PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 7

Day 7- Margo Jones & Mike Daisey; Dallas, TX

It may be raining cats and dogs in Dallas, but that did not stop all of us from enjoying the most legendary day on our journey thus far. Our day began with a trip to the Margo Jones Theatre. We met up with Dallas critic Mark Lowry of www.theaterjones.com to tour the exact spot where the regional theatre movement began in 1947.

Emily Mann wrote these words in the introduction to Helen Sheehy's biography of Margo.

"What a debt we owe to Margo Jones! How could so few of us know Margo Jones's story? Dubbed the "Texas Tornado" by Tennesse Williams, Jones was a force of nature. With her unstoppable energy, her vision, ambition, talent, and her immeasurable love of drama, she created a movement now manifested in every major city and town in America. By championing the decentralization of the American Theatre, Jones did no less than found our national theatre."



We've devoured Margo's visions and plans in her book Theatre in the Round. All of us who work in the American Regional theatre owe our careers to this bold woman who was a dreamer and a doer. Needless to say, we were in awe when we got the chance to step into her theatre. Its amazing to see... but such a big movement actually started in a very small room. Her theatre, originally called 'Theatre 47, is literally a small and humble meeting room. It just goes to show that big changes can start with even the smallest of steps.

We had an incredible conversation with Mark Lowry about the Dallas theatre scene, the history of Margo Jones, and his exciting and innovative work at www.theaterjones.com. We thank him and the staff at The Margo Jones Theatre immensely for showing us her incredible space.





Our day concluded with the performance that we traveled over 1,500 miles to see.




Mike Daisey's monologue "How Theatre Failed America" was a moment in the theatre that profoundly changed and inspired all of us. Daisey's work is riveting, truthful, and hopeful. His monologue about the current state of American Theatre was woven together with deeply personal stories about how theatre actually saved his life. The entire experience could be viewed as a force of nature that challenges people to think deeply about the state of theatre and opens up a dialogue that we believe will lead to seismic transformation within American theatre and our society.

Immediately following the performance we participated in a round table discussion that included Mike Daisey, Water Tower Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin, Dallas Theater Center Artist Director Kevin Moriarty, local actress Denise Lee, and KERA critic and reporter Jerome Weeks. The discussion was theatre in and of itself. It was filled with all ranges of human emotion from complacency to anger to inspiration.

But what lied at the root of this conversation, from the opinions of an Artistic Director who is running an enormous theatrical institution to an audience member who shouted in anger at the lack of local talent being used on the stages of Dallas, is this:

The state of American Theatre MUST change. The current theatrical model is not working. The system is broken. Artists are separate from the heart of the institutions that were built for them. Audiences are shrinking. And one of the greatest fears spoken was the heart breaking idea that even if all the tickets were free, audiences still wouldn't come.

It's wonderful to speak out about such issues. But its even more wonderful to know that change only comes from daring to dream in new and bold ways and taking massive action towards the achievement of those dreams.

Mike Daisey's monologue concluded with a call to arms. He spoke of the great hope that some of us in the audience who love the theatre more than life itself will move forward into the world to pioneer the great advancements of our future. We may make "ridiculous mistakes" along the way, but the point is that just like Margo Jones, we are fighting for a better theatre and a better world. And such ideals are worth the fight. And as the six of us sat there in a quiet theatre, captivated by a man that spoke the truth from the depths of his soul, and surrounded by a community of people desperately hoping for change, we heard the call loud and clear.