Lack of funding could give boost to creativity to productions

There's been a lot of talk about how arts organizations are in big trouble because of the financial crunch. When it comes to local theater, I like big, budget-busting spectacles as much as any performance-arts geek, but some of the best production environments have been a byproduct of poverty. I regret the recent loss of funds that seems to have occurred across the board. But I wonder: To what degree does lack of money encourage rather than stifle creativity? Some local playhouses have gone easy on scripts that require elaborate staging. You're more likely than ever now to see one- or two-set shows than ever before.

Some are searching for smaller, out-of-the-way performance spaces: meaning, cheap. I've spent a lot of time driving down alleyways in search of tiny dance studios that would fit in many living rooms. More than once, though, the stage illusions dwarfed any sense of bargain-basement.

Some are finally making more of an effort to take advantage of the talent available here. In the not-too-distant past, a former journalist couldn't even get a return phone call from a local nonprofit to offer his free services as a publicist. Another highly experienced director couldn't get a foot in the door with three community theaters. It doesn't take money to say "yes" to people who are willing and eager to help. But it does take the ability to recognize that these unsung heroes are the backbone of local arts. And just as importantly, it takes the right kind of talent and charisma to get them to want to work with you. I've never met a theater person who did it all himself.

Then there are sets. They can be expensive, but theater magic can come cut-rate in top-draw brains. I saw a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" in a tiny Black Box. The physical environment consisted of pieces of hanging foliage adorning strategically placed park benches. Cheap stuff, but enough to suggest that we were about to see a good-hearted comedic romance. What else can a set be expected to do?

I've seen numerous shows in small spaces in which a simple platform painted a few neurotic colors gave off the proper amount of heat that indicated major conflicts were on the way.

Domestic plots often come to life with basic walling and a few hints of furniture. The key is having the walling and furniture communicate not just the physical properties of a home, but the psychological environment in which the residents live.

Of course, there are some important aspects of the performing arts that just can't make do without money. But when I see what pocket-change good work has been born locally, I'm reminded that poverty doesn't have to smother art.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.