I wrote this right before the election and wasn't able to post it.....so here ya go:) -S
With just a few days left until the election and the widening lead that Barack Obama is exhibiting over John McCain, I have noticed some incredible things that are happening in my local community of New York City. Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of catching Creative Destruction’s marvelous production of Obama Drama at the Access Theater. With an all too brief three night run accompanied with political programming after each show, including artist slams and panel discussion involvement by other local grass roots based companies like The Civilians and Living Liberally, one couldn’t help but feel the crackle of electricity in the air. This was a packed town hall style performance event with seven world premiere short plays about the effect that Barack Obama is having on America. During the show, the audience was privy to a multitude of thoughts and opinions about the man that is Barack Obama…can he save America? Will he inspire a country to action? Will he cause liberals to kill McCain supporters with Obama signs? Just who is this man behind the flag pin?
Whether or not you are an Obama supporter, the fact is clear that this piece started a dialogue with the audience. It did with me. Of all the theater I have seen as of late, no production I saw incited me to get up and take a stand for the future, not only for my country but also for my artistic future. It has been well known that our country has been failing to support and respect its artists. Specifically since the effect of tightened security from 9/11 our country has seen the rate of foreign artist exchanges to wane. Arts funding has been methodically slashed at an alarming rate. The housing crisis, an enormous hot button issue, affects the livelihood of artists by limiting affordable housing and effectively pushing the culture out of our large cities. In New York alone, many artists have to make tough decisions about their fiscal survival and they have decided that New York is way too expensive for them to cultivate a sustainable career. For most artists, the only way that they can survive in the arts is to move to regional theater city where it is simply more affordable to live and produce their work. For those that refuse to leave the city, there has been an alarming rate of artists having to take full time employment that limits the daytime auditions, production meetings and rehearsals that they can attend. Even in the regional theater cities, theater companies spring to life and die the same season due to the lack of fiscal support within their communities.
Something’s got to give. Artists must be included in the fabric of our economy to help make it thrive. The exchange of ideas and expression is essential for a well-rounded society and it is about time that we have a candidate that understands the importance of that. John McCain has next to no arts platform in his campaign. He has stated on more than one occasion that he would like to eliminate federal arts funding for the National Endowment for the Arts due to the “obscene and inappropriate projects that this organization has supported” but would support federal block grants for state and local arts education. Without federal support, it is no question that the NEA will be shut down and all the stellar organizations that benefit from it will falter and die out. Leaving this decision to the state and local governments will only serve to slowly bleed what little funding we have left and cause uneven support among the states. If McCain is elected, you better believe that there will be even less funding for new projects and companies and our society will continue down this shameful road of artistic and societal ignorance.
Barack Obama’s platform is clear and well spelled out. It includes: providing healthcare and tax fairness for artists, promoting cultural exchanges, reinvesting in arts education and giving the NEA money that all of our communities are desperately seeking. What does McCain think? Well, the man has been quoted as “hating Shakespeare”. I’m going to leave it at that.
Productions like Obama Drama are important for our community because it showcases art as a mouthpiece for people’s opinions and desires. We all saw a little bit of our community being represented on stage and with them, the hopes and dreams we shared for our country. For too long, people have been lulled into a false sense of security by the people who run our government. We have been told that being an artist doesn’t pay and that being in corporate America does. With the fall of our big financial anchors, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I honestly believe that people are awakening to a new future for America and that future includes art and a stronger respect for the artists of our country. This can only mean more job security and ultimately, the ability to support yourself while you make a living as an artist. Obama understands the deep importance of what grass roots based artists have cultivated for years: the power of the art of change.
