Intriguing story from the Philadelphia Inquirer: A small theater company called Hotel Obligado decided it was time to close down, but found itself with a $5,000 surplus. As a non-profit, Obligado was, um, obligated to give the money away, and they came up with a smart idea (with the help of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia): Use it to begin funding an award, at $1,000 a year, for other small theaters.
It's an idea that could work in Tampa Bay (preferably without the small-theater-having-to-close part). Note also the connection made by the reporter (Inky vet Howard Shapiro) between Philly's support of new work and the thriving state of the city's theater scene. It reminded me of recent posts by CL's theater critic Mark Leib on the support of new plays (or lack thereof) in the Tampa area.
We've got a long way to go, but as a former Philadelphian I know how far that city's theater community has come, and one key factor was the amount of collaboration fostered by organizations like the Theatre Alliance and open-hearted troupes like Hotel Obligado.
Tampa Bay Theater Alliance, anyone?
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.