Integrity
Sat, 23 Sept 2000, 04:44 pmWalter Plinge7 posts in thread
Integrity
Sat, 23 Sept 2000, 04:44 pmSeveral months ago I reaffirmed a keen interest in directing for GRADS at UWA, by suggesting to key members of the committee that I be considered to direct a production of Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET at the New Fortune Theatre in 2001.
It had been my understanding that GRADS had found itself in a situation that required serious consideration of exploring avenues to bring 'new blood' and new audiences into their venues to engage with their work. It seemed that the timing was right for me to become involved.
I am a graduate of UWA; I have been involved in the Community Arts and Youth Arts industries in Perth for about 10 years and have established a solid reputation in both.
I have directed a Finlay Award winning production (with Playlovers), a Bunbury One Act Festival Best Director Award (with Darlington Theatre Players) and an award winning ITA One Act Festival production (with KADS) - I have reached what most practitioners in community theatre would suggest are the pinnacles of community theatre in this state.
I have also been a very active, professional consultant and facilitator in the Community and Youth Arts areas, in addition to my considerable directing experience.
Imagine my consternation when I was informed that the play that I had submitted for the New Fortune season had been chosen, but that I had not as its director. And that the director who had been chosen was a long-standing GRADS member and a committee member. I was also informed that a 'quick decision' was made and that the reason why I was not considered a serious contender to direct the play was that no one knew me, or my work. I can understand people knowing me and my work, and not liking it, but to not know me in any capacity or for any of the work that I have completed in the last 10 years seems to me to be absurd - it certainly says more about the members of the decision-makers than anything else.
I would like to point out that I appreciate that this is not a state of affairs that is isolated, that no one person is to blame, and that it is not my intention to bring into question the ability of the director that GRADS chose to direct my production.
I do hope that community theatre groups, including GRADS, who are keen to promote growth, evolution and the attraction of new ideas and processes will reflect this desire in their decision-making to the very best of their ability.
Unsurprisingly I was astonished by the short-sightedness of this decision that involved me, and I empathise with others who, for whatever reason, do not know the right people, are not momentarily funky enough, or are not a known and predictable quantity - especially those practitioners who have been around for a while, who have earned their stripes and have come out of their honeymoon period of youthful, funky 'alternative and racey' appeal and are still producing cutting-edge and challenging work that does not require arts-political-journalistic manipulation to be successful.
It had been my understanding that GRADS had found itself in a situation that required serious consideration of exploring avenues to bring 'new blood' and new audiences into their venues to engage with their work. It seemed that the timing was right for me to become involved.
I am a graduate of UWA; I have been involved in the Community Arts and Youth Arts industries in Perth for about 10 years and have established a solid reputation in both.
I have directed a Finlay Award winning production (with Playlovers), a Bunbury One Act Festival Best Director Award (with Darlington Theatre Players) and an award winning ITA One Act Festival production (with KADS) - I have reached what most practitioners in community theatre would suggest are the pinnacles of community theatre in this state.
I have also been a very active, professional consultant and facilitator in the Community and Youth Arts areas, in addition to my considerable directing experience.
Imagine my consternation when I was informed that the play that I had submitted for the New Fortune season had been chosen, but that I had not as its director. And that the director who had been chosen was a long-standing GRADS member and a committee member. I was also informed that a 'quick decision' was made and that the reason why I was not considered a serious contender to direct the play was that no one knew me, or my work. I can understand people knowing me and my work, and not liking it, but to not know me in any capacity or for any of the work that I have completed in the last 10 years seems to me to be absurd - it certainly says more about the members of the decision-makers than anything else.
I would like to point out that I appreciate that this is not a state of affairs that is isolated, that no one person is to blame, and that it is not my intention to bring into question the ability of the director that GRADS chose to direct my production.
I do hope that community theatre groups, including GRADS, who are keen to promote growth, evolution and the attraction of new ideas and processes will reflect this desire in their decision-making to the very best of their ability.
Unsurprisingly I was astonished by the short-sightedness of this decision that involved me, and I empathise with others who, for whatever reason, do not know the right people, are not momentarily funky enough, or are not a known and predictable quantity - especially those practitioners who have been around for a while, who have earned their stripes and have come out of their honeymoon period of youthful, funky 'alternative and racey' appeal and are still producing cutting-edge and challenging work that does not require arts-political-journalistic manipulation to be successful.
RE: Integrity
Sun, 24 Sept 2000, 12:56 pmWalter Plinge
Hi Grant,
Thank you for acknowledging my concerns about the GRADS production/director selection process. There are several points that you raised that I believe require further discussion.
I do not believe that it was erroneous of me to have expected some follow-up by the GRADS committee on my initial notice of interest. Had I known that the decision about the New Fortune season was imminent I would have been prepared to clarify my credentials and concept thoroughly, or attend a meeting to discuss my ideas further and more formally.
My sincerest apologies for the inaccuracy of my statement regarding the time of membership of the chosen director/current GRADS committee member.
I am still unclear as to why my credentials would have required proving in this case if there were committee members present who were sufficiently familiar with my work to support my notice of interest. If my credentials were not being questioned then how was it that they were so deficient so as to be considered less than appropriate than the director chosen? If it was simply a case of the committee knowing me less personally than the other applicant then it makes sense. Of course if this is the case, then my credentials would have been irrelevant anyway as the decision-making process would have been highly subjective and uninformed. By the way, nepotism is something I can tolerate provided it's out in the open.
My use of the word "absurd" relates to the lack of logic around the committee's unfamiliarity with my work. Are they not familiar with the ITA Festival, the Bunbury One Act Festival, the Finlay Awards...? I do not mean to sound presumptuous, but it is difficult to accept that so few GRADS committee members have not even heard of me or my work. The GRADS committee are not just "anyone" by the way...I don't expect that everyone know's me!
If the committee's desire is to bring in new blood then this includes new directors. Selecting a director, who has very recently directed a GRADS show, to direct the highly lucrative (and very troubled) New Fortune season, does not reflect a real desire to inject new ideas and new blood. We all know how much the New Fortune season means to GRADS, its reputation and how theatre-goers percieve its objectives. The fact that I had already successfully directed the chosen play before (!), had directed several Shakespeare plays with predominantly young actors and could assure healthy school group bookings was deemed insufficient at the point of decision. I must stand firmly by my original concern with regards to GRADS' real willingness to embrace change. GRADS would not be the first group to have been brought kicking and screaming into a new age.
Thanks for your invitation to become involved in GRADS. Please e-mail me full details of your production selection process protocols, deadlines etc. Also a membership application and notification of the next committee meeting. I am interested in directing a season for GRADS in 2001 if the timing is right. As unfortunate as this experience has been for me I do not anticipate that the same mistake will happen again and I do not anticipate that it is typical of the GRADS decision-making process.
Yours,
JC
- ···
- ···