will, was a large part of the inspiration behind the creation of Imagine Theatre. Last year’s production – which is the one streaming later this month – had a Chinese heroine; our 2022/23 season features plays about an Armenian peasant who becomes the Queen and then a Warrior, and rescues the whole kingdom; and one about a young African girl who invents the stars. We have committed to producing new work that is relevant to modern-day kids’ lives and better represents them on the stage.
Imagine Theatre
UPCOMING: The Tale of Turandot
STREAMING DATES:
Saturdays and Sunday – November 14th, 15th, 21st, and 22nd @ 4PM
STREAMING TICKET: Free
WEBSITE: https://imaginetheatreca.org/productions?preview=true
OTHER LOOKING FORWARD INTERVIEWS:
caryn desai, artistic director/producer of International City Theatre
