INTRO: Each Brick In The Wall
Claire: Balloons the size of buildings, jugglers throwing discs, and kites that transform the sky into a glittering mirage. Transforming public parks and streets into a spectacle is Sonia Clark’s passion.
Sonia: This is the most democratic form of art, the interaction with the architecture, with the nature, with the environment in which, uh, we all exist being heightened by these projects, the formal seated theater is more like a blank canvas versus street theater is, in a sense, is the opposite of it, creatively speaking.
So the, the environment itself, uh, the smell, the touch, the feel, all of it becomes the inspiration and the very important element in the creation itself. And what I see is that incredibly engaged audience in all cases. I've never had a low point with street theater.
Claire: Sonia specializes in street theater. And a couple of years ago, she was the president of Artpark and Company and decided to do an elaborate show in a public park. This show was called Plasticiens Volants, and it was incredibly successful across Europe, but this would be its North American premiere. It tells an entire story through the use of massive helium balloons.
Sonia: They work in scale. They create this extraordinary aerial performances with inflatable puppets that they manipulate from the ground and they create extraordinary stories through those spectacles where the audience, again, are, uh, a part of the fairytale, a part of the show, a part of the spectacle.
Claire: American audiences aren’t as familiar with this art style, so Sonia and her team decided to open the show with a performance from a Pink Floyd cover band
Sonia: We were having such a good time collaborating on this extraordinary spectacle with a floating whale and, uh, flying fishes and attacking snake. Everything happening in the sky. It was just very Pink Floyd also. People were stunned and amazed. It was one of the probably most amazing experience in my life, and I've heard it from many that kind of felt the same.
Claire: The band was so well received, they asked if they could play a few songs after the main show, and Sonia’s team excitedly said yes. What Sonja didn’t expect, though, was the comments on social media afterward, calling all of her hard work,, “the best intermission ever”
Sonia: And this is, you know, Plasticiens Volants is a project that took months and months to build. It was a North American premiere. It took over a hundred thousand dollars to do. But hey, you know, we'll take it *laugh*
But that whole idea is that you come to your audience, uh, rather than vice versa, and it's very much worth the investment, and it worth discovering what works best over longer periods of times.
You bring a company once, it's totally worth to bring in the second time and the third time. Usually it gets better.
And I feel the community, the audience get the most out of it through these kind of longer term, uh, continued relationships that can evolve into something even bigger.
Claire: When she brought this style of street theater back to the same park two years later: it sold out. No cover band needed.
Now, Sonia is continuing this work of connection by teaming up with other producers who want to mix together music, circus, and street-stopping theatrics.
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Sonia: We are gonna build a network, uh, a support system for more street arts performance in public space. More collaboration, more sharing in the resources between professionals, presenters, artists, producers. And we're calling it for now Street Arts Nexus.
So, these people pick you up, these professionals, presenters pick you up and you keep going.
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Claire: You're listening to ARTS WORK LIFE, a podcast from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals. I'm Claire Caulfield. Today's episode is called It Takes A Village because whether you are creating street art, launching a career, or running a business, you can't do it alone.
In this episode, we explore the breakthroughs, the challenges, the successes and the magic that comes from working together.
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ACT ONE: Flying High
Claire: Act One: Flying High
Karen Franzel never anticipated a career in the performing arts. She went to law school and was busy raising two young sons with her husband. When their oldest son Danny was just a toddler, he was diagnosed with autism. Karen left her job and became a full-time stay-at-home mom. As he grew, Danny rarely spoke. He didn’t make eye contact or really interact with others. But what he did do was climb.
Karen: Look at them walking on top of the playground, uh, you know, the swing set like that. And I'm like, you know, how can I stop him? I mean, he's, he is playing in his own way.
And you know, my other son wouldn't try it because he just knew walking on top of that, a-frame, you know, of the swing set is really dangerous. But for Danny it was kind of like commonplace. And he would climb trees and he'd go up pretty high actually, and, and swing from branches.
And I noticed that Danny would always gauge whether he could make it or not. He was never reckless. he was like, I knew what I'm doing. And he was a little kid. I mean, he was four or five years old, but he did, and he wasn't, he never got hurt. as he got older, I had a lot more confidence in his ability.
Claire: One time, Danny was climbing on top of a giant swing on a playground.
Karen: It's kind of funny because things start and end on playgrounds so often. And a mother came up to me really angry and irate. It was like, how can you let your son do that? Can't you see how dangerous that is? And Daniel actually turned to her, stood still defending me and said, “I am an acrobat.” And that was it. That did it for me. I knew I had to go find him circus arts lessons.
He does not even usually argue on his own behalf, you know, so for him to advocate on my behalf. And for him to make that very plain and complete statement and meaningful statement, it carried a lot of weight with me, and it gave me a lot of meaning. And I knew that he was serious.
Claire: Karen started looking into classes, camps, and experiences that could help Danny develop this natural talent. She enrolled him in a circus training camp. He loved it, but before the camp's final performance, Karen was nervous. She didn't know how Danny would react emotionally to the spotlight, the behind-the-scenes chatter, and the experience of watching the other performers.
Her fears didn't come true. Not only did Danny light up under the stage lights, he also stayed after his routine to cheer on the other acts.
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Karen: He had the biggest smile. And when the audience would cheer, like, you know, he's in the middle of a kind of complex pose and they would cheer, he would kind of stop and nod and acknowledge that they cheered for him and keep going.
And I can tell you, you know, that may not seem like much to an ordinary person, I mean, to someone who doesn't know him, but to someone who knows him to, to me, to his therapist, to his teachers, that's huge.
It was so, so moving for me as a mom.
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Claire: Karen, Danny, and Danny's coach began preparing for a career in performing arts. While Danny learned how to navigate the ins and out of a trapeze, Karen learned the ins and outs of the industry.
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Karen: The most embarrassing or toughest thing for me was to learn the nuances of this performing arts, particularly when it comes to circus, nuances in the industry. I called him Danny the Acrobat because, you know, he does all this acrobatic stuff. But actually in the circus industry, acrobatics is a very specialized field. That's not what Danny does. Danny's an aerialist.
You know, when I apply to these things, I have to understand, how, what is the setup? What are the artists' expectations? You know, there's a lot to learn that I'm still learning. But I can say we've been doing this going on two years now. I think my time in law school served me well.
I didn't think I would ever use it for this purpose, but, um, I, it does help me, in the problem solving mode.
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Karen: I'm lucky that, most of the people that I've encountered in the circus industry have been amazing. I mean, just very helpful and you know, you tell 'em, I've never done this before.
This is new. And I've been really amazed at how many people are interested in collaborating with Danny. They, they tend to be very, very helpful and, um, very accommodating and, you know, they're trying to solve problems. You're trying to, you know, make sure that this is a seamless and successful production.
And I think a lot of people in the circus industry may or have some connection to neurodiversity and may have some sympathetic sympathy or empathy with someone who, you know, is struggling to promote their art and become a legit recognized artist in their industry.
He is a really good performer and he does have, a great message, to share with people and inspire people in, in every way. And I think the circus world is a really wonderful venue. that's been my experience. And overall, I'd say it's been really positive.
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Karen: I realized this is now my calling.
I, I never thought, okay, I'm gonna end up my son's, you know, manager and booking agent.
It's not what I had envisioned. It's not what I planned, but it's, I would say, it's an opportunity for me to grow, to learn new skills, to meet wonderful people, to be creative, and to help my son achieve his goals.
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Claire: Karen Franzel is a manager and booking agent for Danny the Acrobat based out of Orlando, Florida.
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ACT TWO: A Day in the Life
Claire: For today’s Day In The Life, we’re following GregRobin Smith as he prepares to perform at the Idaho Renaissance Fair with a village that he built both metaphorically and literally.
GregRobin (interview): I have been a performing artist since 1973.
I also, uh, am the founder and managing director of the Washington Shakespearean Festival, which is a growing company out here in Washington State. And we look at trying to produce a type of theater that Shakespeare would've seen as a youth.
In other words, the traveling family. A group of players with a cart and a curtain, um, variety show.
One of our slogans is we never perform for an audience.
We always perform with an audience.
GregRobin (self-record): This coming week we're leaving on Thursday and going over to Idaho and just reminded that no matter how many times you go over the details with your other people, go over it again and again until you're certain that every detail is understood 'cause there were still surprises.
GregRobin (interview): This is gonna be the premier distance performance of Socks and Buskin', which is our, uh, the Washington Shakespearean festival's um, uh. Renaissance Fair Trio. And these are two people I met last year.
I was up at a Ren Fair up in Coombs, British Columbia, north end of Vancouver Island.
And I had my portable stage there, the Glob, and I was playing on it and it was a, it's a small affair set, like five people in the audience. And these other two guys were playing around and I say, “Hey come on, why don't we jam some?” And all of a sudden we had like 20 people, 25 people, and then more people show up 'cause they just the vibe of the three of us really connected.
And I said, and people said, "What's your name?" And I just went. “Socks and Buskin” 'cause that's an old expression for a theater troupe or for an actor. And we just hit it off And now, the three of us are traveling in one truck hauling the glob over to Idaho together. and we're gonna be there all weekend long.
GregRobin (self-record): Woke up at 5:00 AM this morning to get the smaller of our two stages. The glob-ette packed up and ready to go up to… [trails off]
GregRobin (interview): We now have two, uh, traveling theaters: One is called the Glob and one is called the Glob-ette.
This idea that I want a traveling stage because I want to take it to these Ren Fairs that I was doing, and so I bought a four by eight trailer from Harbor Freight.
And then we built a frame and then so, and with a peaked roof. And then we put up some of our, uh, banners have got like the lyrics to rounds so we can sing it all and be, everybody can see the, the, the lyrics that they're singing and so people are drawn into it and what happened at this first fair, well, these musicians would show up at the glob and then just kind of recognize, “Hey, do you wanna jam?”
Okay. And they, and so you would, and the audience would walk by and realize this has a different vibe than a set rehearsed group. And they would sit and all of a sudden these musicians who were already paid for their performances were getting more in tips and having a, a great blast. And the audience was going, oh, this is great.
It really took off and it now becomes one of our major selling points.
GregRobin (self-record): And we're hearing some background noise because we're actually on the road to Boise, Idaho.
So Socks and Buskin, our trio is loaded up and ready to go and provide music, entertainment, Maypole dancing, Shakespeare and such.
GregRobin (interview): A lot of what at Ren Fairs is what's called lane work.
And so lane work is where you wander around and you may find somebody just, uh, like a baby crying. May I play a tune for them and I'll play this “do do do do doooo” little, little thing going on. And, and most of the time, the child will go to sleep or at least calm down and that little interaction, they'll come back the next year going, you, you played my baby to sleep.
And we came back just to see you. And, and then, or somebody's having a little picnic off to the side. And the kids are up there dancing and the parents stand up and dance with the kids. And those are magical moments.
>> sound from Ren fair -- singing and dancing
GregRobin (self-record): And Saturday, ta-da, ta-da. We came and we performed three regular scheduled presentations and then did several impromptu walk-around performances and then a remarkable event happened. Uh, James one third of Socks and Buskin, he is a doctorate in medieval history, stood up on the glob stage. James is up there and he is talking about the Middle Ages in history and how these various currents changed the world and how one event would affect another is like, well my gosh, at a Ren Fair people want juggling and fire breathing and such, and he had like 40 people there, sitting in the grass the entire time. In rapt attention, and he's gonna do it again today.
>> sound from Ren fair -- singing and dancing
GregRobin (interview): That idea of involving your audience and involving the, the, the, the people to not only sit and watch but sit and partake, to sing along, to join the dance really began to be embedded in me. Like, this is different. This is effective, this is what theater could be.
And probably was in Shakespeare's time.
>> sound from Ren fair -- singing and dancing
GregRobin (self-record): We did some good. Uh, performing today, um,
A day in the life. And this is my life and I love it.
>>sound from Ren fair – applause and cheering
Claire: GregRobin Smith is the founder and managing director of The Washington Shakespearean Festival. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
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ACT THREE: In Family We Trust
Claire: Act three, In Family We Trust
Juanita Anderson grew up in the theater. Literally. Her mother is an actress and producer, and when Juanita was 12 years old the family purchased a historic theater. It served Miami’s large Spanish-speaking population, with shows in both English and Spanish.
Juanita was always so proud to contribute to the legacy of Cuban, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, and Colombian-Americans that makes her hometown unique, and over the years, she worked about every behind-the-scenes job in the theater. From usher to box office manager, before she graduated high school, Juanita knew the business inside and out.
Juanita’s story is about how she balances innovation and tradition. Here’s Juanita.
Juanita: When I was 18 years old and I graduated from high school, I decided to take the next step. And the next step was working full-time in the theater as well as going, uh, uh, going to school for, for business. Now, I wasn't just understanding the production side of things.
Back then they we're talking about over maybe 10 years ago, 12 years ago, everything was done in cash.
And back then, when it was all cash was because we didn't trust credit cards. So that was a big trust that the community had to give us. It's a big trust for them, for, to trust, um, a system that they have never heard of charging them a, a, a facility fee.
They didn't understand, so they always wanted to pay cash.
And then I said, “Why?” If we want them to use credit card, if they use a credit card and they start learning to trust the system, then they will be able to purchase the tickets in advance.
And if they can purchase the tickets in advance, everything just works out better. We understand how exactly how many people will be attending. We can prepare our, our bar, our cafeteria. We can make sure we have the right amount of personnel for the day. Ushers, something we weren't able to calculate back in the day.
So removing those, um, interruptions, those, uh, features made the full process smooth.
And when you're young, when you're about 20 years old, 22, you want to change everything now. Everything had to be changed yesterday.
But I also didn't understand that every single change had a consequence. Every decision I made had 30 more that came along.
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Juanita: Being a generational business, one of the things that I, I was crashing with my mother often was the seasonal performances.
When my mother acquired these venues, one of the things that she wanted was to keep open season. juice out the play as much as it can, and when it can't no more, then we bring something new.
They didn't want a single person that, that would say, oh, I really wanna go see that play. Not give them the opportunity. No. They had the opportunity to come and watch.
At first, it was wonderful. It gave us a name in this city. But after a while, I started seeing a problem with it.
Claire: Whenever a play’s attendance started dropping, that’s when her parents would begin the process of finding the next show. To Juanita, this felt really inefficient because it could take weeks to get the production ready for opening night. She suggested a more traditional format of having a set season with strict starting dates and ending dates for each production.
It took some convincing but her parents agreed to try out her plan.
The first show they staged was a runaway success and no one in the family wanted to end its run, but Juanita already had the next two shows lined up. And those following two shows were not a success.
Juanita: Numbers went from sold out, sold out to 30% of the venue was was selling. And then it was chaos. And then chaos. And it did not work.
It didn't work for producers. It didn't work for our audience. It didn't work for our community. It didn't work for anyone. It only worked for me. It only worked for me and my calendar and my theory in my head. Why? It's an entire case study. Why I, I was not listening to our community. I was not understanding our audience. I did not understand that because I mentioned that, that the Hispanic community takes a little bit longer to get into the American rhythm.
I wanted it to go fast. I wanted to do it now. And that's not realistic. It it, it wasn't real. So the first performance that we did the first season was spectacular.
I don't think the problem is the play. I think the problem is me and my calendar and my, and and my military style.
So I said, okay, there's something going on with this tradition. Because it works. Maybe not the way that I want it to work, and maybe it doesn't work, has always worked, but I do need to understand why it was created this way, how we make it happen and, and why, understand, why do we do this?
And that's how we have been able to come up with this new scheme, which is a mix of the traditional, it's mainly tradition. If I had to say it's 60-40, mainly tradition. Is a play going to do well? If so, we will extend it two weeks. And if it's not going well, we can decrease it two weeks. And then we have an entire month where we can bring a comedian, we can do something creative with those dates, we can bring the community to and have a live band for those, for those days.
And that has given me time and space to not have that feeling that I had the first three seasons of me battling the producers, the producers wanting more dates and me telling them, no, no, no, no.
Fighting with my family saying this is not, this is, we don't do it this way. This is not us. This is not our community. This is not our people. We don't do this. And my heart had saying, we have to try it. Thankfully they, they do trust. They do trust me. They do trust the process. And they give me the space to try.
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Juanita: I have been able to implement many ideas that I've had.
I want to say most of them have been successful and some of them that weren't successful, we're not ready yet or we don't have the infrastructure yet. Or it requires much more organization than, than what we can handle right now.
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Juanita: Thankfully my mother, she's come to an age where she says, “You know what? In the next five years I want to retire. I have been doing it for the past 15 years, but now it's time for the next generation, not just a generation of business owners, but also as spectators." The spectators that we used to have 15 years ago are extremely elderly now.
How are we gonna cultivate the Hispanic community in these changing times? And that is my, my future in this role, in this, in this business is to become what, what my mother is right now, which is the, the artistic director while still listening to the community.
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Juanita: If there's one thing I can give advice to anyone, it doesn't have to be a multi-generational company, is give the people under you that, that want to have your role, give them the opportunity to try to try and succeed or to try and fail. But at least they tried and they know what works, what doesn't.
And sometimes what happened to me failing taught me more. It taught me to listen to my community.
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Claire: Juanita Anderson is the theater coordinator of Teatro Trail and Sala Catarsis in Miami, Florida.
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OUTRO & CREDITS
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Claire: Thank you so much for listening. ARTS. WORK. LIFE. is a production from APAP, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.
The opinions expressed in this podcast are that of the storytellers and not necessarily those of APAP.
APAP is the national service organization for the performing arts, presenting, booking, and touring industry.
You can join APAP at APAP365.org. The podcast team includes Grace Asuncion and Sam Meyers, all led by Jenny Thomas, our fearless executive producer, and I'm Claire Caulfield, your host and producer.
Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the generous support of the Wallace Foundation. So thank you.
Other thank yous to the APAP staff and board of directors, and, of course, our storytellers today and the hundreds of thousands of arts workers across the world.
Your stories matter, and arts workers are essential.
If you enjoyed this episode, which I really hope you did, please leave us a review as it helps other people find the show.
Carolyn: Arts, Work, Life. That’s real *laugh*
