It’s always incredibly sad when a NAMT member theatre closes. Since I started this job shortly before the beginning of the recession, I’ve unfortunately seen several members close their doors. What’s striking is how often the reasons for one theatre going under are completely different from another, and how often they’re unique to that one organization and its circumstances. It’s easy to blame “the economy,” but it can be so much more complicated that.
Our friend Jason Loewith at National New Play Network wrote an excellent testimonial to his friends and ours at FloridaStage, discussing the wonderful impact they had on artists and their community, and also the unusual set of circumstances that led to their sudden closure. I encourage you to read it. (Jason later refined this post for NNPN’s newsletter, so this version is sort of a rough draft, but it’s too long to reprint in this space and this is the only version that’s linkable.)
We like to focus on good news, and fortunately NAMT members have no shortage of that. But it’s important to note the losses too, and see what lessons we can learn from them to strengthen our own organizations. It also drives home the importance of us coming together as a community at NAMT events and elsewhere, to share ideas and help each other in this ever-challenging business.