By Lynn Trimble
January 25, 2010
http://rakstagemom.wordpress.com/
My in-box is a wonderful thing. It delivers news of upcoming shows, concerts, exhibits and other arts-related happenings. Monday I got the scoop on the Phoenix Fringe Festival, the Piper Writers Studio at ASU and a new theater company called CloPet Theatr (yup, that’s how they spell it).
I’m always impressed by the diversity of offerings I encounter through the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, which got me wondering: How do venues choose their seasons?
I recently enjoyed a lovely conversation with Cory Baker, director of performing arts for the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, who described the booking process as a full-time job. From a “curatorial point of view,” says Baker, “artistic quality” matters most.
Other things are important too—especially reflecting “what’s going on in the world and across the arts scene.” Baker works to “bring the best of what’s out there in the world” to local audiences, noting that “we can’t all go to China.”
I suspect China came to mind because Shen Wei Dance Arts, a theatrical modern dance company featured during opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will be performing at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 13th.
Baker enjoys fostering others’ interests in cultural diversity, as well as diversity within specific arts genres. It’s not enough to seek a spectacular jazz performer. Baker seeks out different kinds of jazz, jazz music from different regions, jazz musicians whose styles have changed during the course of their careers.
Speaking of the “cultural ecosystem in the Valley,” Baker notes that “some things make sense at certain venues.” Hence she works closely with venues in nearby cities such as Mesa and Chandler (each of whom work to assure they’re also protecting local artists).
Baker views performing arts venues as wonderful resources in our own back yard for “getting a view of what’s going on in the world.” The best seasons, it seems, are artistically and culturally diverse.
I asked Baker about trends in performing arts programming, wondering what changes the industry might be seeing in light of tough economic times and increasing competition from electronic forms of entertainment.
“In the future,” she says, “there will be more family programming.” We’ll also see more “audience participation and engagement.”
Baker predicts more open rehearsals (something we’ve enjoyed with Ballet Arizona), more opportunities to take classes and more talk-back style sessions with performing artists (something we’ve enjoyed with Childsplay).
“The old days of people sitting in a chair and watching are gone,” reflects Baker. Today’s patrons want to “read it, try it, text it.” People are feeling the need to “go deeper,” she says—something best accomplished using a “community center” model.
Programmers need to know their audience. Baker is thrilled with Scottsdale audiences, describing them as “open, trusting, sophisticated and willing to take a chance.” She enjoys engaging the community with performances that are diverse and “push the boundaries.”
Baker describes her gig as a bit of a juggling act. When audiences love a performer, they’re eager for his or her return—yet they’re also eager for new experiences. She works to balance the “return of beloved artists” with the introduction of “the very best of the new and innovative.”
So how do folks like Baker know what’s out there and what’s worth booking? “Seeing works,” she says, “is the best way to evaluate them.” With arts organizations facing cutbacks, like so many other sectors, it’s not always possible for programmers to see artists first.
Hence Baker has stacks and stacks of videos, DVDs and such—and enjoys sharing them with fellow professionals over lunch. In January she attends the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York.
For touring productions, various venues often coordinate their schedules to hold down both their own expenses and those of the artists. Organizations such as California Presenters and the Western Arts Alliance help artists and venues connect, and help venues pool resources to bring performers from other countries to neighboring regions.
There’s a “scientific side” to the enterprise as well. Once a venue has a pool of possible artists, they have to “whittle down” based on who is available when, which artists are the best match for their venue (a large production won’t work on a tiny stage, for example) and what makes sense economically.
Baker describes the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts as a “small, intimate space” ideal for jazz musicians, solo piano performance, small scale theater, one person shows and modern dance. (This list isn’t exhaustive—you’ll see plenty of other things there as well.)
I gave Baker the opportunity to brag a bit about their venue. (Yes—I invite the rest of you to call and do the same.) She noted that it’s centrally located and features several restaurants and outdoor features that make for a fun destination. She’s also proud to be part of a “multi-disciplinary environment” promoting both the visual and performing arts.
I wondered, as we spoke, what a career in arts programming might be like. My 18-year-old Jennifer, an ASU anthropology major and history buff (like her father) has been considering career options in settings such as museums, libraries and arts centers.
I asked Baker how she got involved in arts programming—and learned she originally came to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts as a visual artist, beginning in the marketing department then working as a development coordinator for the Scottsdale Cultural Council. Artists (including my daughters) are a multi-talented bunch.
Baker notes that many programmers are artists who don’t go the full-time professional route or explore arts administration after ending dance careers or other artistic endeavors that present the best windows of opportunity to the very young.
Art students take note: “Programming is a wide open field. We’re not getting a lot of people coming up in this field.”
Is it too late for me to enlist?
–Lynn
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