Wednesday, January 9, 2013

New Blog: Creative Insubordination by Scott Walters

Theatre Ideas has gone inactive. I am now blogging at Creative Insubordination (http://www.creativeinsubordination.org), a new blog focused on strategies for becoming an independent artist. …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 07:25AM
Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Ascendance, Descendence, Reverence, and New Beginnings by Scott Walters

In an essay entitled "The Deep Voice" in his book Rebuilding the Front Porch of America (a book that I recommend everyone in the arts read), Patrick Overton talks about the "ascendant" and "…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:09PM
Thursday, October 11, 2012

Robert Gard Redux by Scott Walters

Today, I will be discussing arts pioneer Robert E. Gard in my course on community arts development, which gives me an excuse to report this essay I wrote about two years ago on Robert Gard's…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 02:57PM
Monday, October 1, 2012

Rural Arts at HowlRound.com by Scott Walters

The first article of a weeklong series at HowlRound.com about rural arts has appeared: Dudley Cocke's Rural Theatre in a Democracy.  As the week continues, you will find the following:…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:25PM
Thursday, August 23, 2012

Aha? by Scott Walters

So I just got the following press release. After all this time, I don't really need to spell this out, do I? I'll highlight the cities and link to their counties. Bottom line: rich get riche…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:16PM
Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eating the Economic Orange by Scott Walters

Leo Hwang-Carlos, who will be at Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield MA this weekend to participate in a rural arts work group discussion, does a great job explaining why the economy is more tha…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 10:15AM
Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The WAITlist by Scott Walters

Traditional writers in the mainstream media (and, as I found out a while ago, many leaders of prominent arts organizations) see bloggers as, to quote Spiro Agnew (I can't believe I am quotin…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 11:59AM
Friday, July 20, 2012

Double Edge Theatre -- Ashfield, MA by Scott Walters

In a few weeks, I will be traveling to Ashfield, MA for a rural arts working group meeting at Double Edge Theatre. I am looking forward not only to the conversations, but to hearing how the …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 08:46AM
Thursday, July 19, 2012

2012 Our Town Grants -- A Step Forward by Scott Walters

I have finally had an opportunity to take a look at the NEA's announcement of the 2012 Our Town grants, and a quick overview makes me pleased. First of all, the press release very explicitly…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 01:32PM
Friday, July 13, 2012

Michael Maso Replies | TCG Circle by Scott Walters

Michael Maso Replies | TCG Circle: "I don’t know why DR thought I was talking about her." 'via Blog this'

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 07:20AM
Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Stone Soup by Scott Walters

From the opening pages of Robert Theobald's book Reworking Success: New Communities at the Millenium.    A stranger comes to a starving town,  Promising to make stone soup.…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:00PM
Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Georgia Arts Network Info by Scott Walters

Dear Georgia Arts Network attendees, First of all, thank you so much for your enthusiastic welcome at the conference. I truly enjoyed spending a few days with you, and found your energy and…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 06:32PM
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Defending Mr. Daisey (part 2: Big Fact, Little Fact) by Scott Walters

[cross-posted at Huffington Post] A little over a week ago, I began this series about the flap over This American Life's hour-long "Retraction" of its January broadcast of excerpts of Mike …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:49PM
Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Defending Mr. Daisey (part 1 of 3) by Scott Walters

[Also posted on Huffington Post] Prologue On March 16, Ira Glass devoted an entire episode of This American Life to doing that which newspapers do with a few sentences in a small box buri…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 11:48AM
Saturday, March 17, 2012

Counting New Beans Update by Scott Walters

I have heard from a couple people involved with the Counting New Beans book that was just released with information that pertains to my previous post. Clayton Lord, the director of comm…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 05:26PM
Friday, March 16, 2012

Counting New Beans Data Dissemination Sessions by Scott Walters

I just received in the mail today a copy of Theatre Bay Area's newly released Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art. While I am opening a show Thursday and won't get to r…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 05:24PM
Friday, March 9, 2012

First Huffington Post Article Now Available by Scott Walters

My first Huffington Post article, "Occupy the Arts," is now available on the website. It is a reworking and condensation of some of what I wrote Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change.

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:28AM
Thursday, March 8, 2012

My TEDxMichiagnAve Talk Now on the TED Site by Scott Walters

I was surprised and pleased to see that my TEDxMichigan Ave talk from last May entitled "Bringing the Arts Back Home" has been transferred to the TED site.There seem to be 13 of the presenta…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 07:57PM
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Theatre Ideas and Huffington Post by Scott Walters

Dear Readers -- I have just been invited to be a contributor to the theater section of the Huffington Post. I am honored and happy to accept. This will not affect this blog -- my writing wil…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 08:21PM
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Film Subsidies by Scott Walters

Let me get this straight: the State of Texas gave the producers of The Tree of Life $434,252.79 as a subsidy for them to shoot a single film in Texas. And the NEA annual budget is how much?

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:42AM
Sunday, February 19, 2012

On "Top MFA Programs" by Scott Walters

I get a lot of traffic on this site due to a couple posts that Dennis Baker links to in his 2008 post "Rutgers MFA Acting Program". Today, there was a comment I'd like to give more circulati…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 05:30PM
Thursday, February 16, 2012

Misrepresenting the NEA by Scott Walters

OK., this and this is making me angry. Listen, I am glad that the President has requested more money for the NEA -- not enough, of course, because we are so far behind the eight ball as far …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 03:00PM
Sunday, February 12, 2012

More Advice from Schumacher by Scott Walters

From Good Work (p 205): In the question periods after his talks, Schumacher would invariably get asked by someone in the audience, "But what can I do?" His simple answer was "Do t…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 08:02PM

Slogan by Scott Walters

Being creative is better than buying creative.

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 04:37PM

We by Scott Walters

I am reading an anthology of speeches made by E. F. Schumacher which were gathered together under the title Good Work. He writes: One of the greatest confusions, in most discussions, is the …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:40PM
Friday, February 10, 2012

Kushner and Schumacher on Education by Scott Walters

Fifteen years ago, Tony Kushner delivered the keynote address to the assembled college theatre professors of the US at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) convention. His …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 12:18PM
Sunday, February 5, 2012

NYLACHI Wins Again! by Scott Walters

Congratulations, Giants fans!

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:56PM
Friday, February 3, 2012

The So-Called Need to Fail by Scott Walters

"You've Cott Mail" today is all about "the need to fail." I'm with Adam Thurman on this one: "I've had to learn (the hard way) that the only failures that move us forward are the ones where …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:45AM
Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Art in a Human Context by Scott Walters

"It would be better if art were nameless, and that those of us who write about art in books and the reviews and newspapers, always clacking about art, or Art, or ART, were constrained someho…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 08:59AM
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

On Maturing as an Artist by Scott Walters

In a fascinating interview on Huffington Post, Natalie Merchant discusses motherhood, her album Leave Your Sleep, and her development as an artist. Among the many thoughtful things she has t…

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 09:49AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Toward an "Organic Theatre" by Scott Walters

As many of you have probably recognized over the years, one of my favorite things to write about are analogues to the arts I have found, i.e., other fields that are exploring similar issues …

SOURCE: Theatre Ideas at 08:16PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards