Center for Living Culture

Double Edge Theatre

Stacy Klein

Ashfield, MA

Project Dates:

1997 - Present

Tags

2011 CCX presenter, Real Estate

Posted Date:

Oct 21, 2012

The Center for Living Culture was established in three parts: the first was the theatre ensemble's move to create a theatre research and development center and laboratory for international collaboration in an economically feasible rural area of Western MA; the second was the subsequent desire to reach out to the surrounding community and build exchanges and site specific theatre spectacles that would enliven cultural dialogue and include the community in a reciprocal living culture; the third was to build a targeted rural initiative which included the development of our student programming and audience outreach for Farm attendance, who then would come in contact with and have a direct effect on local businesses, farmers, and young and old local audiences.

Project Goals

What were the project goals?

The initial goals of the project were for the Double Edge ensemble to be able to create its work over a long term process in an economically sustainable fashion. In fact the initial goal of becoming self sustaining through agriculture was part of an economic choice not to rely on external revenue. One initial goals included creating work on the Farm but not performing there, rather focusing on touring nationally and internationally.

Have they changed over time?

This changed drastically when it became clear that the theatre could not be self sustaining without the community, and in fact could not build theatre in a vacuum without sharing it in the place we lived. So therefore the summer spectacle was born as a means of creating dialogue with those around us. This has become the major piece of our development strategy, with audiences from local, regional and international, and also with students coming specifically to learn how to create in a natural environment. The next thing that happened were a variety of dynamic and organic cross-sector partnerships with local businesses in the hospitality, tourism, building, banking, baking, and other sectors.

Who are the project partners and stakeholders?

The community members and businesses now join DE, including visual artists, school teachers, and the college community all collaborating and developing with us on the educational, artistic, and economic aspects of the project.

Project Specifics

How was the project implemented? What were the steps taken?

From 1982 to 1994 DE was in Boston at the Church of Sts Luke and Margaret. It became apparent that it wasn't feasible to consistently work with international artists on a long term basis while in the city, due to high costs and limited housing, much less for ensemble members to survive. The Farm was chosen due to the amount of buildings on the property and also the slate roof which was strong enough for the work Double Edge does. The property was purchased with family money and construction done. In 1997 the performance space opened and performances created for our Boston audience performed. The local community did not understand the work and stayed away. Carlos Uriona joined the company in 1997 and made efforts to engage local residents ultimately through the open training project (2000), co creating the Exchange project which would become the Summer Spectacle (2002) and finally the Rural Initiative (2008). Each of these efforts progressively engaged the community and the last one created a direct economic exchange. Based on the success of bringing audiences to open trainings and the spectacle, including local and tourist audiences, we were able to engage local businesses, community leaders and visionaries, farmers into an exchange of goods for art which included selling food and wares to students and tourists from outside of our area.

Have they been refined over time?

The local outreach and student population had increased dramatically, causing further growth of our area, with Ashfield changing from a town with one convenience store and a bar when we arrived, to present day Ashfield, including two restaurants, a pizza house, hardware store, small grocery, a community center, and three bed and breakfasts.

Obstacles

What were your major obstacles?

A major obstacle was overcoming rural suspicion and our own lack of knowledge of farming.

Who or what was instrumental in overcoming these obstacles?

We needed to create work that reached out to the community in a direct way, ie land based site specific work that honored the land rather than exploited it. The town insiders needed to see us as just as hard working as they are and not some rich snobby artists from the city. We needed to be clear that we wanted to share and not just get money and run, ie that we were interested in building the community, helping educate the children, hiring local workers, and doing theatre that was accessible for them. We needed to speak to the intelligence of the community not from any judgement and also to be true to our vision and continue creating and performing our more experimental work for those who wished to engage.

What top three suggestions would you give to others attempting a similar project?

Suggestions would be to make sure to find out how your work effects and can engage your community, artistically and economically, meaning build partnerships with local businesses and community members; make sure you have a component of work that can be shared with those around you, such as a special training or community project; and three would be to research where you want to locate yourself, as place is an important part of the picture for art making.

Project Impact

How has this project contributed to creative community building?

Our town is thriving and our theatre is sustaining itself more and more in spite of the hardships of the times. Local business owners work with us consistently and support our own ensemble through their donations in exchange for art. Our students and guest artists, at least numbering fifty from all over the world, have an enormous impact on the local Hilltown economy. The local bank grew to have such faith in this project that they allowed Double Edge two mortgages to purchase the Farm Center and another guest house in town. Neighbors recently gave us long term free use of two other houses for our overflowing student and resident artist population. Our summer spectacle was originally attended by fifty people over three days and now we are performing five days a week for seven weeks to packed tourist and local audiences numbering in thousands. Our seven member board includes five local people.

How did it achieve your original goals?

It has to be said that in the last five years all the impacts are unexpected and extremely rewarding.

Were there unexpected impacts?

We never expected to find a community here but now we have a place to call home that we are heavily invested in and now see in our audiences children that we raised in a living culture.

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Download workshop handout here.

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