Phoenix is not usually thought of as a culture capitol. This is so despite its size, which ranks as the fourth most populous city in the United States. Now that Arizonans have begun a habit of visiting the theatre Phoenix, already the major urban hub of the desert Southwest, takes its place as a major cultural center.
Young cities, without hundreds of years behind them, face challenges in asserting themselves. The rewards of successfully doing so, however, are significant, and in ways beyond inter-city rivalry. These cities, typically built along a pre-existent network of freeways, always face challenges in making true communities. The theatre is a wonderful way to build community.
Phoenix, AZ has roots in the Old West, but it truly came of age during the same decades that brought us the highway system and the novelty of TV. In ways that tended to dove-tail each other, these novelties worked to corrode the development of a sophisticated urban life. People driving about at eighty miles per hour rarely take the time for the pleasure of walking about, taking in the night life alongside fellow citizens.
TV is perhaps still more of a poison to urban culture, as it offers the numbing temptation of entertainment without so much as leaving the living room couch. Today whole generations might be savvy to quality drama on TV, but lack any notion of the thrill of live drama in front of hundreds of their fellows.
In response, the city has developed its downtown into a secret treasure and cultural corridor. Not just the venues, but the architecture itself is a delight to the eyes. The downtown is, in itself, the first course of an evening out that can include fine dining and strolling beneath the stars.
Some halls provide first rate but popular entertainment, which adds to the vitality of the new downtown. The Orpheum specializes in popular, broadly loved musicals as well as other entertainments. The Comerica concert hall offers world-class popular music and comedy.
Two treats of architecture are showcases for living drama. The Phoenix Theatre gives fresh dramas penned by the nation's best dramatists, as well as the most sophisticated new musicals. It provides classes in writing as well as acting for teenagers among a broad menu of community outreach projects to build a public appetite for drama.
The Herberger Theater Center, an intimate venue, is one of two homes for the Arizona Theatre Company, the other being in Tucson. Its program includes its own outreach programs, including programs for teachers and their students. It favors thrillers, detective dramas, and works from top tier TV writers.
Perhaps it is time to retire the term "fly over country" completely, now that such sophisticated pleasures are available in such a sophisticated urban environment. Suddenly the desert is a desert only in the sense of its lack of water, for there is no lack of culture. More and more often, people are turning off the television and coming downtown to take in a show. One can always leave the DVR running, after all.
Young cities, without hundreds of years behind them, face challenges in asserting themselves. The rewards of successfully doing so, however, are significant, and in ways beyond inter-city rivalry. These cities, typically built along a pre-existent network of freeways, always face challenges in making true communities. The theatre is a wonderful way to build community.
Phoenix, AZ has roots in the Old West, but it truly came of age during the same decades that brought us the highway system and the novelty of TV. In ways that tended to dove-tail each other, these novelties worked to corrode the development of a sophisticated urban life. People driving about at eighty miles per hour rarely take the time for the pleasure of walking about, taking in the night life alongside fellow citizens.
TV is perhaps still more of a poison to urban culture, as it offers the numbing temptation of entertainment without so much as leaving the living room couch. Today whole generations might be savvy to quality drama on TV, but lack any notion of the thrill of live drama in front of hundreds of their fellows.
In response, the city has developed its downtown into a secret treasure and cultural corridor. Not just the venues, but the architecture itself is a delight to the eyes. The downtown is, in itself, the first course of an evening out that can include fine dining and strolling beneath the stars.
Some halls provide first rate but popular entertainment, which adds to the vitality of the new downtown. The Orpheum specializes in popular, broadly loved musicals as well as other entertainments. The Comerica concert hall offers world-class popular music and comedy.
Two treats of architecture are showcases for living drama. The Phoenix Theatre gives fresh dramas penned by the nation's best dramatists, as well as the most sophisticated new musicals. It provides classes in writing as well as acting for teenagers among a broad menu of community outreach projects to build a public appetite for drama.
The Herberger Theater Center, an intimate venue, is one of two homes for the Arizona Theatre Company, the other being in Tucson. Its program includes its own outreach programs, including programs for teachers and their students. It favors thrillers, detective dramas, and works from top tier TV writers.
Perhaps it is time to retire the term "fly over country" completely, now that such sophisticated pleasures are available in such a sophisticated urban environment. Suddenly the desert is a desert only in the sense of its lack of water, for there is no lack of culture. More and more often, people are turning off the television and coming downtown to take in a show. One can always leave the DVR running, after all.
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