Statement of Artistic Vision
Michael Wainstein
I am, at my core, a theatre artist who advocates for the artists I collaborate with and the audiences I serve. It is both the tremendous privilege and unshakable responsibility to advance the discipline and foster excellence while mentoring fellow artists. Theatre is a form that speaks directly from the heart, profoundly impacting the growth, enrichment, inspiration, expression of the human experience for audiences, and fellow artists.
As an educator, that commitment extends to creating an environment that prepares students for a lifelong devotion to theatre both as an artist and an ambassador for the form. It is incumbent upon all theatre educators to instill in students a profound curiosity about the world around them. Ideally, these students are inspired to redefine the form and become a potent agent for change, both in the discipline and the world which that discipline speaks to. Theatre transforms us, but it also transports us.
The theatre I create is aimed at touching the souls of all those that accompany me on the journey of creation and those that experience the fruits of that collaboration. I strive at all times for excellence, never forgetting that, in an academic environment, that excellence must always come as a result of an experience that expands the skill, commitment, discipline and joy of the students creating the production.
Live theatre is a collaboration between the artists presenting and the audience experiencing. As an artistic director, I am focused on both. The productions created during the academic year have the dual purpose of educating the students and engaging the audience. In the summer theatre environment, while the experience of the performers is always a central focus, the commitment to the audience is equally important. It is their enjoyment, enlightenment and continued patronage that drives my decisions.
Many artistic directors make the mistake of ignoring the tastes and habits of the audience in favor of producing the works that are personally exciting. I believe that both the satisfaction of the artist and the audience can be mutually achieved through careful season consideration. Audiences must trust their artistic director before they will engage on risky journeys with them.
It is that trust that is at the heart of all I do as an artistic director. I have always created exciting seasons that stimulate and entertain. The seasons I select will always be a broad mix of what is current and the traditional. As a director, I feel it is my responsibility both to advance the form by embracing what’s new and exciting, and preserving the form by reimagining the plays and musicals that have been our traditional foundation.
As a director, I am a colleague, a collaborator and a leader. It is my responsibility to attract and engage audiences, offer life-changing experiences to artistic collaborators, and to celebrate that which makes our discipline eternal as we reflect the human experience.
Michael Wainstein
I am, at my core, a theatre artist who advocates for the artists I collaborate with and the audiences I serve. It is both the tremendous privilege and unshakable responsibility to advance the discipline and foster excellence while mentoring fellow artists. Theatre is a form that speaks directly from the heart, profoundly impacting the growth, enrichment, inspiration, expression of the human experience for audiences, and fellow artists.
As an educator, that commitment extends to creating an environment that prepares students for a lifelong devotion to theatre both as an artist and an ambassador for the form. It is incumbent upon all theatre educators to instill in students a profound curiosity about the world around them. Ideally, these students are inspired to redefine the form and become a potent agent for change, both in the discipline and the world which that discipline speaks to. Theatre transforms us, but it also transports us.
The theatre I create is aimed at touching the souls of all those that accompany me on the journey of creation and those that experience the fruits of that collaboration. I strive at all times for excellence, never forgetting that, in an academic environment, that excellence must always come as a result of an experience that expands the skill, commitment, discipline and joy of the students creating the production.
Live theatre is a collaboration between the artists presenting and the audience experiencing. As an artistic director, I am focused on both. The productions created during the academic year have the dual purpose of educating the students and engaging the audience. In the summer theatre environment, while the experience of the performers is always a central focus, the commitment to the audience is equally important. It is their enjoyment, enlightenment and continued patronage that drives my decisions.
Many artistic directors make the mistake of ignoring the tastes and habits of the audience in favor of producing the works that are personally exciting. I believe that both the satisfaction of the artist and the audience can be mutually achieved through careful season consideration. Audiences must trust their artistic director before they will engage on risky journeys with them.
It is that trust that is at the heart of all I do as an artistic director. I have always created exciting seasons that stimulate and entertain. The seasons I select will always be a broad mix of what is current and the traditional. As a director, I feel it is my responsibility both to advance the form by embracing what’s new and exciting, and preserving the form by reimagining the plays and musicals that have been our traditional foundation.
As a director, I am a colleague, a collaborator and a leader. It is my responsibility to attract and engage audiences, offer life-changing experiences to artistic collaborators, and to celebrate that which makes our discipline eternal as we reflect the human experience.