Defining Avant-Garde
Avant-garde is a term to used to describe something that is cutting-edge, experimental and innovative. In the visual art world, that term is all over the Dadaists, the Cubists, the Surrealists, the Expressionists in a way it isn't with someone painting a generic still life as is. Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali should immediately come to mind there. Music brings up The Beatles, that lo-fi genre that's going around today, and basically any artists who reject the sensibilities designed for mass appeal for popular music (definitely describes a lot of indie artists).
But avant-garde theatre has been around for centuries, with Bertold Brecht's epic theatre and Ionesco's The Bald Prima Donna that tell stories and commentate on society as a whole whilst challenging theatrical conventions. The world is embracing avant-gardism in all art. And if you're a playwright, be assured that even though the length of show runs on Broadway says otherwise, you have the potential to yield fruit.
My first professional playwriting commission culminated in a play with African-American spirituals that involved walking around the different 19th century Salem, MA landmarks as though on the run from bounty hunters on the Underground Railroad. And it yielded multiple awards including a regional nomination from BroadwayWorld. So if you're a playwright with a much more vivid imagination that has already studied the rules of theatre, thought outside the box and created a unique piece of art like Hadestown or Hamilton, you can go right ahead and prepare for your first production. For you'll never know where you'll end up. But before you take the plunge, ask yourself these critical questions before diving in so that your show will be the best it can be.
(Note: this article is a good resource for all playwrights, regardless of genre.)
Understanding Your Vision
What is the core message of my play?
- There has to be a reason why you're writing the play that you're writing. Sure, you could just write something about fairies frolicking in a forest near Narnia but as with all writing, you gotta tell a story. And in the story, some themes will naturally emerge. What are you trying to tell the audience? What do you want them to feel? To think about? And if you do decide to write about the fairies in Narnia, what is their journey supposed to mean to the audience?
How does the content challenge conventional theatrical norms?
- This connects to the themes that will develop from the question above. Maybe the topics you're talking about are unconventional, like how A Strange Loop is meant to commentate on the internal mental pressures of what a gay black man is supposed to write about and how he's supposed to live. Or your show is about mental illness. How do internal things show up on the stage? Or, like me, your play involves travelling around to different locations. In my case, we used lanterns for the lighting outside the different locations. How do the different production elements still exist for your script?
Audience Engagement
Who is my target audience?
- Identifying the right demographic can enhance marketing strategies. Something like The Rocky Horror Show isn't gonna fly with an auditorium full of elementary students and their parents, if you usually write for children. And American Idiot will definitely shock a conservative population if you're based in the South. While attending a (definitely liberal) Christian college, I directed a play that contained swearing. And while the production was beautiful, and the students loved it, a lot of parents and people from the surrounding conservative neighborhoods flooded my professor's inbox. And not for good reasons. You can be as experimental as you want, but know who's going to receive the show well.
How will I encourage audience interaction or provoke thought?
- Engaging the audience is essential for avant-garde theatre's impact. Most of the places I've worked at will include surveys after the show, or even questions and Post-It notes on a wall that patrons can write thoughts on. Or the play can be interactive, asking audience members questions that they can think about as the show goes on. But with theatre that challenges conventions, you have to make sure the piece actually lands the way you want.
Production Logistics
Do I have a clear budget and funding plan?
- Financial clarity is crucial for managing resources effectively. Not budgeting can result in you possibly losing elements of your production that you especially need because you don't have the funds. And since everything costs money, please DO have a timeline of how you're gonna gather your funds so that you have all the money you need for the timeline of the production. If you're considering grant funding and don't know how to go about that yet, check out my $7 on grant funding here, particularly geared towards unconventional creatives like yourself.
What venue would best suit my vision and audience?
- I already mentioned my stint directing a play at a Christian college. It wasn't just the swearing, but also the fact that one of the characters was a ghost that made the message get lost on some patrons. Choosing the right space can amplify the themes of the play. My first play on abolitionism history was well-suited to the Salem Old Town Hall. And some of the shows I saw in Edinburgh, particularly the ones with avant-garde music like Styx, were well-suited to an underground bar. But if your piece is on LGBTQ+ or some political themes, you might want to reconsider doing the play in a church, unless that particular church is affirming.
Collaborating with Others
Who are the essential team members I need?
- Identifying key collaborators (directors, actors, designers) is vital for a cohesive production. And you should identify them and determine how much they will cost, and factor that into your budget before fundraising. But your team members have to be as open-minded and dedicated to bringing your vision to life as you are, and have to have the capabilities to do it. The right team will create the best version of your play.
How will I effectively communicate my vision to my team?
- Strong communication fosters creativity and collaboration. This points back to the section about understanding your vision. You have to fully understand it yourself and what you want to say so that you can communicate that effectively to a team.
Marketing and Promotion
What unique marketing strategies can I employ for my avant-garde production?
- Innovative marketing can attract unconventional audiences. Putting up fliers in coffee shops, underground performance venues, places that reflect the themes of your play and on the street can put you right in front of your audience as well as social media posts (and probably paid ads geared to a specific audience). And there's a whole lot more options: it's up to you what you choose.
How will I create buzz around the show?
- Generating excitement is key to a successful opening. And you have to start creating the buzz at least a month and a half away from your show (the earlier the better), so that people know to mark it in their calendars in advance and wait with anticipation. But there are many ways to create buzz: short skits, videos, small excerpt readings...think outside the box as much as you have with this script.
Reflection and Growth
What lessons do I hope to learn from this production?
- As much as the play will impact the audience and teach them something, the process of bringing your work to life will teach YOU something. Self-reflection contributes to personal and professional growth as a playwright so that you can learn what worked, what didn't, and what will have a ginormous impact on your work in the future.
How will I assess the success of this production?
- Establishing metrics for success helps in planning future projects. I advise against measuring success against awards, likes on posts and other subjective things. Those mean nothing if your efforts aren't producing the fruit they're supposed to, like getting people to come see it and being able to have repeat production runs in the future (A Strange Loop won a fricking Pulitzer and still lasted only four months on Broadway). This is your first show, so something more tangible would be selling out tickets, positive audience reviews, and whether it turned out the way you wished.
Conclusion
Everything that is new and groundbreaking today is considered avant-garde. So if you strive to break the norms of art, venture into the world of self-production (I dove into those tips in an earlier post) and realize that not all theatre is brick and mortar designated theatre space dancing around on a stage. It can be anywhere and anything you can imagine. And with these questions, you can ensure that the first production of your avant-garde play goes seamlessly.
Stay educated,
Alexia
