Excellence: The Gateway Goal

Hello All, I'll introduce myself later!

It seems like every example company referenced in our reading (The Joint Stock Book, Cornerstone’s handbook and Community Performance) uses quality as the primary motivator of their work. I had guessed that their primary motivator was altruistic. They are not apathetic about the communities with whom they work, they treat them with respect by creating the best work possible, with the side-effect: ‘telling their stories’ or ‘raising awareness.’
Alison Carey of Cornerstone is quoted as saying “If you do this [work] for purely selfless reasons, you’re going to burn out soon.” I agree with this sentiment. It’s hard to imagine a world where one could survive living for another community. However it makes me think, Why are they doing it then?
They are taking the stories from the community and using them to make their ‘excellent’ works. There is still dialogue between the communities and practitioners. Community members can be involved in productions. And sometimes there are great changes for the community, as a byproduct.
Carey speaks about the changes that art can create for communities, though it can look like social work it’s really a way of making the “kind of art that’s most satisfying to us.” The satisfaction comes from the authenticity lent by the stories. Without a contractual, clear, institutional benefit for the community, it seems like the practitioners are taking advantage of the communities. Where is the satisfaction for communities?
I have taken a cynical stance here. There is certainly some warm fuzzy pride and thought provoking clarity to be gained by seeing your own story told in a cool way. I suppose I have succumbed to entertainment rights logic of ‘if the story is worth it, I should sell the movie rights, not give it away to these theatre-people.’
In my own work, I believe that I can do the stories justice. I take that risk, every time. I demand excellence from my own work. And I am generous with my own stories, especially to those who do excellent work. That belief in excellence is what gives me the trust in the Community Theatre.