by Geoff Hoff~

Robert Altman was one of my favorite movie makers.  When making a movie, he always set himself up for a challenge.  Sometimes the challenge was too grand and he didn’t reach it, as in Quintet.  Sometimes it wasn’t very grand at all, as in Gosford Park, but he made it glorious.  Sometimes the balance was just right, as in Nashville.  He had some failures, but I would rather see his failures than many directors’ successes.

What does this have to do with small theatre in Los Angeles?

There are many reasons to mount plays, and many to see them.  One is, of course, pure entertainment.  One is to have a visceral experience.  There is the need to provoke thought.  And there is the desire to produce something new.

Much experimental theatre in Los Angeles advances itself all out of proportion to i’s actual experimentation.  This is often because it is done with little knowledge of what’s come before it, and what it sees as new ground has been very well trod.  Much experimental theatre in Los Angeles is close to unwatchable.  This is often because the experimenters have forgotten that their creation must ultimately be put in front of an audience.  Much, however gets the balance just right, knowing what has come before, truly attempting new things, and knowing the ultimate test of any production is the reaction of the audience.  When this happens, it is very exciting indeed.

I love theatre for the entertainment.  I love it for the spectacle and for its thought and conversation provoking abilities.  However, I think that experimental work, even when it doesn’t really measure up, is the most exciting theatre going.  It opens new doors and creates new possibilities.  What was experimental often becomes mainstream, or influences the mainstream, so the experiments are powerful and necessary.

An experimental piece, done well, can be the most satisfying theatrical event.  And even the ones that don’t predict and support the ones that do.