As Nick illuminated in the "Towne Hall Meeting" a few days ago, the current model in America is broken. The economic downturn is closing theatres left and right--some by hook, others by crook--and the arts seem destined for the meat grinder.
What the recession seems to be doing, in positive terms, is forcing theatres to decide what it is that they want to do. A "round up the wagons, it's going to be a bumpy ride," sort of thing. Instead of being "great AMERICAN institutions of culture", the economic climate may indeed force theatres to define their aesthetic, without the clause of "fiscal responsibility"--because that will from this point on, be an inherant value.
A survey of New Play Development programs around the country shows a sausage factory of readings, competitions, and festivals. All looking for THE next great American hit. The distopis of the 21st century may prove to be the end of "masterpieces", as Antonin Artaud put it. Widespread despair, financial ruin, and a broken system could be the necessary ingredients for theatre to rise from its ashes.
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