Innovative Theater Production Trends in Dallas

Next up in my social media round up is Samantha Calatozzo Cobb, a theater producer and marketer in Dallas, TX.

The first video of hers I saw was about how small companies in Dallas are producing on irregular schedules – as opposed to committing to a season of multiple works – because they’re prioritizing the ability to deliver shows in a way that is respectful of the capacity of their actors, technicians, and creative team that are being paid very little or nothing to work with them.

This means they do the work they want to, on the timeline they want to: once a year, perhaps, or doing a production, then working at a developmental level for a while. In another video, she expands on how they maintain their audience’s interest by continually marketing themselves so their audience is engaged and ready to go whenever they’re ready to have a show.

I’m always keeping my eye out for “green shoots” of people actually finding new ways to produce in the arts, and this embracing of producing small in ways that are fun and creatively satisfying for the artists and responsive to how audiences are paying attention these days is worth watching. Not everything needs to be at a 100% fully professional all the time. It’s just not possible if we want to have a rich ecosystem of work in one community.