Before Arena, there was very little
theatre happening except for the little
theatre movement in communities all over
the country. Really had to go to New York
or there were touring companies and
Zelda Fichandler and two other women in
Texas, really started the
Resident Theater movement.
It now has, in the in the not-for-profit resident theater movement,
I believe around 1900 theaters operating
all over the United States.
So, one of the reasons why I've always loved Arena
stage is because I think of Arena as the
mothership and one of the first creators
of this movement.
I think it's why theatre companies
outside of New York are the ones most likely
to be producing and creating
Pulitzer prize-winning plays.
Arena has a series of firsts that is probably
unmatched in the country.
It was the first theater to take a play
behind the Iron Curtain.
It was the first
theater to have Monday night readings.
So, we can bless her curse the theater for that phenomena.
It was the first theater to have an endowment.
The first theater to be
racially integrated here in Washington, DC.
It was the first theater to have a
production go to Broadway.
And that was The Great White Hope with Jane Alexander.
And it was the first theater to receive the
Regional Tony Award.
When I was a student here in Washington DC,
in the early 70's, I had a mini season ticket to
come to Arena Stage, so I studied everything
that Zelda Fichandler did here.
I started a theater Alaska called Perseverance Theatre.
Which began in 1979.
And I came here to be Artistic Director
of Arena Stage in 1998
I was surprised at what had happened to the theater
structure since I had been a student in the 70's.
I found the physical plant
neglected falling apart in places, and it
was really clear that arena needed to do
something bold.
I really wanted new theater focused on new American work.
In our discussions with the architects,
I began talking about this idea of a
cradle and people kept saying to me,
"It's a black box."
And I said, "No, I'm actually not interested in black boxes.
I don't think black boxes actually work.
And so at one point, the architect came in and he said
I think it's you really are talking
about something that is like a
Richard Serra sculpture that would go around and
around and around and I thought that was
a beautiful idea.
It's called, The Kogod Cradle because
someone mentioned at a certain point,
Oh my god you're talking about a
cradle, a cradle for new work.
I was very interested to have everything under one roof.
So for the first time in its history,
everything from education, shops,
rehearsal halls, admin, all of our
production staf,f everything is under one roof.
Because I think when everything is
under one roof,
you also have an electrical charge that
goes through the building.
I got started with Arena many years ago
assisting Molly Smith on a production of
The Music Man and many years later
joined the team as
the Director of Artistic Programming.
I oversee a number of initiatives.
One of them is the Kogod Cradle series
which develops new work
that is at any stage of development.
It's a way for us to engage our local artists,
as well as a series that allows us to
present National Artist of interest.
This year we're opening with Shoplifters,
which is a world premiere by
Morris Panych, one of Canada's best writers.
And it's really exciting because it's a new comedy.
And how often you hear that.
Very hard to write comedies and this is a
comedy about our time about a shoplifter
who actually has a political agenda
[play dialogue] And help it
Yeah I know. And I understand it's, it's
it's hard to accept that there is wrong
in the world but we are not just talking
about some ladies with steaks up their dresses.
Who are the real thieves? Ask yourself.
We don't have to do this job, you know?
Let people steal.
Personally, I hate his fucking job.
Shoplifters is a story
about a woman who challenges the system.
She's someone who, in the course of the play,
you discover has complex reasons
for her interest in why she shoplifts.
It's an incisive look at a dynamic that
happens in capitalistic cultures and in
particular American culture.
[play dialogue] You said we wouldn't get caught. Getting caught's part of the deal.
You ever play poke with those Greek guys at Stamos.
Play it like it doesn't matter.
You never said it was part of the deal.
Well I'm saying it now. You and your limping.
It's my condition.
Your condition brings on my conditions so don't
talk to me about your condition.
I should have gone to work this morning
Let me tell you something Phyllis
you wouldn't be thinking that if we were
sitting down to dinner right now
eating those steaks.
I don't need a steak.
You don't need a steak!
Just look at these fucking things.
My God. It's gotta be two inches thick.
Can't you just hear 'em sizzling away?
You are not a thief, stop acting like one.
I feel like one.
That's their intention, to put us in
their little morality play as if we have
any choice in the matter.
Don't we?
Can you afford these?
We believe that what has been happening in the
theater is more and more of our writers
are disappearing. They're going to film.
They're going to television because they
can no longer make a living in the theater.
And without our writers writing,
they really are the initial life force
within any theater piece.
[play dialogue] No I wanted to read return of Tarzan
Return of Tarzan is a kids' book.
Listed in the fantasy section.
Sweetie it's a sequel everyone knows
sequels are subpar
Maybe I just want to find out what happened to poor freaking
Tarzan after he married Jane.
I think with the advent of our falling
in love with small screens and big screens.
the need for human connection is
even greater
[play dialogue] Forget about last week Martin, he says
Forget about it.
After the march, the people is calling me chicken alla King.
Said I was a commie coward who
left other folks to clean up my mess.
Martin Loser King.
Like times been a little rough on you.
Who you telling?
Who are you telling?
Theater is really the closest art form
to our lives.
And by that I mean the actor stands in for us.
The actor actually acts out stories and
we have the opportunity to see ourselves
in and through the actor.
One of the things that I love the most about the
theater is in plays or in musicals there's
always a character with their back
against the wall and we watch them fight
their way out.
[play dialogue] Just saying what he thinks, but you gotta admit
this war has turned into a bit of a flop.
How dare you!
How dare you blaspheme against peace!
Courage, you are a hyena of the battlefield.
I'm a what?
Insult this woman you answer to me.
No it's not you i'm speaking to.
It's quite clear what you are doing here.
But when I say you take hold of this
piece like some snotty old handkerchief.
I'm sorry something in me call, it my humanity!
yes my humanity rebels.
You thrive on war you actually prefer it because money
is the only thing you love.
Well let me remind you of a saying,
he who sups with the devil needs a long spoon.
I have no love for war and war's shown
little enough love for me. I'm not even gonna argue with you.
This is a very political city.
It is a capital city. It is arguably
the most powerful city in the country.
And this is red meat for our audiences.
I think Arena Stage is one of the theaters
that official Washington comes to.
And I know that conversations that happen
onstage continue to happen offstage as well.
So when we can, as a theatre company
be part of opening up ideas and
presenting questions. That I think is one
of our most important functions
[play dialogue] Without a Father are you here?
I said line of Syria, the King of Jordan
I am here.
"Comrad Arafat, are you here Assad?"a
That's a list. So you can just roll on that
right it should be the kind of thing
that we just kind of start picking up
these images is he here, is he here, is he here?
Last year we created a new play
called Camp David which was about the 13 days
at Camp David when the Middle East
peace accord was forged.
The explosion that happened in this city because of
this production was far beyond what any
of us expected.
[applause]
President Carter was here. Mrs. Carter,
Anwar Sadat's widow, Secretary of State Kerry
invited the whole cast over to the
State Department to talk about
out-of-the-box ideas in terms of peace
in the Middle East.
In the theater, we always have the hopes
that we will move into everyday life and
the everyday conversation.
And this is a project that did this time and time again.
Theater gets created between the actor and the audience.
There's a space in between us where the play gets
created every night.
And it has to do with the ideas,
the thoughts, the memories
that come from the audience to the actor
and vice versa.
I think it's actually almost chemical.
It's why in the theater every single
night is different.
[End Credits]