David Ira Goldstein has been in the business long enough to know that the show must go on, but just a few short months ago he wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case. He is the artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company and they weren’t quite sure that they would be opening their 50th anniversary season this year.
Despite having a surplus the last two years, ATC was carrying a deficit since the recession had hit. “We just couldn’t carry that anymore, so we had to go out to the community and ask for their help,” explains David. And help came. In a big way. “We raised a million dollars in Tucson and a little over a million in Phoenix and hundreds of people helped us out. We were hopeful that the community would come together and support us and they did. I have an enormous amount of gratitude for that.”
ATC received individual support from all over the Valley and even from foundations and the government. They also received donations from many artists who had worked with the theater over the years. These included playwrights, actors and designers.
“As a non-profit we still have to go out and raise money every year. That’s what’s needed to keep the arts going, not just for us, but for the symphony, the ballet, the opera and museums. Hopefully, this will be a growing strength of connections and community. If we want to have a strong artistic scene in the community it will take support and hard work,” says David.
Aside from being Arizona Theatre Company’s 50th season, this will also be David’s last. “I announced that I would be leaving three years ago,” he explains with a chuckle. “I stuck around to help with the transition and to keep the theater going and growing.” David would like to do more directing and teaching. He is looking forward to just being in Phoenix with his wife. Part of the challenge of his job was the constant traveling between Phoenix and Tucson. “I’ve driven the equivalent of 19 times around the world driving between Tucson and Phoenix the last 25 years,” he states. “We are officially the state theater of Arizona and it is important for us to be equally present in both cities.”
And both cities have a spectacular season to look forward to. “We tried to be ambitious and diverse and celebratory this year,” David says. The season kicks off with two recent Broadway plays “King Charles III” and “An Act of God.” The latter of which will be directed by Academy-award nominated actress Marsha Mason. Then there is a beautiful story that takes place in the Amazon called “River Bride.” This play won the National Latino Playwriting Award in 2013. There is also “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” and the season ends with “Holmes and Watson” a new Sherlock Holmes mystery by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher.
Tradition!
The biggest production of the season, and the one that David has always wanted to do at ATC, is “Fiddler on the Roof.” When asked about the importance of this particular play David responds, “It’s my heritage. … All four of my grandparents came from the Pale (referring to the Pale of Settlement in Russia where Jews were permitted permanent settlement) the same time that Tevye the dairyman was emigrating. So I have always had a soft spot.” Besides the connection to his heritage, there are other reasons he chose this play, “It’s certainly one of the greatest musicals ever written and I think that it is particularly relevant at this time – that we are talking about immigration. After all, ‘Fiddler’ is about a group of people who lose their home and have to emigrate. I think it is a very relevant time; you can’t help but think of the modern resonance when you watch the final scenes of ‘Fiddler’ when they have to leave Anatevka.”
Auditions for “Fiddler on the Roof” will be held this month and the designers have already started working on the play. ATC holds general auditions in May. “We get people from all over the country for auditions because we are a fully professional theater,” David explains, “We have agreements with actors equity, the directors union, the designers union; so we have to use actors that are members of the union. There are 55,000 members and about 250-300 live in Arizona, so we do cast here quite a bit.” From these general auditions, they make notes on which actors may be right for a specific character in an upcoming production. Then when it is time to audition for a production, these actors get called back for another audition.
For those interested in one day perhaps being able to audition for ATC, they have an extensive education program that reaches out to all corners of the state. “We bring young people to see our work and we go out to teach classes and seminars; to run programs in schools from Tuba City up north to Nogales down south, and we pride ourselves on trying to really cover
