Be moved, be bold, be theatre - Starting A Professional Theatre Company in Rural America

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,0, University of Potsdam (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), 48 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In general, American theatre is often equated with theatre produced and staged on Broadway in New York City. Yet, the American theatre scene is much more diverse and widespread than commonly believed. While the following work is focusing primarily on founding a professional theatre company in South Dakota, it follows and analyzes the voyage of an evolving theatre endeavor called Buhnenkunst Theatre Company and also gives an inside glimpse into the fascinating and mysterious world behind the curtain of contemporary performing arts, especially in the United States. In this paper, descriptive, theoretical facts and explanations are being intertwined with concrete, practical implementations on the process of founding a professional theatre company in rural America. Along the way, this paper does not only emphasize the artistic and creative segment of theatre, but also the technical as well as the business, legal and of course human element. Furthermore, the significance of choosing Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as a market for the new company will be explained and its history, demographics and location investigated. In order to analyze the professional theatre market in the South Dakota, two online surveys were conducted among theatre artists as well as the general public. The range of data, figures and statements captured the genuine essence of not only the multiplicity of different communities in the Midwest, but also the mixture of its theatre landscape. Beyond the study of the locale, the paper will demonstrate all issues that emerged during the formation process of the new company, like filing the articles of incorporation, getting support from the community, forming a board of directors and raising money, as well as choosing the right play for the debut production. The paper continues to elucidate the development of that production from a conceptual, aesthetical, technical, financial and promotional point of view. It will clarify the relevance that the selected play, Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind, has for the Sioux Falls audience. Finally, the paper will take a look into a possible future of the company and what might be achievable within the next few years.

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