When Vancouver is recognized as one of the top theatre cities in the world, Sabrina Evertt is going to have to accept her fair share of responsibility. After shooting out the other end of the theatre program of UVic she immediately rolled up her sleeves and went to work, producing and directing the kind of theatre that twenty-something actors and audiences eat up. Aptly, she christened her new company Twenty-Something Theatre and has been feeding us solid work since 2005.
And she ain’t stopping there. Continuing her mission to push theatre further into the city’s conciousness she has started her very own theatre blog, and from the looks of it so far it’s going to be necessary reading.
Sabrina on the future of our theatre:
So, what happens when the blue-rinse crowd that constitutes the majority of the crowds at some of our larger regional theatres (you know the ones) die off? Who will be in the audience? […] It is all well and good to think of all the wacky, crazy, creative, out-there shows that would stimulate and satisfy us as artists BUT if we aren’t connecting with our audiences at a very real & emotional level, that makes them feel like they NEED to come back again, then there really isn’t much point.
Great stuff on fundraising like the big kids:
When I first started out, fundraising was probably my least favourite part of the job but now I actually kind of enjoy it. At first it can seem daunting and awkward asking people to donate their money, time, services, etc to your production but ask you must. In my experience box office revenues account for less than %50 of your total revenue stream. So, where do you get the other 50-75% of the money to put up this beloved project of yours? From the generosity of others.
Sabrina’s also rocking the twitter; engaging with her community, live-blogging shows…I can’t tell you how much I love seeing young theatre embracing new media to get the conversation rolling. It is, simply put, necessary for our success, and will only become more so as the old media shrivels and market-produced content becomes the status quo.
Click here to read and subscribe to Sabrina’s An Unidentified Production blog
On that note, I would like to extend an open invitation to any theatre artists in the Vancouver area. If you’ve been thinking about blogging, about getting your opinions, questions and ideas out into the collective consciousness but aren’t yet sure if it’s something you’d be into, The Next Stage is always open to guest posters looking to get their feet wet. If you’ve got something you’d like to say to your town on the subject of independent theatre, drop me a line at vanstage(at)gmail(dot)com, and we’ll get into a conversation about it.
This site exists solely to promote new theatre, Vancouver, and you’re welcome in any time.
Simon Ogden 