On Citizenship
Posted by Edward Sobel on 5/04/2006Awhile back, Steppenwolf as an organization underwent the introspective exercise of defining our core values — those things, in the words of Theater Communications Group Director Ben Cameron, that one will “go to the mat for every single time”. We came up with three: ensemble, innovation, and citizenship.
Normally this kind of inward thinking remains internal to the organization. But today is David New’s turn to post on the blog, and he is not available to do it. Why? Because he is currently engaged in his civic responsibility, sitting, as summoned, on a jury in the Cook County Court system. So in his absence and honor, I started thinking about citizenship, and what it means to be a good citizen:
To be thoughtful about the challenges others face. To behave honorably, responsibly, and fairly, even when no one is watching. To communicate honestly and openly. To think and act for the good of others, not just our own. To provoke and be provoked, but civilly and in hope of genuine discourse.
Sometimes, as in Last of the Boys or the upcoming The Unmentionables, the connection between the behavior on-stage and in our civic lives is overt, and at others, it is more subtle and inferred. But we strive to meet our daily challenge to create theater that supports good citizenship, and to act as a good institutional citizen within our community. I hope some of you have found it a worthy aspiration.
May 9th, 2006 at 2:14 pm
citizenship, and what it means to be a good citizen:
To be thoughtful about the challenges others face. To behave honorably, responsibly, and fairly, even when no one is watching. To communicate honestly and openly. To think and act for the good of others, not just our own.
I challnge you to look further into your company’s citizenship. What about your citizenship to the next generation of theatre artists. Your Chicago citizenship to the theatre community. I question this, because all I see is an ensemble that is exclusive and there are citizens that are younger than 35 who are talented.
May 10th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Thanks for your comment. You raise an excellent point; one which is part of a continuing dialogue within the company.
Steppenwolf does make a strong investment in fostering the work of younger artists. Through our Visiting Company Initiative, we invite less-established theaters to present in our spaces – recent partnerships in this program include About Face Theater and The Hypocrites. Through our Cross-Town Ensemble program we engage in a year-long training and individual mentorship program with high-school students. The School at Steppenwolf, a nine-week summer program is specifically devoted to passing the skills and expertise of our ensemble to a group of younger actors. Steppenwolf’s commitment to new work, including our First Look Rep, also reflects our belief in the importance of supporting the next generation of theater artists.
But there is no doubt we can and must continue to do more. The question with respect to ensemble that you raise, which incidentally can apply not just to age but also racial/ethnic background, gender, and many other categories, is important and multi-faceted. The existing ensemble of Steppenwolf arose in a particular way, in a particular set of circumstances. Those are not able to be exactly replicated. The challenge is to find an organic process that supports and builds upon the current company, while preparing for its future.
Again, I thank you for the thoughtfulness of your comment. It precisely reflects the kind of free exchange and exercise of responsible citizenship to which we aspire.