LOOKING FORWARD: MUSICAL THEATRE GUILD
LOOKING FORWARD: THE FUTURE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS IN L.A.
INTERVIEW: MUSICAL THEATRE GUILD
PAUL WONG
Member the Committee of 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 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 Paul Wong, member of the committee of Artistic Directors of Musical Theatre Guild, tells us about the future of theatre for their organization and the steps they are taking to keep it alive.
What do you think the “new normal” of LA theatre will look like in let’s say in the next one to two years?
Theatre productions in large theatres, with large crowds in close proximity for prolonged periods of time, are among the highest risk events for Covid spread, and as such will likely be among the last events to be able to reopen. If the current projections of widespread availability of an effective vaccine by the middle of 2021 comes to pass, then it’s possible that theatre productions could start to reopen within a few months after that, although if vaccine skepticism prevents a large portion of the public from taking it, it might take longer to control the virus. I think getting back to what was normal pre pandemic is likely in 1-2 years, although I think it may be closer to the two year mark.
Once theatre is allowed to open how will the ideal notion of physical distancing have an impact on your future seasons (programming, scale etc.)
Physical distancing is more problematic for theatre than it is for film and TV where distancing can be disguised by editing. Both for the actors, with prolonged rehearsal periods in person and for audiences, who sit in close proximity for long periods of time, physical distancing is not as effective or even as possible. A good analogy is indoor cigarette smoking. Even if you’re a good distance from the source of the smoke, eventually you smell it because it spreads throughout the air over time. Likewise, a person being in a theatre for 2 hours can get exposed to the virus if there is someone in the room breathing it into the air. Distancing will help, but it may not be enough to prevent significant exposure and spread. I suspect it’s going to take an effective vaccine delivered to a great portion of the population to control the virus enough to be able to do theatre again. The virus will eventually go away, just like the Spanish Flu of 1918-20 did too, but an effective vaccine will make it go away faster and with a lot less loss of life.
How has the COVID pandemic impacted your organization and its current programming?
We are unable to do our usual live performing with an audience present. Until that is safely possible, we are doing virtual performances online.
Do you have any words of hope for the performing artist community (actors, musicians, dancers etc.) that are mostly out of work at the moment?
The vaccine trials show great promise and it looks like widespread availability is likely in the first half of 2021 so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
How can audience communities best support its theatre companies during and after this pandemic?
We welcome any Donations at any time and we will welcome our audiences back to the theatre as soon as it is safe after the pandemic.
Even with the ongoing pandemic and it’s unforeseeable end, what excites your organization most about the return live theatre/events?
Sometimes it takes losing something to realize how much it means. I think the lack of live theatre/events has reminded us all on both sides of the footlights how much we miss live performances and people will have a real hunger for it when we are able to return.
Do you have any words of hope or advice to the writers’ community that are mostly out of work at the moment or struggling to create?
Theatre will be back and when it is, we will need your work more than ever. It is said that great art is born of great suffering, so that being the case, we should have really great new works to do after all this is over.
Theatre in NYC is said to open in June 2021. Do you think this date is the same for theatre in Los Angeles?
The June 2021 date is provisional (and has been pushed back over time) and may still be a little optimistic, although I would love to be wrong. Whatever date that winds up being, I think it will be similar for Los Angeles and across the country.
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?
I think it is mostly a tool of the moment. Nothing compares to the real time interaction between live performers and an audience. Yes, it’s at least some way of staying engaged with our patrons and supporters until we can do live in person performances again.
Following the movement of diversifying theater is the idea of making theater affordable to essential workers a priority? How do you think this be achieved without driving theatres in to the red?
We at MTG seek to bring lesser known and performed works to as wide an audience as possible. To this end we have educational outreach programs to local schools that offer students free or greatly discounted tickets to our shows. We also participate with discount sites such as Gold Star. We particularly want to reach ethnic communities that have traditionally not been as well represented on either side of the footlights and are working to change that.
Economically, what do you think it’s going to take for theatre, particularly non-profit theater to re-emerge?
I can’t think of any theatre short of the blockbuster Broadway hits that support their budgets on ticket sales alone. We all survive on donations but that may be in shorter supply with the economic toll of the pandemic. Corporate sponsors, grants and government support for the arts is essential to maintaining a healthy artistic community.
In line with the movement of diversifying theater, how can theaters 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?
Increasing diversity in artistic teams and in our casts will avail us to more diverse perspectives in story presentation, even among the classics.
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?
Making theatre relevant to a wider, more diverse community will allow both a more diverse vibrant artistic expression and a new larger audience pool to support theatre. That can include casting a wider net for works that speak to a wider more diverse audience as well as rethinking old traditional works in new and innovative ways.
What does the notion of equitable theatre mean to your organization? How is this idea reflected in your organization’s mission or programing?
Seeking and welcoming artists and audiences of all backgrounds. We strive to be open to non traditional casting. It’s an ongoing work in progress.
OTHER LOOKING FORWARD INTERVIEWS:
JULIE BERSANI & MALCOLM BARRETT, Co-Artistic Directors Ammunition Theatre Company
caryn desai, Artistic Director/Producer of International City Theatre
