The International City Theatre is kicking up its heels in celebration of its 25th season. Starting on February 23rd, and running through March 21st, they are presenting the LA premiere of Backwards In High Heels, which tells the story of the legendary singer, actress, and dancer Ginger Rogers. The season features 5 plays, including The Clean House by the celebrated and award winning Sarah Ruhl.
caryn desai, the General Manager of ICT, spoke with me about the history, and the vision of ICT. I started the conversation by asking if, 25 years ago, she imagined ICT would still be going strong.
caryn: I might not have imagined how or what it would be, but I absolutely did believe it would happen. And it is never easy but I do believe in the importance of the role theatre plays in society and Shashin and I both have a passion for the art, so it keeps us going. Although I have been involved with ICT since the beginning, I did not officially come on board until twenty years ago.
Shashin founded the theatre when he was the Chair of the Long Beach City College Theatre, Dance and Film Department. ICT was the first professional theatre founded on a junior college campus. (We are both educators.) He wanted to provide a practical experience and exposure to professional theatre for students, and provide a place for students to train and then return to as professionals once they completed their education.
In 1997 we moved downtown to the beautiful Performing Arts Center which opened even more doors for training as well as investing in theatre and artists. (We believe artists should be paid.) For three years we operated both theatres, but we knew the downtown theatre had the potential for much more growth and that is where we had to focus.
Sander: I attended some of the performances at LBCC, and was really impressed by the opportunities that arose from working in such a small and ill-equipped space. Still, the Center Theatre, my all time favorite venue in Long Beach, must be an amazing home.
caryn: It is a beautiful theatre and what I really like about it is that no matter where you sit in the theatre, it still feels like an intimate space. No one is far from the stage. It is a city-owned facility as you must know, and we are grateful to the city and SMG for keeping it beautiful. I should mention also that is helps to have such a beautiful venue when we are negotiating rights with agents and artists for future work or projects.
Sander: Tell me about that!
caryn: When we are entertaining visiting writers or agents from other parts of the world – mostly NY – and they see the theatre, they are always impressed — with the space and the city. Along with that, I have to say and I don’t mean this in a bragging way at all, but if we didn’t have a reputation for producing quality work, it wouldn’t matter how beautiful the facility. When it comes down to it, the writers need the best possible telling of their story in a quality production. And that’s our biggest selling point.
As to the performers, most come from L.A. And sometimes the L.A. crowd has a mind set about Long Beach — that it is this faraway land. I sometimes have to remind my fellow artists that it can take longer to get from one part of L.A. to another than to hop on the freeway and drive to Long Beach. We hold our auditions in L.A. but we always hold our Call Backs in the theatre. When they see the space, they love it. We have a great reputation in L.A. and that helps. Artists want to work at ICT. And they are treated with respect.
Personally respect is a big word with me as far as how we treat others. But I know Shashin and I both want to work with artists that also value respect for others. It’s important. That doesn’t mean we all agree, it means we are willing to listen and respond in a considerate way. Of course, when you are the director, you did get to make the choice. But you don’t lose anything by listening to others.
Back to negotiating, we compete with other theatres for rights to produce, of course. And frankly, if the Taper in L.A. or South Coast Rep want the same play, they will probably get it because they are bigger. The more seats you have, the more you have to pay for the rights, the artists, etc. So sometimes it is a matter of economics.
Sander: Still, as you said, a larger venue might not offer the same quality of experience for the audience, or for the actors. Thus, I can see why some writers might want their work presented there.
caryn: You are correct in that. In fact, sometimes the material will be even more profound in its effect between actor and audience because of the intimacy. That’s where smart producers choose material that works in a particular venue. Shashin has been very wise in his choices for ICT because he understands that.
Sander: Aside from the venue, how has the business or work of theatre changed since you began?
caryn: Good question. It was a big leap of faith in one respect for us to leave a 99-seat venue to move downtown and become a mid-sized theatre. Mid-sized theatre is the most fragile. There are a few of us in L.A. County who have made the jump. Small theatres manage on less; they can. Large theatres have already built a more secure infrastructure – including endowments. The game changes dramatically at mid-size. The costs are extraordinarily greater.
Everyone expects to be paid, and it is important to pay artists if we are going to preserve and develop theatre as an art form and deliver quality work. Artists train for years to do what we do. So the pressure every year to raise needed revenue is tremendous. It is why some leave the field. It is not an 8-hour a day job and there are lots of sacrifices in your personal life.
And you don’t become an artist because you want to do fundraising. It is just necessary. So personally I have continued my education in marketing, fundraising and arts management because we need to be equipped to run a business. Theatre is our business. Our shows are our product — and we have to keep them at a high quality or we have nothing to sell.
Another big change is in how to reach audiences. The diminishing coverage by newspapers and the decline overall in that medium has created new challenges for getting the word out. And we understand the growing use of the internet and social media. But also from a critical perspective, who are the critics now? And what is their training that provides them with the background and insights to offer intelligent criticism – that is constructive and worthwhile.
Another challenge or change over time has been the lack of investment in arts education. It has become a necessity for any of us who care about the future artists, audiences or future leaders to introduce and train children – to teach appreciation for the arts as well as the skills needed to become an artist. Art Critic Christopher Knight asked “Name one great civilization in world history whose government did not support the arts?” The question isn’t ‘if’, but ‘how.’
Sander: As you know, the City’s financial support of the Arts was cut significantly this year. As an Arts Council grant recipient, how has this reduction in funding affected the ICT?
caryn: Whenever funding is lost for whatever reason, we have to find a way to replace it. Unless the arts are understood as a necessary, vital part of society, we will continue to face these challenges.
We’ll hope things turn around soon for the city but I don’t see a quick remedy – especially given what is happening at the state level. ICT is already a lean and mean company. We produce five main-stage productions (sometimes a sixth holiday show), a play reading series to develop new works, and seven educational and community outreach programs to serve the region, every demographic from age 4 to 104. And we only have four full time and three part time employees to make all this happen.
These are challenging times for all of us. We are hoping 2010 is better, but we are not waiting to find out. We have a terrific Board of Directors who is diligent in reviewing financials. We have created an action plan to address these challenges. We have a reputation for fiscal responsibility and except for 3 years out of 24, we ended in the black. The first year was after 9/11 and the other two were 2008 and 2009 because of the economic downturn. We are doing everything we can to end 2010 – our 25th anniversary with dignity and back in the black. Fortunately our Board had the foresight to undertake a campaign to raise cash reserves in 1999-2000, and that is what has held us in good stead. We are now trying to raise more cash reserves that can carry us forward into the next 25 years!
Sander: So, on a practical level, you’ll make up the grant funds with your cash reserves?
caryn: That is what we have had to do. We hate touching cash reserves, but given the three years that we faced challenges beyond our control, we had no choice. We do what we can to look at new sources. Even if right now is a cultivation period, when things turn around maybe funders will know us and our work and be ready to support our mission. In the meantime, we will continue to keep going. We have to. We believe in what we do.
Through theatre, we bring people together. There is no substitute for live, human communication and connection. Look back at other civilizations. It is through art that a society is remembered. Through art we address issues and concerns of humanity. We open minds; we make people think and feel. If we can make a difference in someone’s life today through his or her experience at the theatre, we can make a difference for tomorrow.
Through the shared experience of theatre, audiences are brought into another’s world are are made to see the human side of someone who may be different. It is in this identification of people who are “different” that we discover how much all people, everywhere are alike. It can begin a dialogue for understanding.
—
Ticket information is available at ICTLongBeach.org or by calling 562-495-4595.