Conversations Across Community Theatres

By Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

I have been delighted to be a part of community theatre conversations that have been taking place in communities across the province.  So far Theatre Ontario has held five Community Theatre Discussion Forums in Aurora, Kingston, Georgetown, Oshawa, and Sault Ste Marie, with another two forums scheduled in London (October 20) and Merrickville (November 9).  We are currently exploring possible forums in North Bay, Collingwood, Burlington/Hamilton/Niagara corridor, Kitchener-Waterloo/Cambridge area, and Chatham/Sarnia/Windsor area.

Community Theatre Discussion Forum in Sault Ste. Marie

The discussions have been lively, and the participants are deeply engaged in the process of creating sustainable community theatre in their very diverse communities.  So far, we have observed some anticipated trends such as fund development and audience development and audience engagement challenges.  However, what we are also observing is that these broad-based issues mean different things to different organizations.  For example, for some organizations “fund development” means larger capital projects, beginning at $50,000 or more.  For other organizations, “fund development” means fundraising in order to stage a large-budget show, or to upgrade a small piece of equipment.

The same is true for “building audiences”: Some groups currently have a solid audience base and are very much looking to develop their audience for the future; others have a more immediate concern with dwindling audience numbers.

Each Forum has been as unique as each of the groups represented, with very specific challenges emerging for organizations in the communities in which they work.  For example, one challenge that emerged at the Oshawa Forum is that several groups have a “shared membership” and are casting shows from the same talent pool, with the conflicting schedules and seasons that come with that.

Community Theatre Discussion Forum in Kingston

The Forums have varied in size, but the key to active discussions has been the mix of people attending from different groups and organizations, creating a networking and  information exchange—it is exciting to see people who are considering starting a new group mixing with veterans who have belonged to companies for many years.

One personal observation is the value of the youth voice at these discussions: often younger members bring a different point of view, and can add some interesting dynamics to the conversation.  I’d encourage groups to invite and include at least one member who is not part of the “core leadership” of the group; it is great having  the depth of experience and knowledge of  long standing members, as well as the insights and observations that more recent or occasional  members bring to the table.  A wide variety of perspectives and understanding definitely generates a deeper level of understanding, as well as a deeper engagement in the process of ensuring that theatre remains a vibrant art form in our diverse communities.

We have shared the feedback with the attendees at each of the Forums, and we will be sharing the overall feedback at the end of the process.  The next phase of the process will be identifying ways to work collectively to address specific challenges — this brainstorming process has already begun, and will continue as the Community Theatre Discussion Forums progress.