LOOKING FORWARD: COEURAGE ENSEMBLE

INTERVIEW: JOSEPH V. CALARCO & AMANDA MCRAVEN

CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

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 last 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.

Amanda McRaven

In the spirit of looking forward, what’s next for live entertainment? Broadway has announced its return for Fall 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 months, 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 Joseph V. Calarco & Amanda McRaven, Co-Artistic Directors for Coeurage Ensemble tell us about the future of theatre for their organization and the steps they are taking to keep it alive.

What is your fondest memory of live theatre by your organization before the pandemic?

Joseph V. Calarco: My fondest memory was our original production of Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins. It was such a wonderful example of our artistic philosophies being masterfully utilized by an outside director and taught us so much.

“The Secret in the Wings.” 2017. Photo by John Klopping

What do you think the “new normal” of LA theatre will look like in the next one to two years?

J.V.C: It’s really tough to say on a local level, but I think major evolutions are afoot for the medium as a whole. Live performance organizations all over the world are going to begin to incorporate and experiment with emerging media in new and fascinating ways.

How has the COVID pandemic impacted your organization and its current programming?

J.V.C: We were lucky in a sense, because we were already in the midst of a big transition in artistic leadership. We avoided having a season to cancel, so we essentially cocooned for a year to begin to address our own issues with systemic racism and reorient ourselves artistically for current realities.

“A Bright Room Called Day.” 2013. Photo by Kevin McShane.

Since your organization accepts/develops new theatre works (plays and musicals), what type of work is your company looking for to best serve the city’s diverse performers, and audiences while upholding your company’s mission?

Amanda McRaven: New plays, musicals, immersive pieces by writers of color based in Los Angeles. Help us to tell stories of here and now.

“Under Milk Wood.” 2019. Photo by John Klopping

In line with the movement of diversifying theatre, how can theatres and educators find ways to take a second look at classics by writers of the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and other works by BPIOC writers?

A.M.: Do the work. It’s not hard. Real social change requires THE EFFORT OF WHITE PEOPLE. Recognize that “the canon” is a colonial document. Throw it out. Program a season with no white authors.

What kind of changes in theatre-making and business do you feel need to happen in Los Angeles given both the political climate and the ongoing pandemic?

A.M.: STOP SIDELINING THE STORIES OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND LATINX writers. Stop doing plays written for New York audiences. Do plays that feel like plays, not TV shows on a stage. We have the potential to be a huge live art powerhouse. Let’s embrace that, finally.