{"id":349719,"date":"2024-02-07T14:22:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T19:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=349719"},"modified":"2024-02-07T14:22:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T19:22:14","slug":"why-is-a-magic-show-at-dcs-largest-regional-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/02\/07\/why-is-a-magic-show-at-dcs-largest-regional-theater\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is a magic show at DC\u2019s largest regional theater?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we near the end of yet another theater season, one of the more distinct productions on a DC stage is neither a play nor a musical. In Southwest DC, Arena Stage is presenting Vinny DePonto\u2019s Mindplay, <\/em>featuring a type of magic known as mentalism. What was it about this show \u2014 a late addition to Arena\u2019s 2023\/24 season, and the only show in the season programmed by Arena\u2019s new artistic director, Hana S. Sharif (who came on board after outgoing artistic director Molly Smith programmed the rest of the season) \u2014 that led Sharif to insert it, for a lengthy seven-week run, into Arena\u2019s schedule?<\/p>\n

In an interview, Sharif explained why this production resonated with her. \u201cThis is a show that ends with a sense of community. I think that is what is really powerful and unique about it. And I am excited by how theatrical experiences that are intimate and unique, which invite the audience to be part of it, might catalyze new audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vinny DePonto in \u2018Mindplay\u2019 at Geffen Playhouse. Photo by Jeff Lorch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She further explained her role in choosing Mindplay<\/em>. \u201cIt is the job of the artistic director to give audiences a wide spectrum of theatrical experiences and works.\u201d This is vitally important, she added, because \u201cregional theaters were built on an economic structure that no longer works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharif\u2019s comments track: an October 2023 study<\/a> from the National Endowment of the Arts revealed that fewer people are going to the theater. Subscriptions, long the foundation of a theater\u2019s economic model, are also declining. Chicago\u2019s famed Steppenwolf Theatre recently shared<\/a> that its subscriptions are down 40 percent compared with pre-pandemic.<\/p>\n

DePonto\u2019s production, which Sharif describes as \u201ca theatrical experience unlike you will have ever experienced at Arena,\u201d is now at its second major regional theater. Mindplay <\/em>had its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in 2022 for 10 weeks.<\/p>\n

The decision to choose this production may have something to do with audience development. In a recent interview<\/a> with American Theatre<\/em>, the new executive director of the Theatre Development Fund, Deeksha Gaur, spoke of bringing in new perspectives to the theater. \u201cWhen you bring in more audiences, you support the development of audiences, and that is how you serve the art and the artmakers.\u201d Gaur, a former staffer at DC\u2019s Woolly Mammoth Theatre, added, \u201cTo me, audience development is using shows as tools to develop new audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hana S. Sharif. Photo by Cheshire Isaac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Sharif, while Mindplay<\/em> is not a straight play or musical, it is akin to those tentpoles of theater in that they all showcase \u201cprofound stories,\u201d akin to StepAfrika!\u2019s recent Magical Musical Holiday Step Show<\/em> at Arena. Mindplay<\/em> offered Sharif a unique opportunity to entice new patrons into the theater. \u201cTheaters opening the door to experience art and storytelling in unexpected forms is part of the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As we turn toward the upcoming theater season, will we see more magic on DC stages? More audio experiences, akin to Solas Nua\u2019s One Moment Now<\/em>? More cabaret, like Signature Theatre\u2019s Disco Fever<\/em>? Sharif, for one, is not ruling anything out: \u201cThe slate of shows [for Arena\u2019s 2024\/25 season] changes every day.\u201d She emphasized the value of getting new and different patrons out to Arena\u2019s southwest home. \u201cWhere we have been in the past is trying to meet the demands of our core audiences, and where we are now is trying to expand the base of who our audience is.\u201d<\/p>\n