{"id":88029,"date":"2026-01-15T11:24:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T19:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=88029"},"modified":"2026-01-16T07:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:28:03","slug":"an-antidote-to-isolation-and-crucial-for-free-speech-local-theaters-discuss-whats-important-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/do\/an-antidote-to-isolation-and-crucial-for-free-speech-local-theaters-discuss-whats-important-in-2026","title":{"rendered":"An antidote to isolation and crucial for free speech: Local theaters discuss what\u2019s important in 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or sign up<\/a> for our Eat See Do newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the rest of us, theater directors in Long Beach are looking forward to a new season in 2026, full of hopes and dreams and wishes, but also thoughts about where we are now and what truly matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most expressed to the Long Beach Post the importance of communing with others in this digital age and how attending theater is almost a type of activism against the passive pull of streaming. Indeed, in ancient Greece, democracy and the theater<\/a> flourished together, where comedies and tragedies addressed social issues and theater was seen as a space of transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what they had to say when we asked them about the upcoming year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community counts <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most local theater directors said that creating and supporting community is paramount to them and something theater facilitates, especially in tumultuous times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheater is more important now than ever,\u201d says Holly Leveque, Long Beach Shakespeare Company<\/a>\u2019s producer. \u201cIt\u2019s a way for us to experience something in someone else\u2019s shoes, to witness the highs and lows, to feel something powerful and potentially life changing, to process the awful and powerful realities of the human condition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International City Theatre<\/a> artistic director and producer caryn desai \u2014 who stylizes her name in all lowercase \u2014 agrees, adding that her theater\u2019s mission is not only to entertain but \u201ceducate, inspire and provoke thoughtful dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are more divided as a society than any other time that I recall in my lifetime,\u201d she said. \u201cI will never choose a show that divides us further. Maybe you won\u2019t always agree with the perspective of the story, but it will make you think, and it\u2019s okay not to agree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the people who put on those shows are also your neighbors, says Madison Mooney, executive director of the Long Beach Playhouse<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur volunteers are also your vet techs, baristas, real estate agents, teachers, bankers,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if an audience member doesn’t know a performer personally, there is still that community connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better than streaming<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Theater directors are aware they\u2019re competing with digital entertainment and streaming services for their audience\u2019s time, but believe theater offers a visceral experience that\u2019s \u201cmore important than ever,\u201d as one said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew Anderson, co-founder of The Garage Theatre<\/a>, said theater spaces, more so than movie houses, allow people to connect.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’re literally in the room with us, where it’s happening, not in some big ol\u2019 cold space where you are removed from the story,\u201d he said. \u201cThe laughter, the tears, the gasps of surprise from the audience are truly felt by everyone in the room \u2014 the actors, crew and other audience members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveque, too, said theater offers a space that \u201cmirrors humanity and the powers that be\u201d in an immediately felt way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou get the chance to see performances that are mere feet from you and feel that feeling that you can only get when watching something along with a group of people \u2014 the wonders of laughter, gasps and human reactions happening right before your eyes,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is nothing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sean Gray, artistic director of the Long Beach Playhouse, said attending theater \u201crequires us to commit to being a community\u201d by leaving home to engage with other people for a common purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt requires our presence, not just physically, but mentally,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is an energy you can\u2019t get sitting alone at home or being distracted by a simulated world on your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left: Todd Rew and Lisa J. Salas in Long Beach Playhouse’s 2025 production of “Plaza Suite.” Photo by Mike Hardy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

desai agrees, saying what most of us know \u2014 that we spend too much time on our devices instead of communicating and connecting with each other in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need community, which you don\u2019t get by staying home and streaming,\u201d she said. \u201cThat adds to our isolation, which concerns me for our future, especially with our youth. Face-to-face communication is much more effective in relaying thoughts and feelings as you witness reactions that you will not see through email, text and social media.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also said being able to communicate effectively enhances civil and civic engagement, one of the reasons International City Theatre offers youth education programs that she says \u201cenhance creative and critical thinking, require working together with others, reinforce literacy and language arts and aid self-confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we cannot communicate effectively and compassionately with each other here at home, how do we connect with the rest of the world where they are also spending too much time on devices?\u201d she asks. \u201cIt is vital for the future of this art form and for a healthy society that we keep live theatre going and growing. Theater is free speech and critical to our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anderson said live theater\u2019s \u201cgreatest strength\u201d is getting people in a room to create and share an experience that is \u201cdifferent and unique every single night,\u201d helping us remember \u201cwho we are as humans, as people, and what it means to feel something from the inside out, not just watch it from the outside in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anderson added that he senses a backlash against ubiquitous on-demand entertainment and screen worlds.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe as a society have gotten so comfortable on our couches, and in our caves and bubbles, binge watching, absorbing, streaming, whatever,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople coming together for a shared purpose is incredibly powerful, and the only way we can create change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tad Fujioka, marketing associate for Musical Theatre West<\/a>, which brings Broadway shows to Long Beach, agrees that live human connection \u201chas never been more important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you go to theatre, you’re experiencing the same thing at the same time as those around you,\u201d he said. \u201cThat feeling is so rare in the streaming age.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping theater alive into the future<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By offering entertainment and education, Long Beach theater directors believe the art can continue to thrive \u2014 but only with the help of community patrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe depend so much on people coming through our doors for us to keep those doors open,\u201d Anderson said, despite grant money and donations that also help. \u201cPeople walking in the door is really where the magic happens and allows us to keep making that magic year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

desai said International City Theatre tries to be forward-looking in supporting new voices in theater through staging premiere productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is important that we support new works that are relevant to our world,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is also important for the future of this art form as well as for future generations. Look at the plays of the past and you will understand the issues and concerns of society at that time. This is our legacy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left: Timylle Adams and Nandini Minocha in International City Theatre’s 2025 production of “Masala Dabba.” Photo by Jordan Gohara.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fujioka said Musical Theatre West is committed to helping the art form endure by \u201cbuilding theater lovers from a young age\u201d through performance classes and free school matinees, supported by patron tickets and donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world would be a much sadder place without theater,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether the audience wants to get away for a few hours or wants to feel something deep, theater is where you go. Even in our beautiful city, living today is hard enough. That theater magic helps you escape.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray agrees, noting how theater is essentially ritual and an important part of being human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike all things, some things will change, and some will stay the same,\u201d he said. \u201cBut theater as an experience that people want with each other will remain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveque also agrees that live performance is an integral part of any society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat beast will it look like in 50 years? I don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cBut there is nothing like the rush of seeing a group of people utterly enthralled and solely focus on the stage before them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, fostering a sense of community is what drives these theater directors\u2019 passion for their art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe love Long Beach,\u201d says Anderson. \u201cOur company was born here \u2014 for and from the people here \u2014 and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have the best audience in the world, and their voices are hopefully represented and reflected back to them in the shows we create.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct Matthew Anderson’s last name.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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