My goodness... Look at their grass!

The last three weeks have been, to say the least, hectic. Consequently, I have been only sporadically updating Arts Journalist, much to furious emails.

The disgrace of this is that I have been flat out when there has been a fantastic debate raging between London, New York and Melbourne about the role of critics. It has been a fantastic tussle, and as you all probably know, started when Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre gave critics a spray in The Times calling them 'dead white males'.

It appears that he was quite aggrieved at the state of criticism in the UK, particularly by, you guessed it, older white men. In particular, he felt that they were being a disservice to the industry particularly towards female directors.

This little article took off like Errol Flynn, flew smack into the side Michael Billington at the Guardian, which then ricocheted off Lyn Gardner also at the Guardian. The tremors spread through the net and the theatre blogs all jumped in the pond together with George Hunka in the US having a splash, swiftly followed by Andrew Field jumping in while Alison Croggon stood on the side clapping her hands in glee and egging them all on! Encore Magazine got amongst the fray as well and then David Eldgridge and finally the UK's Telegraph jumped in and sprayed a bit of water.

It has been marvellous. Then to top it all off, Michael Billington recalls a carpark encounter with Hytner, where they air their opinions once again.

On this side of the fence, I can only salivate at the mouth that these types of empassioned responses happen at all. This has got to be one of the most beautiful examples of how the Internet has pressed forward theatrical discussion, where blogs and opinion pieces blend together creating a symphonic debate that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

I am going to get parochial with Alison Croggon and point my bloggy finger at the Sydney Morning Herald and say, 'where are you?!' They are barely able to update their blog, which has now been gathering dust for two months now and the silence of the industry and the critics in Sydney has been deafening.

One could suggest that maybe mainstream criticism in Sydney is not a problem. That is certainly true in the sense that there is essentially only two newspapers that provide criticism and therefore it makes the debate null and void, but there are increasingly worrying things happening down at Darling Park, particularly online.

It now appears that the broadsheet Sydney Morning Herald is gradually doing less and less independent theatre and performance reviews while generally maintaining constant coverage of the institutional offerings with their larger budgets. What the Sydney Morning Herald online then does, to appear a lot more comprehensive than they actually are, is use the reviews of Jason Blake in the sister Sunday paper, The Sun Herald on their website. This is the equivalent of the Guardian using The Observer's reviews as their own.

No, the debate about gender and age in criticism hasn't even entered Sydney.

Is it any wonder?



Image: myopera.com

Panel Beating

One of the blogs I pop into regularly is Histriomastix. It's an excellent way of keeping up with the news, events and gossip of the theatre industry in New York.

Hosted by David Cote, a critic and magazine editor for all the good publications in that end of town, the blog often talks of the theatre forums that he takes part in and reports on.

In fact, they have a series of them coming up which tackle a range of issues including: Next Generation Critics; Theatre, the Media and Blogs; Why Theatre Still Matters; and The subscriber and the season (How audiences are killing the theatre).

My mind boggles at the opportunity. Imagine a Woody Allen street scape, a winter wind blows, you grab your duffel coat and scarf and catch the subway to some little theatre on the edge of 42nd street. You have a good, healthy and passionate discussion, then walk to the nearest bar and de-brief.

The closest thing that we have to forums are the occasional ones put on by Currency House. Company B also hosts the Philip Parsons Memorial Lecture and the Sydney Festival has talks with international guests at the Mint in January. And each of the events is always packed out.

What is needed in Sydney is the opportunity for these discussion to happen regularly. The rarity of the events means that when they do happen, issues get washed over and the amount that needs to be said gets pushed aside. The topic area is often too broad and discussion gets lost.

Coming face-to-face with your comrades, the critics, the managers, the financiers and the columnists and having regular discussions reflecting on the industry and where the issues surrounding its existence would have a positive effect that would open up the passion and honesty of its members.

People would become more accustomed to being constructive, critical and considerate and not so precious of their opinions. It would open the industry up and make it more accessible on so many different levels.

Just for a moment imagine. The call is put out - we are going to have a chat about - let's say - The subscriber and the season. It's a Monday night. Belvoir Street is dark and agree to host the event. We put the call out and get the heads of a couple of theatre companies together. Throw in some writer from a newspaper and maybe some accountant who works behind the theatre scene. Add some visiting director or producer that has flown in from Auckland or Singapore or Berlin and set the watch.

And like a good episode of Donahue, get someone to run around with a microphone in their hand and get people to put forward their point in an atmosphere of universal goodwill.

I agree that it is better to act than talk, but in an environment where everyone is a little scared and a little intimidated, it could be inspired and open up a world of possibility and healthier industry overall.





Image (top): Nataliedee
Image (bottom): Phil Donahue, courtesy Wikipedia

Where it all began...

In light of Rob Brookman's email, I have had a few people this weekend asking me where the quote at the top of my site comes from.

In December 2005, I penned an article entitled Sydney Theatre Company - Not for profit even with a Hollywood star. The origins of the article arose out of a small news item in Sydney's Sun Herald newspaper which was publicising the fact that the STC were seeking an additional $20,000 to tour their production of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler to New York.

At the time, I was applying for a New Work grant through the Australia Council for the amount of $20,000. For anyone that has been through a New Work application form, you will understand the gravity of the situation.

Primarily, however, I didn't understand why the Sydney Theatre Company was taking a Norwegian play to New York. And secondly, I didn't understand why they were touring it if they couldn't afford to do it.

So I decided to do some research into exactly how much money the STC receives. I ordered their financial reports for the previous three financial years, researched the allocation they received through AMPAG and I went through Australian Associated Press and Sydney Morning Herald archives to see company announcements and financial statements.

Eventually, I wrote an opinion piece questioning the tour of Hedda Gabler, based on two beliefs; it should have been an Australian play they were touring and secondly that with the funding, subscriber base and sponsorship partnerships, they should be able to co-ordinate a tour that breaks even.

Within 24 hours of publication, Rob Brookman responded to my piece.

I opened his response up, which was published on the same website. As General Manager of the STC, he has every right and responsibility to defend his company's actions, but what was most amazing about his response was the tone he used.

I have worked for a lot of media organisations, read statements, defences, press releases, but never had I read the type of response that Rob Brookman had given.

His tone was bitter, sarcastic and cynical. His opening paragraph really set the mood:
I am sure that the Sun Herald will be delighted to see that Nicholas Pickard clearly regards it as a concise and reliable source of information as it would seem that their brief report on our fund-raising drive for the New York season of Hedda Gabler is all he needs by way of research in order to reel off a couple of pages of misplaced and divisive assertions.

And of course, the response also included the now infamous response sitting at the top of this page.

As you can see from his other correspondence to me on Friday, nothing much has changed. Is that the type of behaviour expected of a man who represents a state funded cultural institution? Is he really representing his organisation in the most appropriate light? Would you expect Geoff Dixon to behave like this publicly?

Interestingly, I have written three articles about the STC. The first one was about Hedda Gabler, the second was about their Wharf2Loud programme and the third was about Earth Hour.

The one about Hedda Gabler elicited immediate responses from Rob Brookman who accused me of being 'unqualified'. The article about Earth Hour elicited the sarcastic response 'great to see that you're keeping up your impeccable journalistic standards by failing to contact me about Earth Hour...'

The article I wrote about Wharf2Loud which was extremely complimentary about the STC elicited absolutely no response. No questions about journalistic standards. No sarcastic remarks and no retribution from him.

What is even more amazing is that Rob Brookman and I have never met and this is only the second contact we have ever had.

The question really is, what on earth is going on down at the Wharf?

It is my belief that the answer can be found at the end of his response to my Hedda Gabler story:
To paraphrase that favourite street-march cry: "The theatre, united, will have a slightly smaller chance of being defeated."

What ever you do, don't rock the boat, don't question the STC and whatever you do, don't question their decisions - creative or otherwise.

It's extraordinary behaviour really.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can read my article Sydney Theatre Company- Not for profit even with a Hollywood Star here.
You can read Rob Brookman's response here.
And my article about Wharf2Loud here.

Theatre Industry Ignores Earth Hour part 2

UPDATE:

We have had some success since posting Theatre Industry Ignores Earth Hour.

The Technical Manager at the Darlinghurst Theatre Company contacted us. They are now turning off non essential power and using the evening to provide information to audiences about green power.

It's great to also hear that the STC is also getting involved.
I received the below email from Rob Brookman, General Manager of the Sydney Theatre Company.

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Rob Brookman"
To: "Nicholas Pickard"
Subject: Earth Hour
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:39:20 +1100

Dear Nicholas,

Gosh how flattering that you have chosen to quote me out of context on your mast head. Famous at last!

And great to see that you're keeping up your impeccable journalistic standards by failing to contact me about Earth Hour before springing into print suggesting that we are not participating (which we are).

Among other things we'll be delaying the start of The Season At Sarsaparilla until 8.30pm so that we may observe Earth Hour which we fully and enthusiastically support.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you would ever like accurate information about the STC and its activities in the future.

Feel free to publish this on your site if you so choose.

Regards,

Rob Brookman

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


I thanked the General Manager for his email, and expressed delight that the STC were getting involved in Earth Hour.

For the benefit of my readers, my research for the Earth Hour story included ringing each of the theatre companies and venues. In each case I contacted the Box Office, assuming that they would be providing the appropriate information for subscribers, patrons and members fo the general public. I also went through the Earth Hour website to see whether any theatre had registered on the website.
None had done so, apart from the Sydney Opera House.

I contacted, as well as the Sydney Theatre Company, Company B, Sydney Opera House, Glen Street Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Darlinghurst Theatre, Capitol Theatre and Parramatta Riverside.

I took the liberty of typing their responses to the question which I produce below:

Question - Is your theatre involved with or doing anything on March 31 for Earth Hour?

Company B - We are in the process of working something out.

Sydney Opera House - There have been no instructions and there is nothing on the system, so you can assume that they won't be.

Seymour Centre - No, not that I am aware.

Glen Street - No we are not.

Sydney Theatre Company - No. No. They wouldn't do anything like that.

Ensemble - Our present show is starting at 8.30pm.

Darlinghurst Theatre Company - We are in the process of discussing it and working something out.

Capitol Theatre - No, our Chinese New Year Spectacular starts at 7.30.

Parramatta Riverside - Because we are in the middle of the Comedy Festival, we are turning off all non-essential power including outdoor signage, computers and any non-essential lighting.

Theatre Industry Ignores Earth Hour

Theatre has always had a strong belief in social inquiry and change. Plays and performances, particularly in the post-war era, have often been centred around social justice with issues of racism, poverty and equality.

The industry even criticises itself when social justice performances are staged and call it 'preaching to the converted'.

When it comes to Earth Hour, however, hardly any theatre in Sydney is participating. The event which asks 'Sydneysiders - individuals and businesses to turn off their lights for just an hour on March 31' is being ignored as an inconvenience.

The Sydney Theatre Company is one of those venues not part-taking in the event. This is despite the fact that their future Artistic Director Cate Blanchett has done the voice-overs for Earth Hour advertisements and who called for the greening of the theatre at the announcements of her tenure.

The problem is that the hour is 7.30-8.30 in the evening, the time when most productions start. It could, however, be seen by the community as a wonderful gesture of goodwill by the industry. Performances could start at 8.30 and audiences could arrive to find the ambient candle lit foyers of theatres to have a drink and share in the excitement of this one-off event.

The only venue acknowledging the event is Parramatta Riverside Theatres who are turning off all non-essential power including outdoor signage. Belvoir Street Theatre and the Darlinghurst Theatre Company are presently in the process of working out a strategy.

Beside these three venues, no theatre contacted have any intention of participating. This includes the Sydney Opera House*, Glen Street Theatre, Capitol Theatre or Seymour Centre.

The performing arts, who use some of the most wasteful lighting systems for productions, are not immune from the hazards of global warming.

The strong history of the industry in their activism makes this the most disappointing element. Actors and artists have been side by side, marching with women for equality, with workers, protesting against apartheid and seeking action of indigenous rights. What the industry does do is bring people together in a unique way. It would make sense that they actively participate and utilise their role for community and share in this most important issue.


Go on, send them all an email and tell them to sort it out.



* The Sydney Opera House is registered on the Earth Hour website.

Caught in the Theatre Nets - 1

A couple of very interesting snippets of arts news over the last few days.

Today's The Australian reports that the La Mama Theatre in Melbourne have been put on notice by the Australia Council. Even Sydney audiences are well aware of the history behind La Mama, and even more well aware of the pressure on the council to provide more money to the small to medium arts sector.

Australia Council Chair James Strong last year flagged the possibility of a report into this sector of the theatre community. I don't believe that the article in today's Oz is the last story of its kind this year.

A wonderful article by Milan Kundera in the UK's Guardian about the future of writing. His comments are powerful stuff for playwrights in Australia - "life is short, reading is long, and literature is in the process of killing itself off through an insane proliferation. Every novelist, starting with his own work, should eliminate whatever is secondary, lay out for himself and for everyone else the ethic of the essential."

Still on the Guardian, is a most wonderful podcast with Sir Arnold Wesker. He talks of nostalgia, truth, disappointment and 'dying as a good career move'.

David Cote on his New York blog has finished his final installment of fraud in theatre. A really interesting debate.

Alison Croggon posted a great entry yesterday about a small scuffle between a playwright and a critic. Oh to be in Melbourne enjoying this sort of passionate argy bargy!

There's also a bit of agitation on ArtsHub with an anonymous spray about grant recipients.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Image: Courtesy of Lamama, May Day protest with Peter Cummin and Graeme Blundell

All quiet on the front

Many shows in Sydney are wrapping up at present, hence the small pause in Arts Journalist. The last month has seen a success in our local theatre industry not seen in a long time.

Keating! The Musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Holding the Man have all broken box office records and had capacity houses for their return seasons. I can't recall there being so much positive and passionate word of mouth about three shows in Sydney - all at the same time.

To think that a musical about an ex-PM, a gay love story and a musical about an East Berlin boy who has a sex change to escape to the West be united by such popular appeal says a lot about Sydney audiences. In fact it shows how unpredictable Sydney audiences are.

I am presently working on two big feature articles. Interviewing, scrawling in my notepad and frantically researching. This week I will also be reviewing two shows followed by another two next week, as a new round of marketing material hits the cafes and bars of Sydney. No doubt, the mainstream media will be inundated with every publicist in the city trying to get an article, a space, anything (!) to help promote their shows.

It's a shame that the various independent theatre's don't organise themselves a little more with their marketing collateral. Every time you walk into your favourite haunt, the front counter is littered with another lot of postcards, posters and flyers vying for the most sought after advertising space in the city. If anything, it shows the energy put into the theatre industry of Sydney.

A little communication between venues could see them pool their funds into a quarterly programme of events. It would certainly make them a lot more accessible for alternative audiences and fit nicely into the City of Sydney's attempt at making a City of Villages.

Image: Courtesy Showtune Productions, iOTA as Hedwig

The Year in Review

2006 hasn't really finished in style for the arts scene in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Company are a little red faced over a minor plagiarism incident in their programs. After getting a bollocking from both Diana Simmonds and the Sydney Morning Herald it will be interesting to see where they go from here on the back of being financially in the red for the second year in a row.

The independent theatre sector is scratching its heads after a three month stall in audiences. All venues reported low audiences for all their final shows, with a few exceptions. How they target their programming and marketing next year will be critical in attracting those audiences back.

Voluntary student unionism has left a stark hole in the activities of universities cultural institutions. Cracks are already appearing with a number of Sydney university arts groups and spaces. More to come on this little forgotten issue.

On the bright side, the Sydney Festival starts in a week. Artistic Director Fergus Linehan has put together a nice bundle of gems that will appeal to a wide range of audiences. He has programmed the usual spectacles which satisfy the free event crowds, brought an array of exotic theatre events to interest the local industry, and is again presenting uber-chic music and dance acts to quench the thirst of a hungry Sydney audience.
Local content is a bit on the light side, but the opening of Carriageworks should bring a lot of attention to that scene. The visual arts are a little under-represented, but the Sydney Biennale just finished which will have satisfied those audiences.

Its also been a positive to see the rise of so many online arts sites. The rise and rise of sites including Sydney Stage Online, Vibewire, The Program, Broadway Australia, Stage Noise and Arts Hub means the traditional arts media will find themselves fighting a battle from a very sophisticated end of the industry. One of the first victims of the new online dominance was State of the Arts magazine, which couldn't offset production costs with advertising revenue.
How the SMH, ABC, The Australian et al approach their journalism both on air, in print and online will, I believe, be governed by the the online movers and shakers of arts journalism.
It will be interesting to see in 2007 how the battle between each of these sites will pan out as they move to expand their influence and compete for the advertising dollar.

The Sydney fascination with chrome continues and has even infiltrated into one of our favourite theatre venues. Company B moved back into their tomato sauce factory after the completion of their multi-million dollar redevelopment. The upstairs theatre is superior to its previous condition, with far more comfortable seating and enhanced sight-lines for many seats. The foyer however is verging on the emotionless corporate feel with freezing cold air conditioning and enough halogen lights to fire up a barbie.

The Sydney Theatre Company made the announcement this year that Robyn Nevin would be resigning as the Artistic Director, and would be replaced by the husband/wife team of Andrew Upton/Cate Blanchett.
The announcement sent a rare shiver of media arts interest even making front page news on the Sydney Morning Herald. A.M on the ABC described the news as a "bombshell". For the industry, the announcement had a number of mixed reviews, the majority of which were excited at the prospect of the new transition.

Colin Rose, reviewer for Sydney's Sun Herald, left our shores this year. It cant be said that he didn't leave a contentious figure, but one thing is for sure, he was always honest and acute in his opinions and never failed to praise or criticise as each show deserved.

The Sydney Film Festival is shifting gear next year, employing Clare Stewart ex-head of Australian Centre for the Moving Image - ACMI - as the new Artistic Director/General Manager. Recent reports were surprised that the film festival managed to turn a profit after initial forecasts of a reduced deficit. At the same time, ACMI was brewing its own financial woes, with the resignation of ex-Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski as board president, on top of a $5million loss in its first two years. The Sydney Film Festival cant afford many more deficits, so hopefully Stewart will leave her previous financial record south of the border.

Next year, the arts life of Sydney will hopefully take more of a hold on the nightlife of the city. Venues are opening, festivals abound and artists are finding unique ways to try and beat the extraordinary costs associated with putting on events.

Of particular interest is the announcement by Australia Council chairman, James Strong, to propose an inquiry into the theatre sector. Its time that the smaller operators and independent artists unite and give input into this review if it occurs. More information as it comes to hand.

And welcome to my new little blog. I will write little commentaries of events as they happen and review a few shows as the theatre season starts in February. Please make comments as you feel and don't hold back.