07/03/2018
Craft Beer and Community Theatre:
Is Community Theatre the Budweiser of the theater world? I don't have anything against community theatre. I have done community theatre all my life, including acting, directing, working behind the scenes, and even serving on the board of a community theatre. But many of these theatres are stuck doing the same sort of work over and over again. Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, A Children's/Family Musical, and a Shakespeare play. This is the season that will keep them financially afloat and considered a necessity for survival. Likewise, it is the same with beer. A huge portion of society picks up their case of Coors, Miller light, or Bud Light for the weekend and goes to town in the same fashion that a handful of community theatres are opening Harvey or The Odd Couple this weekend. And it makes sense. These kinds of shows will bring in an audience. These shows will certainly not cause a season ticket holder to cancel their subscription the way that Equus might. These shows are expected, funny, and don't really push us into a new headspace.
And for many years, beer was the same. Oh sure, in the 90's, maybe you would be daring and have a Killian's Irish Red or a Harp from to impress the person across the table from you, but overall, most parties had fridges filled with Coors light or, if you were in college, the old faithful Natural Light. Nonetheless, over the past 10 years, the independent brewery scene has exploded. Almost every town over 100k in population has their own brewery. Almost every fruit has been added to a beer. There s literally an unlimited amount of flavor compilations that somehow keep on growing. Now, not all new beers and breweries have been successful, but there have been many that have created new, likable flavor combinations. In fact, the people of Omaha, Nebraska have utilized this movement to make their city into a tourist destination. Somehow, Nebraska has become cool thanks to beer. Which leads me to wonder, why can't the same be done for community theatre?
I know there are many variables at play. A beer costs $6.00 and a play admission might be anywhere from $20 - 30. And you don't have to devote 1.5-2 hours for consumption of beer like you do a play, although it sure is nice to have that time to drink. But still, there is truth in the idea that there is a solid portion of the public looking to consume a variety of flavors in their consumption of culture. I think these people are desperate for a taste of what a night of amazing theatre can deliver, they just don't know it yet. And considering the local connection a community theatre has to it's community, I think this very movement is possible.
I'm not suggesting that each community theatre should bypass the wants of their faithful audiences, but some should. We live in a country where many strive to hear voices of people from varied backgrounds, cultures, and races instead of old, dead white men from the past. And no matter where you sit politically, we are all actively more engaged in finding communities of shared values both in person and online. I think this is where the Community Theater has a role to play. Theater at it's best is about a community of conflict and beautiful discourse. iWhat wonderful flavors may be produced when a Community Theatre presents Water by the Spoonful instead of Our Town, or The Flick instead of Barefoot in the Park. We have communities that thirst to be challenged while entertained. And when it is the community theatre that offers this work to their local friends, family, neighbors, and patrons, it offers that trustability and familiarity that these shows deserve while giving the audience the safety they may need to take that mental jump. The audience is out there, we just need to give them their first sip.
-WIlliam Skar
