Phoenix isn't usually the first city that comes to mind when one thinks of major culture capitols, but that isn't for lack of trying. It certainly has the size, currently ranking as number four among the most populous cities in the United States. Further, Arizonans have adopted the habit of taking in theatre Phoenix, the largest city of the Southwestern United States, assumes its due place as a culture capital.
It can be challenging for a newer city, one lacking two or three centuries of background, to assert itself. But there is a lot more at stake here than civic ego. There is also the matter of building a community in a typical Western city built along highways, and the theatre is a great community builder.
Phoenix, AZ grew to maturity during the era of highways and television. Both of these features of modern life, in different but complementary ways, tended to act against the cultivation of a robust urban lifestyle. A highway based city lacks an older city's warm, human-scale pedestrian life, with its pleasure of walking from shop to shop, and neighbors gossiping on the corner.
If anything, television is even more debilitating to urban life, since it offers the ultimate convenience of being entertained in one's own home. We now have several generations who might be expert in the finest television drama, but who have no idea of the unique energy of a live performance before a packed house.
By way of response, Phoenix has built its downtown into a surprisingly wonderful neighborhood and hub of culture. The first treat is the neighborhood's very architecture, a visual treat. Couples and families often enjoy themselves simply strolling underneath the starry night skies, perhaps taking in a fine meal at one of the neighborhood's varied restaurants.
Some spaces provide world class popular entertainment, which adds sizzle to the downtown experience. The Orpheum focuses on popular, broadly loved performances, including Broadway musicals. The Comerica is a music hall and stage that entertains the public with the world's finest pop music and comedy stars.
Among these treasures are two lovely spaces that provide the best in live drama. The Phoenix Theatre, located on McDowell Road, presents contemporary plays penned by some of the most gifted playwrights in the country, and the also features new musicals. To help the taste for live entertainment cross into the next generation, it offers writing and acting classes for teenagers as part of its ambitious public outreach program.
The Arizona Theatre Company, also downtown, makes its home in the small, intimate Herberger Theater Center, but it also has a site in Tucson. It also offers a full complement of outreach programs, with special attention to programs for teachers and students. Its programming runs to suspense, thrillers, and new plays written by top TV writers.
Perhaps it is time to retire the term "fly over country" completely, now that such sophisticated pleasures are available in such a sophisticated urban environment. Suddenly the desert is a desert only in the sense of its lack of water, for there is no lack of culture. More and more often, people are turning off the television and coming downtown to take in a show. One can always leave the DVR running, after all.
It can be challenging for a newer city, one lacking two or three centuries of background, to assert itself. But there is a lot more at stake here than civic ego. There is also the matter of building a community in a typical Western city built along highways, and the theatre is a great community builder.
Phoenix, AZ grew to maturity during the era of highways and television. Both of these features of modern life, in different but complementary ways, tended to act against the cultivation of a robust urban lifestyle. A highway based city lacks an older city's warm, human-scale pedestrian life, with its pleasure of walking from shop to shop, and neighbors gossiping on the corner.
If anything, television is even more debilitating to urban life, since it offers the ultimate convenience of being entertained in one's own home. We now have several generations who might be expert in the finest television drama, but who have no idea of the unique energy of a live performance before a packed house.
By way of response, Phoenix has built its downtown into a surprisingly wonderful neighborhood and hub of culture. The first treat is the neighborhood's very architecture, a visual treat. Couples and families often enjoy themselves simply strolling underneath the starry night skies, perhaps taking in a fine meal at one of the neighborhood's varied restaurants.
Some spaces provide world class popular entertainment, which adds sizzle to the downtown experience. The Orpheum focuses on popular, broadly loved performances, including Broadway musicals. The Comerica is a music hall and stage that entertains the public with the world's finest pop music and comedy stars.
Among these treasures are two lovely spaces that provide the best in live drama. The Phoenix Theatre, located on McDowell Road, presents contemporary plays penned by some of the most gifted playwrights in the country, and the also features new musicals. To help the taste for live entertainment cross into the next generation, it offers writing and acting classes for teenagers as part of its ambitious public outreach program.
The Arizona Theatre Company, also downtown, makes its home in the small, intimate Herberger Theater Center, but it also has a site in Tucson. It also offers a full complement of outreach programs, with special attention to programs for teachers and students. Its programming runs to suspense, thrillers, and new plays written by top TV writers.
Perhaps it is time to retire the term "fly over country" completely, now that such sophisticated pleasures are available in such a sophisticated urban environment. Suddenly the desert is a desert only in the sense of its lack of water, for there is no lack of culture. More and more often, people are turning off the television and coming downtown to take in a show. One can always leave the DVR running, after all.
About the Author:
You can visit www.vyt.com for more helpful information about Theatre Phoenix And The New Western Night Life.
No comments:
Post a Comment