audacity - 1: the quality of being audacious. 2: intrepid boldness. 3: recklessly
daring: Adventurous. 4: bold disregard of normal constraints. 5: marked by
originality and verve.
OUR MISSION
Audacity Theatre Lab is a platform for the imaginations of a collective of individual theatre artists. The artists of ATL are empowered to use the company as an outlet for the creation of new theatre projects, be they bold re-imaginings of existing works or the incubation and exploration of completely original works for the stage.
HERE'S THE DEAL
1. The Artist comes first! Not the company. Not the community. The Artist. We are turning our back on any sort of Unifying Aesthetic. Audacity is not a brand. It is a place where Artist's make stuff. Each artist has his or her own unique vision and personality. ATL is made up of these personalities. We won't bend an artist's point of view to fit it in some intangible, amorphous "house style." Here, the individual artist is not watered down.
2. New works rule! At ATL, we believe the theatre needs new voices, new ideas, new everything. We might just attain immediacy that way. We will leave the plays of the classical canon to other members of the cultural community - academia, community houses, larger repertory companies. These plays are great for the education of young artists, supplying a background on where they fall in the history of the Theatre, but our concerns are with the here and now. Museum works "as they are" are for the interpretive artist and should be left to them. For the contemporary creative artist, these plays should only be a catalyst for immediate "re-imaginings".
3. It is called Play for a reason! When's the last time you went to the theatre because, well, it was fun? No, really. We thought so. Theatre must entertain. No message, truth, or idea can be conveyed to an audience that is not engaged. If we fail at this, we fail at everything. This is crucial. Since we are a laboratory for new works and new ways of working, we experiment. But we will not forget, the word "Experimental" is but a modifier for "Theatre." The first priority, like that to all Theatre, must be to "entertain", not simply to "experiment". Experimentation for the sake of itself is self-indulgence. Fun is an infinitely worthy goal. Fun to make for the artists, fun to experience for the audience.
4. Cheap is actually the goal! We believe in a theater that is created cheap and is cheap to see. Our pricing policy runs from free to $20 for most shows - more if you've got it, cheap if you're broke. This is not a hippie thing. And it is not because we couldn't somehow raise/earn what we need. It is a practical, entrepreneurial approach to an artform that has become financially unwieldy and for no practical reason. There are no reasons, if we are creating the projects, that the projects should cost a fortune. The money side of things is a source of stress and is usually at the root of the downfall of most otherwise worthwhile endeavors. Listen, we know that the theatre company must make money in order to continue, but its the theatre, not the money, that supplies the livelihood. Therefore, our aim is not to keep the company going to make money, but to make money so we can keep the company going. See the difference?
5. Every theatre artist at ATL is a multifunctional instigator! We have no need, at the core of our company, for strictly "interpretive artists". Thusly all artists in the theatre now must see themselves as Creative. We deal with Theatre-Makers. Their role is instigative. If you do not create, share, and defend your art, then you are really just going through the motions. You must be active in the creative process and must hold no loyalties to the old dead ways. The lines between director, playwright, actor, designer, stage management and even administration must be blurred for a more evolved theatre to come into existence.
