Theater in a Time of Need

Abstract

Theater has a way of influencing our lives in ways we never thought possible, but even with the reach it has, there is still no federal representation for the arts in the United States. Organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts - an independent federal agency and the largest funder of the arts in America - do most of the heavy lifting, funding institutions from regional theaters to schools across all fifty states. The biggest threat to theater and the arts is that there is no permanent support structure beyond reliance on non-permanent federal, state, and corporate funding. For smaller-scale organizations like regional theaters, whose funding relies heavily on occasional federal or state grants and donations from private sponsors, it only takes one or two setbacks before a company goes under. This makes it harder for people to get involved with theater and makes it ever more expensive, even inaccessible for the average audience member. As artists, we need to be allowed the space to express ourselves and bring our craft back to those who need it the most. We need to be able to create without fear of failure or losing money. In this study, I describe the different modes in which theater existed from 2008 to 2024 and compare the individual practice of a post-Covid actor (myself), exploring ways a theatrical career can exist and overcome the trials presented by the current system.