Let's Do Some Good Together

Peoples,

You have almost certainly by now heard about the financial crisis facing San Francisco's Magic Theatre.  Simply put, they're in some serious trouble.  They need to raise $350,000 in nine days.  Let me explain why I think you, as a reader of this blog, should donate, regardless of whether or not you (like me) have never been to see one of their shows.

If you're a reader of this blog, there's a very good chance that one of the issues you're passionate about is new work in the theatre, as its one of the things we talk about quite a bit here from time to time.

If that's the case, then here's an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.  The Magic is a theater dedicated to new plays (the 08-09 season is here) and they work with a lot of interesting artists.  New Plays in America will not survive and flourish without a network of regional theaters dedicated to producing them and working on them.  San Francisco is lucky to have such a theater; from my time spent researching regional theatre seasons over the past few months, I can tell you, there aren't a ton of theaters around dedicated to doing new work with budgets the size of (or larger than) the Magic. And they do a pretty good mix of stuff, sure Theresa Rebeck might not be the most adventurous choice in the world, but their season also includes Lloyd Suh, Oni Faida Lampley and Laura Schellhardt. 

Please donate. I know times are tight and the deadline for tax deductions in '08 has passed, but this is something concrete you can do that will make the American theater landscape better for new plays.  Here's the link.

Comments

[Marisela]

Isaac,

thank you so much for blogging about this. And your post said it so well, how important supporting a theatre that is dedicated to new work is for not just the Bay Area, but the entire theatre community.

[steven lewis]

Is no one else bothered with the fact that the Magic carried a 600,000 deficit into the year or that they waited so long to announce this campaign? Should we not expect some fiscal responsibility of arts institutions- especially ones that accept grant money? They do new plays- fine, that's great- a lot of theaters do. As much as people complain about it there's a whole network of theaters that produce new plays- the NNPN which the Magic belongs to- and there are hundreds of well run small theaters- NoseDive, Flux, Vampire Cowboys in NYC alone and hundreds around the country that do ONLY new work. Why would I save a theater being run poorly when there's not enough for a smaller house that deserves to grow?

[Tommer]

Don't tell the IRS I said so, but it is quite easy to date a check December 31, 2008 even if it is January 1. Time is relative, right?

[VW (SF Actor)]

I had questions similar to Steven's when I first looked at the Magic's 'ask', and here's how I answered them for myself.
1) Current artistic director has been at the Magic since spring '08, and states that this debt comes from previous poor management, and she's trying to turn the ship around.
2) While there are several other companies of this size in the greater Bay Area, the Magic is the 2nd largest theater in San Francisco proper. I strongly feel that for actors to get work at the larger theaters, they need to be seen as someone who can carry themselves in a larger house. The Magic is one of those stepping stones across this stream from the black box to the 1000 seat house. Fewer stepping stones will make it harder for locals to get across and remain local.
3)In addition to producing new plays on their mainstage, the Magic has a writing program for high school students that goes into classrooms in SF public schools, and guides students through a playwrighting process that concludes w/a staged reading night w/professional directors and actors. No one else here serves this population in this exact way. Kids need arts education.

[Patrick McKelvey]

Is there any word on how much progress they've made towards meeting that goal since the announcedment was made?

[Tom Loughlin]

Isaac,

Your readers and commenters might want to look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TDzmzLT-vU

It puts a face to the Magic's appeal. -twl

[Marisela]

FYI, just learned the Magic is 2/3 of the way there.