Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Theatre Phoenix And The New Western Nightlife

By Janine Hughes


Phoenix isn't usually among those cities one thinks when one lists the nation's capitals of culture. This is in spite of the city's sheer size, which has it ranked as fourth biggest in the nation. As Arizonans increasingly partake of theatre Phoenix, the biggest city in the Southwest, begins to take its place among the more renowned culture centers.

Young cities, without hundreds of years behind them, face challenges in asserting themselves. The rewards of successfully doing so, however, are significant, and in ways beyond inter-city rivalry. These cities, typically built along a pre-existent network of freeways, always face challenges in making true communities. The theatre is a wonderful way to build community.

Phoenix, AZ came of age during our modern era of freeways and TV. Both these commonalities of modernity, for different but dovetailing reasons, worked to retard the development of a vitalizing city life. Cities built on freeway grids lack old cities' energizing foot traffic, which offers human pleasures of strolling from place to place, and engaging fellow pedestrians and diners.

TV is perhaps still more of a poison to urban culture, as it offers the numbing temptation of entertainment without so much as leaving the living room couch. Today whole generations might be savvy to quality drama on TV, but lack any notion of the thrill of live drama in front of hundreds of their fellows.

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 venues offer first-rate popular fare, all adding to the vibrancy of downtown Phoenix. The Orpheum is focused on familiar, well-loved popular musicals and other performances. The Comerica is a concert hall treating the public to major musical and comedic talents famous across the world.

Two treats of architecture are showcases for living drama. The Phoenix Theatre gives fresh dramas penned by the nation's best dramatists, as well as the most sophisticated new musicals. It provides classes in writing as well as acting for teenagers among a broad menu of community outreach projects to build a public appetite for drama.

The Herberger Theater Center, an intimate venue, is one of two homes for the Arizona Theatre Company, the other being in Tucson. Its program includes its own outreach programs, including programs for teachers and their students. It favors thrillers, detective dramas, and works from top tier TV writers.

With so much sophisticated entertainment available, this desert is only a desert in its lacking water, not culture. More people are choosing to come downtown for dinner and a show, leaving the TV behind. One can always let the DVR recorder store TV fare for the some other time.




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