Local Flavor v International Reputation

There's a constant tension for someone who loves the arts but doesn't live in one of the absolute "A List" arts metropolises of the western world (New York, London, Paris, Berlin...maybe, L.A.) between wanting to champion and celebrate local arts endeavors and wishing that one's home town were more of a destination for world-calibre artists.

On the one hand, I bemoan the fact that a cosmopolitan city like San Francisco very rarely plays host to a major international opening. I guess all eyes are on San Francisco Ballet this season as it's the venerable dance company's 75th anniversary, so that's one good thing. And San Francisco Opera has mounted a couple of high-profile world premieres over the last few years -- Philip Glass' Appomattox most recently and John Adams' Dr. Atomic in '05. But the last truly glossy theatre production -- of the kind that makes New York drama critics leave their hallowed corner of the country en masse -- was probably the Magic Theatre's world premiere production of Sam Shepard's The Late Henry Moss in 2000. That show drew international attention as it was both written and directed by Shepard, and starred Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson and Cheech Marin.

On the other hand, I'm constantly gob-smacked by the wealth of homegrown performing arts talent that we have here in the Bay Area and feel proud that this part of the country boasts such copious amounts of creativity. I'm especially impressed by the calibre of some of our local actors, musicians and dancers. I get pretty indignant when the local arts scene is shut out of national discussions about the arts. For instance, I echo Theatre Bay Area Magazine editor, Karen McKevitt's disgruntlement at a recent issue of The Dramatist (the bi-monthly journal of the Dramatists Guild) for virtually excluding the Bay Area from its list of 50 emerging playwrights across the country. I feel similarly disheartened by the fact that of the seven people on the Magic Theatre's shortlist for the soon-to-be-vacant position of artistic director, only one is a local theatre-maker. All the other contenders are imports from elsewhere.

I guess it's all a question of trying to get a good balance of perspective between the homegrown and national/international. The Hewlett Foundation, at least, seems to be aware of the need to get word out about the Bay Area theatre scene and instill a little more local pride. The funder is launching a program in collaboration with the national theatre umbrella organization, Theatre Communications Group, to "establish and/or strengthen ongoing professional relationships with selected arts writers in the San Francisco Bay Area." The two-year program, according to TGG's website, "is designed to bring Bay Area theatres and artists to national attention—by broadening and deepening the magazine’s coverage of theatre activities and issues in the region—and to heighten visibility for the region as a whole." It's a small step, but it's definitely headed in the right direction.