Rocklin Shakespeare began as an idea in 2005 to start an annual Summer Shakespeare Festival in Johnson-Springview Park. The idea was realized in the summer of 2006 when we premiered our first production: William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing. From 2006-2010 we produced five Shakespearean productions and premiered two new plays. Our goals throughout that time were to create a fun and secure space in which artists and actors could experiment with their craft, to stimulate collaboration through the support of a cohesive ensemble of players and to bring the fruit of our labors to the widest audience available by offering free admission.
Though we always achieved these goals, alone they did nothing to keep us economically sustainable. Recent budget cuts to the city of Rocklin have forced changes to our previous arrangements with the Department of Parks and Recreation. The monetary needs of the department have necessitated many new charges and fees in order for the Shakespeare in the Park program to continue. Based on our current budget, I found that we do not have the ability to pay the new charges and fees required to produce free Shakespeare in the Park for 2011. With a rather large fan base and following, community fund raising may have allowed us to pay the new fees; however, I felt it would be irresponsible to spend the community’s money to maintain a specific venue when more affordable options may be available.
With this in mind, I have to announce that the Shakespeare in the Park program is on hiatus but I would like to emphasize that Rocklin Shakespeare is still alive and well. This situation should not be viewed as an ending but as a new beginning---one that I am very excited about.
A New Beginning:
The great boon of Rocklin Shakespeare’s current hiatus is that it allows us a chance at introspection. Admittedly, I have known about these fee increases for several months but I did not wish to go public with the news until I had a clearer vision for the future of Rocklin Shakespeare. During the past few months I’ve researched California non-profit law, devoured economic studies and blogs focusing on arts institutions, learned about inspiring new theater models, talked to local non-profits in the area about partnering and even got personal advice from some of the most respected experts in the field.
My findings during these months of research have helped me to discover the kind of art that I want Rocklin Shakespeare to produce today. They have also sharpened my perception of what value Rocklin Shakespeare’s previous work has contributed to the community and, in addition to that, what we can do in the future to have more impact than ever before.
The fact remains that our country is in a recession, that funding to granting institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts (as well as to state, county and community grant programs) has been slashed. We have to face the reality that most people have less money to spend on things they would consider extras or luxuries and that many lump “going to the theater” into these categories. It’s time for us to evaluate the validity of these claims. We need to decide if the theater we produce is relevant and essential to our community. If, at present, it is not, we need to determine the changes required to make it so.
This blog will serve as a think tank for that very premise. We’ll need to take a hard look at the status quo of theater in our area, including (and especially) our own previous work. By conducting scientific research to back up our theories and opinions, I believe we’ll reach the most accurate and unbiased conclusions for the state of our community theater.
The importance of these findings is that they will allow us to develop new practices for creating theater that is not only relevant but essential to our community. To be scientific and accurate, however, we’ll need to make sure these practices are documented like any experiment: with full transparency. By coupling the documentation of our experiments with critical analysis, one of the goals of this blog is to create a resource for community theater makers across the country.
About Links on This Blog:
I hope this blog inspires theater makers in other communities to publish their own research and development findings so that we can all learn from one another. If your blogs already exist, please send me an e-mail with the link and I will follow up with you about how I can include it on this site.
By facilitating a dialogue that allows for a scientific approach to evaluating the impact of our art, I hope to also create more transparency about the best practices in theater today. However, it is crucial that we understand that one model will never “rule them all.” At Rocklin Shakespeare we will search for the best practices for our individual community, but our links will be categorized to help others determine the best practices listed in places most like their own.
Ideally links on this blog will be able to provide information on practices in rural areas, urban areas and everything in-between. I would love to hear from high school theaters, college theaters and their independent, student-led theater groups as well so that we may perceive where our soon-to-be-emerging arts leaders will be coming from. I also welcome a broad variation of models: some may be incorporated non-profit organizations, others will be clubs, and others may be programs that work in partnership with existing civic and service-oriented groups, etc. No matter who you are, it is likely that someone of the same size, model or demographic exists and will benefit from learning about your experience.
Pay Attention to Blog Labels:
Not all blogs will report on the progress of current projects (which I like to nickname "experiments"). I will be writing a great deal of pieces with the label "Idea Blog." Idea Blogs will present an idea or viewpoint for further discussion, but might not stem from strict scientific observation. As a rule, I will try to label the blogs as clearly as possible so that site navigation is quick and easy.
Looking forward to an exciting new beginning!
Dani Loebs
Rocklin Shakespeare
Director
Image of champagne bottle being smashed for ship's christening courtesy of Stock Illustration Source.
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