A Call for a Return to Tribalism in the Arts/Business Model
Yup. Scott Walters is at it again.
His article regarding an interesting call for a more subtle revolution in the theater/business model, instead of decrying the obvious (that the current model sucks balls unless you have mattresses full of cash and are willing to lose wads of it four out of five times at bat) focuses on a proactive stance that states that in order to change the current model we must recreate the model based on a certain set of assumptions about the very tribalistic nature of theater.
"...[a tribe is] a self-sustaining, ongoing group of people who, "among them, have all the competencies needed to start and run a given business," who are "content with a modest standard of living," and who are "willing to think 'tribally -- that is, to take away what they need out of the business rather than to expect set wages."
This idea is juicy. It is sticky. I want it to work in the same way that I want a Capitalist Democracy to work, but like most -isms, the fact of the matter is that all human beings are fueled, at their core, with self interest.
My experience has been that when you happen to find that tribe of people willing to sacrifice their personal ambition for the overall good of the tribe of theater, two things can be labeled as truth. First, those most willing to forgo personal success have found they simply don't have the skill, ability or talent to justify a lot of personal ambition and the second, if they have that talent, they will soon abandon the tribal group once a good offer for serious employment comes along or they find that they are not getting out of the group artistically what they put into it time-wise.
Jack can't get cast in anything substantive. He joins a theater tribe through volunteering his time and energy. He does box office, sweeps the floors, picks up the drycleaning, folds programs. In the back of his mind, he anticipates an eventual pay off for his labor. He is frustrated the next time he auditions for a show with the tribe and is not cast - after all, he has swept the floors and cleaned the toilets, he deserves an opportunity to be in a show.
The tribe can do one of two things. Cast Jack (even though he is not talented or skilled enough for an onstage role) and water down the artistic product, the very thing that whole tribe relies upon for its sustenance or not cast Jack and risk losing their volunteer janitor or worse, put up with the constant headache of an unsatisfied box office guy who is now starting to want that wage, given he can't seem to receive any artistic fulfillment.
This is not to say that the tribal model never works. It does. As in all things of this nature, there is a quid pro quo attached and elements of sacrifice that are required. If everyone has a vote on all things, then the tribe gives up the ability to quickly make important and time sensitive decisions. If no one receives a wage of any kind, the tribe must find a system of rewards for those who bear more than their share of the work. If no one leaves for other career opportunities, the tribe faces artistic stagnation from a lack of new perspectives or continues to grow beyond its means to accommodate personnel.
And here is where I contradict everything I've said up to this point. I think, in spite of almost every reason in the world that it will not work, there should be more of this tribal mentality. I think it would slowly change a lot of things I hate about our current system. It can be done - the Work(shop)-in-Progress that I instruct every Sunday is very tribal, very ancient Greece in it's incarnation. I sit in the room - students come and play - I teach - they learn what they want to learn. No one comes out of obligation or because something will be withheld from them. Jen runs the WNEP Write Club and it has the same openness and encouragement without obligation and the results are inspiring to say the least.
So why the negative overview? Because cats like Paul and Jeff are hungry for this and it will piss me off to no end if they wander into it with some sort of Utopian dazzle in their eyes and become bitter fuckheads because people, at their core, are selfish and self-involved. Go into this sort of experiment with your eyes open and ready to do battle with your own diva. And don't bitch if it doesn't work the first, or the fifth, or the ninth time. You change the world S-L-O-W-L-Y and only through insane tenacity and uncompromising force.
Stumble It!
8 comments:
You're working under the assumption that I'm not already a fuckhead, Don, which is quite kind, if maybe a little misguided.
There's a lot of wisdom in that post, and like all endeavors (especially artistic) a sense of realism is essential. At the same time, I do think the tribal method is (would be) a little easier to adapt to in the world of vanguard theatre. Anyone dedicated (read: foolish) enough to enter a tribalistic approach to experimental work likely can't have too many delusions of anything aside from barely scraping by.
I think it's also important that a tribe is constantly looking outward, as I briefly brought up on my blog -- tribal members need to be actively engaged in the group, but on the flip side, a tribe shouldn't be a crutch for artists who can't create otherwise.
"Because cats like Paul and Jeff are hungry for this and it will piss me off to no end if they wander into it with some sort of Utopian dazzle in their eyes..."
Isn't this how most aspirations are laid down initially? It's that gleam in your eye that must be kept through the first, fifth and ninth go at it.
I agree that you have to be insanely tenacious and uncompromisingly forceful to get 'er done. But, I also agree with hope and taking that first step towards sharing your ideas and visions with the world and I'll always give a thumbs up towards those brave enough to make their philosophies happen. No one knows what the outcome is going to be ... and that's what makes the doing fun.
RZ
A practical application of this tribalistic (that's not a word, but I'm making it one now) theatre idea is going on in Columbus, OH and Newport, KY at Shadowbox Cabaret, which presents original sketch comedy, rock covers, and the occasional musical. (www.shadowboxcabaret.com)
The company runs on the philosophy that everybody in the company does everything: Not only do you perform, but you serve food and drink, you prepare food and drink, you run box office, you sweep the floors and clean the bathroom. If you can get past the fact that this requires 14 hour work days from the core company, and even more from the members who have "moved up", it looks great on paper.
Of course, the human factor sets in, and the ideal is corrupted. Performers, who are only making a little over $1,000 a month before taxes, are required to turn in all tips from patrons. (At least they used to; my complaint to the KY Dept. of Labor may have changed that.) The less-talented in the company are strung along, being told what they need to change to get stage time, while still having to do equal work as the people who are getting the stage time. (I know of one girl who had corrective eye surgery done so she wouldn't have to wear her thick glasses, and thus, have the right company image.) Also, if a tribe is supposed to mean that everyone is getting their share equally, that was corrupted as well: When I was with the company, average company members were taking their meager pay while one of the founding company members drove a beemer.
Now a company like this obviously doesn't work for everyone, and they understand that. In that spirit, they have you sign a one year contract that states if you leave before your contract is up, you have to pay the company your salary through the end of your contract term.
Believe it or not, they have people who have been with the company for 10, 15+ years. And people who leave disgruntled somehow manage to go back. (A few people who left or were about to leave around time I did, people who were severely unhappy with the work conditions, are now back on the company roster.)
I can understand a little...Shadowbox does put on one hell of a show...but how much personal punishment do you want to take?
(Yes, I have obviously have an ax to grind with this company.)
One the other side, the Theatre du Soleil in Paris has been functioning as a collective (tribe) since the mid sixties, and consistently doing some of the best work in the world. They have company members from all over the world, and everyone makes the same salary from Ariane to the newest member. And every one pitches in from cleaning the toilets to creating work. One very public example is the cast often is sellin g concessions at intermission in costume.
Anyone who thinks that they are in a tribal theatre company with a "boss", rather than a "leader" as specified in Scott's post...probably is willfully ignorant to potential unseen undiscussed political machinations with exist within any organization. I do not buy that the tribal thing really exists in theatre or if it does only for a very sort time. All the examples of tribal theatre companies, I truly believe that the tribal notion is merely marketing on the part of a leader or leaders who convince the remainder they are only bosses.
I understand the utopian appeal of Scott's notion, and I respect the proposal of different paradigms, but why create or look in places for paradigms that don't consider the lay of the landscape as it actually is?
dv
Heh. This is a good post. I think very highly of Theater Oobleck's work and what I know of their methodology, but I also know how hard it could be to be in that group, especially in the early days.
I was in a playwrights' collective for a while in the Bay Area, and continued to participate from afar for a couple of years after I moved back to Chicago. After a particularly trying conference call concerning collective bidness, I got a call from a friend who used to be in Oobleck. I told her "I'm going to say a phrase, and I want you to utter the very first thing that comes to mind. Ready? Okay. 'Consensus-driven, nonprofit arts collective.'"
She screamed loudly.
But the fact is, there are some groups that make it work, at least in part. (I don't expect Utopia and would be bored by it if it came along, frankly.) I think the key is recognizing that people will want different things at different stages of their lives as well as during the group's life, and just be ready to roll with that as you can.
Talking to the choirmaster here, I suppose.
I wish Bilal or another Neo-Futurist would read that book Scott mentions, since they're in it, and give us their perspective.
Kerry
Forming a tribal structure doesn't suddenly confer equal rights on everyone. Historically, whether it be American Indian tribes or Celtic clans, people fulfilled roles according to their ability.
Certainly the tribe took responsibility for making sure people were well trained. But if you are injured and lack the ability to defend the tribe, you aren't going to be taken along to engage in battle.
People judged as especially skilled by the group were chosen as clan chief, war leader, shaman or what have you. In some cases who got a chance to enter these roles were more regimented than in others.
Rarely did people get to rotate into the jobs or get them despite being a bumbling fool because they tried hard.
These are things you need to recognize about this structure if you are going to join a tribe. If the structure doesn't share some of the basic elements of being a tribe, then it should be called something else.
Agreeing to work the box office to get your foot in the door is one thing. Thinking that hard work in the box office is going to make up for the fact that you don't bring anything to the stage is foolish.
At the same time I think the tribe has the responsibility to clarify the role of each member as they enter the tribe. Some people are being admitted as actors who help out with the box office and distributing posters. Others are being admitted as box office people who work in the box office.
Joe -
That's dead on ... my husband and I have been talking about this periodically throughout the day and I wanted to go back to this post to touch base ... "the tribe has the responsibility to clarify the role of each member as they enter the tribe."
I completely agree. Excellent ideas. Thank you!
RZ
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