Sheldon Epps.
One Sunday when he was 12 years outdated, a younger Angeleno named Sheldon Epps was taken by his mother and father to see a efficiency of Carson McCullers’s Member of the Wedding on the Pasadena Playhouse, the place Ethel Waters was reprising the towering function of Berenice she had originated on Broadway greater than a decade earlier than. In his new memoir, My Own Directions: A Black Man’s Journey within the American Theatre, Epps vividly recollects that day, specifically Waters’s indelible efficiency, however admits that he had no theatrical ambitions at that time or instantly after, not to mention any inkling that at some point he would lead that very theatre by way of two tumultuous and at occasions triumphant many years.
My Own Directions spends an excellent variety of pages on the dramatic story of his tenure at that storied nonprofit theatre, with actionable classes for arts leaders aplenty (in addition to a specific amount of spilled tea). But the guide additionally provides a stirring portrait of a younger artist-administrator discovering his voice as he strikes by way of the sector, each in cahoots with the scrappy Off-Broadway outfit the Production Company, the place playwright Craig Lucas and director Norman René, amongst others, minimize their enamel and gave Epps a leg up, and below his personal steam, because the creator-director of the internationally profitable revue Blues within the Night, and later in a fruitful apprenticeship at numerous American regional theatres, most crucially Jack O’Brien’s Old Globe.
At the Playhouse, the place the primary decade of his run roughly paralleled my beginnings as an L.A. arts journalist, Epps made historical past by diversifying its programming to incorporate works by artists of coloration, together with himself (he added one other musical feather to his cap with the exhilarating Duke Ellington-Twelfth Night mashup Play On!). He additionally steered it by way of an virtually unbelievable demise and resurrection because the theatre, dealing with a funding shortfall, actually closed its doorways for many of 2010 whereas it regrouped. And he confronted all-too-believable coup makes an attempt from white colleagues and board members who discovered even his incremental efforts at change to be past the pale.
At a second when the nation’s resident theatres are dealing with strain to diversify each their work and their staff, in addition to merely making an attempt to stagger again to life amid the ravages of COVID, Epps’s guide arrives with a combined however hopeful story of creative resilience and resourcefulness within the face of misfortune, hostility, and probably the most insidious enemy of all, indifference. I spoke to Epps just a few weeks in the past about his profession, his memoir, and the place the sector stands at this time. Though nonetheless primarily based in Southern California, he’s consulting numerous theatres, together with Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. (To learn an excerpt from Sheldon’s memoir, go right here.)
ROB WEINERT-KENDT: Reading your guide, I really feel like I discovered classes about being a nonprofit arts chief, which I typically assume I’m. I imply, this journal might use a spokesman to maintain making the case for why it ought to hold going, even come again into print. It simply looks as if that’s an enormous a part of the management requirement for any nonprofit—not simply to make the work however to make the case for supporting it.
SHELDON EPPS: I do know loads of creative administrators who’re interested by that proper now. Leaders are simply struggling so badly for the time being. Their work is sweet, however I’m listening to that they’re simply having a hell of a time making an attempt to promote tickets. It’s an actual wrestle for the time being, and there’s loads of worry about this season and subsequent season. It’s altering the interested by what persons are going to do subsequent 12 months; they’re interested by rather more business widespread titles, which is such a satan’s recreation.
Sorry, we kind of backed into speaking concerning the guide. It’s an exquisite learn, and I discovered a lot about you and the theatre. What made you need to write it now? Did you’re feeling such as you wished to set the document straight, or that you just simply had a novel story to inform?
A bit of of each. When I stepped down from the Playhouse in 2017, lots of people mentioned on the time, “You should write a book, your story is so unique. You were often one of the few, if not the only, Black artistic director of a major theatre in the country.” Enough folks mentioned that I began to assume possibly I ought to. There had been issues I’d by no means actually talked about through the time that I used to be there that I felt had been necessary to speak about. Then I obtained busy with different stuff, as we do, however then we obtained to 2020 and the whole lot shut down. And I mentioned: Okay, I’ve no motive to not sit down and do that now.
And on the identical time, all the conversations began, with Black Theatre United and plenty of different teams, concerning the nonetheless current racism within the nation and within the area. And I assumed, it’s actually essential for me to inform this story now, and to level out that among the issues which can be at the moment being mentioned are issues I’ve talked about for the final two or three many years, and that it truly is time for main substantial change in our area.
Right, you weren’t the primary or solely chief of coloration at a serious theatre, however there have been treasured few after I began overlaying the sector within the Nineties.
When I began, George C. Wolfe was on the Public, and it was the final couple of years that Kenny Leon was on the Alliance. But they each left whereas I used to be nonetheless on the Playhouse. So I feel there have been just a few years in there after I was the one Black man working a serious American theatre, which was all the time stunning to me.
It is stunning. One factor that basically struck me concerning the guide is how a lot the dialog the sector is having now about range and inclusion will not be new in any respect, as you word. I look again at problems with American Theatre and I really feel like a model of this dialog was happening 30 years in the past, with August Wilson’s well-known speech, amongst different issues. But it didn’t fairly penetrate to the extent that it has had up to now couple of years.
Yeah, I keep in mind being at TCG conferences, being on panels manner again in 1990, and having these discussions—heartfelt and sincere discussions, however lonely discussions. And nothing actually occurred. In 2020, when the voices had been louder and coming from stars, from Broadway folks telling about their very own experiences with racism even at that stage—some change has actually began to occur. And there are a number of leaders of coloration at main theatres now. That’s an excellent factor. But let’s hope and pray that it’s not simply concerning the second—that it’s actually a systemic change that may proceed for years.
I’ve heard from various artists and even journalists of coloration who’re bit cynical about this—they really feel prefer it’s cyclical, and the pendulum might swing again.
I’m suspicious about that too. All of those decisions are being made now as a response to these voices being raised, however my worry is that, although occasions are dangerous for different causes, the Black leaders will get blamed for the issues and folks will say, “Well, we tried and that didn’t work, so we don’t have to do that again.”
But whereas all these conversations had been starting, you had been in it, discovering your manner, and making the case that you just’re not a Black director—you’re a director who’s lucky to be Black and to deliver that perspective to all of your work. It looks as if that all the time needed to be a two-part dialog: First, to get within the door within the first place and say, sure, I can direct work that displays my background, after which to say, however I must also have the identical vary of alternative as any white director.
Right, I ought to have the identical proper to pursue my passions for all materials as a white director does. White administrators will be considering Stoppard; so am I. White administrators will be considering Noël Coward; so am I. White administrators will also be considering August Wilson, and so am I, but it surely’s simply assumed that I’m going to have the best to pursue the August Wilson ardour and need, whereas it was a battle for me to comply with all of these others. I inform that horrible story, a fully true story, with somebody you realize, an inventive director, calling me and saying she wished me to do a play by a Black writer in February, and I requested what else they had been doing within the season, and I mentioned, “I’d rather do Twelfth Night.” She mentioned, “I don’t know about that.” I mentioned, “Why is that a problem?” And she mentioned, “Well, that would mean I’d have two Black directors in the season.” I used to be astounded. Flabbergasted.
But is strikes me that it’s a distinct dialog for you as a contract director to say, “I can direct anything, not just Black work,” after which as a theatre chief, to be the one placing that menu of programming collectively.
Well, I additionally say this within the guide, however fairly truthfully, there was an emotional need and an inventive need to have range at Pasadena Playhouse in the end—however frankly, it was additionally simply good enterprise. I knew that in Los Angeles, if there was a serious theatre that will do work that will attraction particularly to the Black viewers, to the Latino viewers, that it will promote properly. And it did! And frankly, if it hadn’t, I in all probability wouldn’t have been there for 20 years; they in all probability would have discovered a option to eliminate me. Frequently these reveals had been the highest-selling reveals within the theatre’s historical past, and that’s what allowed me to maintain going.
You write about the way you caught the theatre bug, which wasn’t till your loved ones moved to the East Coast and also you began going to theatre in New York City, and at a time when there was traditionally loads of Black illustration on Broadway. Now that there’s abruptly loads of Black illustration on Broadway, no less than relative to most seasons, I don’t hear many people look again at these days, when you possibly can see issues like Purlie and The River Niger on Broadway.
And David Merrick’s landmark manufacturing of Hello, Dolly! with Pearl Bailey, and Golden Boy with Sammy Davis Jr., Hallelujah, Baby. This was after I found the theatre broadly, however I additionally obtained an opportunity to go and see all of those unbelievable, stunning Black folks on the stage, being good and in cost. Psychologically in addition to theatrically that simply did one thing for me—that simply made me assume differently about being a Black individual in America. You might actually shine within the artwork type, in the way in which that each one of these nice Black casts had been doing. That modified my theatrical life, however modified my emotional perspective as properly.
So there have been individuals who did that strongly and bravely. But then got here this bizarre time when, for some time—and this nonetheless exists at this time—there was this excuse, “Oh, Black people don’t go to Broadway.” Whenever anyone mentioned that within the ’70s, I might say, “Have you stood outside of Dreamgirls to get tickets?”
Going again to your time transitioning from the freelance life to the creative director job: You write about how tiring and enervating it was to maintain touring to do your work, in order that’s one motive to place down roots. But did additionally begin to have actual ambitions of being an inventive director and working an enormous regional theatre?
That was one thing I got here to yearn for throughout my time on the Old Globe. It was a TCG grant that that despatched me there, and we created this affiliate creative director place. That was the place I discovered what the job actually was—what it actually meant to be defining the id of the theatre. That began to change into enticing to me throughout that point.
I’ve all the time questioned concerning the steadiness of artwork and administration in a job like that. How a lot of it’s being in a rehearsal room and dealing with artists versus being the face of the theatre, glad-handing folks and asking for cash?
It was kind of the deal, that to have the enjoyment, the joy of all of the work with the artists and planning a season, getting to decide on what you wished to direct, you additionally needed to do all the opposite stuff: Go out and lift cash, go to advertising and marketing conferences, to subscription conferences, all of that. For a very long time, I truly didn’t thoughts that, as a result of that was such a brand new world. I’d by no means handled all of that as a contract director. I had handled it in my smaller theatre firm in New York City, however not on that form of scale. And when Jack O’Brien took off for prolonged durations of time to work in New York, I did loads of it on the Old Globe. So I discovered, No. 1, what it was you needed to do, however then I additionally discovered that I used to be fairly good at it. I didn’t thoughts. I relate that my father’s work as a minister. I as soon as requested him, “How do you get up into the pulpit every weekend and ask for the offering?” And he mentioned, “Well, son, I’m not asking for myself. I’m asking for the glory of God.” That’s an excellent lesson. I all the time considered it that manner.
I’ve heard from leaders over time, like Bill Rauch and Zelda Fichandler, about how the work of working a theatre is an artwork unto itself, and that when you hold your eye on what the mission is, then it retains you centered on what you’re asking for, even all the way in which all the way down to the advertising and marketing conferences, designing the posters, and so forth.
It’s about defining the id of the theatre. Certainly you do this with what’s on the stage, however there are a lot of, many different ways in which that’s outlined—as you say, proper all the way down to the paintings, and who’re you advertising and marketing to? Who are you assembly with? What’s the group you’re inviting into your theatre? All of that’s the way you outline the id of the place.
It’s a little bit bit like being a salesman, or does that sound a bit too mercantile?
I exploit the phrase ambassador. Like an envoy for the United States goes to different nations and woos folks to imagine in the usA., as an envoy for the theatre, try to be doing that, getting out into the group and wooing folks into loving your theatre and the work that you just do. But you additionally higher ship on the opposite facet, hold your eye on the creative ball and guarantee that after they get there, it’s value seeing.
One factor I don’t assume you bought sufficient credit score for, and it’s strengthened by the guide, is how a lot native L.A. expertise you employed, not simply onstage however backstage. You had Andy Robinson direct there, and David Lee—he’s an awesome musical director. Was {that a} connection that occurred by way of you directing episodes of Frasier?
Yeah, I met David first that manner. And at a sure level, he mentioned, “I’d love to have lunch with you one day and talk about working in the theatre,” as a result of that’s the place he began. Until that second, I had no concept that was true. And then he got here did a number of issues brilliantly, I assumed. But there was all the time a need to serve native artists, as a result of I knew I used to be in a group the place the native artists had been good. And it was true not simply with the actors and administrators, however I actually felt that manner about designers—folks like John Iacovelli, Jarey Sayeg, all these nice designers who had been L.A.-based. I knew I wasn’t gonna do any higher by schlepping folks out from New York, so why do this?
On the opposite hand, you additionally element a few circumstances the place you pulled off programming coups: Getting the L.A. manufacturing of Warren Leight’s Side Man earlier than Gordon Davidson on the Taper might nab it, and even getting Shanley’s Doubt earlier than Manhattan Theatre Club. But I didn’t get the sense, then or in studying the guide, that you just had been utilizing New York curiosity or involvement as a yardstick of success.
No, that was not central to the mission. It occurred typically, however I additionally was fairly strict concerning the rule that I might by no means do something only for enhancement cash. It needed to be one thing I actually believed in that was value doing. I didn’t need to be wooed by an enormous examine, and there have been occasions when it was actually onerous to show down. But I actually did attempt to stick to that.
Later within the guide you say that one motive you bought a little bit drained and wished to depart was that you just felt that folks had been considering of theatre an excessive amount of as a enterprise. You talked about David Merrick earlier, so I’m curious, in what sense is theatre extra of a cutthroat enterprise than it was, say, 40 years in the past? Has it modified in some basic manner since then?
Everything turned dearer, and continues to, together with lumber. At the identical time, the quantity of out of doors cash, actually from the federal government however even from foundations and firms, all of that was diminishing. So that fantastic ratio that Zelda and Gordon had within the early days, the place it was 40 % field workplace income, 60 % donated—that was fully reversed, to the purpose the place it turned 80 % field workplace and 20 % donated income. So that put, and continues to place, an odious demand on the promoting of tickets. I’ve no drawback with the promoting tickets, however that shouldn’t be the premise on which a theatre exists. I might actually go into board conferences and say, “I’m accepting this budget because you’re telling me that I have to, but this is not the way this theatre should operate.”
I used to be struck by the story of the way you began to lift cash particularly off your range efforts, however virtually towards your will, and also you positively didn’t need to name it “The Sheldon Epps Theatrical Diversity Project,” as your growth director did.
You know, the fundraising was not the factor that impressed our range efforts; the range venture was began in celebration of the truth that we had achieved that, and had been now kind of saying boldly to the world: “Look, what we’ve done, we’ve done something that American theatres either are struggling to do or should be struggling to do, and we’ve achieved that with great success, and those of you who believe that should continue, should reward it by becoming donors.” It did change into an awesome fundraising instrument for the theatre, but it surely was not about beginning one thing, it was about form of celebrating and sustaining one thing that was already very a lot in movement.
I need to ask, now that extra theatres are being run by folks of coloration, have you ever been in dialog with them, and if that’s the case, what are speaking about with them?
The foremost factor I’ve heard from them is that despite the fact that it’s 25 years now from after I began, most of the struggles are the identical. I imply, these horrible tales we’re listening to now, even worse than what I confronted, about Nataki Garrett in Oregon receiving demise threats. So shockingly, whereas issues are altering, we nonetheless have a protracted option to go. The outdated Negro phrase, “Thank God we ain’t where we was, but we also ain’t where we want to be,” involves thoughts. They are nonetheless coping with the identical issues; they’re being employed by boards, however then the boards are suspicious, as in the event that they’re saying, “We gave you this job because we sort of had to, because of what was going on in the country and in the field, but we’re not really sure we want you to be here. And are you really up to it?” A whole lot of my conversations with present creative administrators is what Lloyd Richards taught me: Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t permit your self to be defeated by that form of suspicion and people assumptions. And maintain on.
Rob Weinert-Kendt (he/him) is the editor-in-chief of American Theatre. rwkendt@tcg.org
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