National Council of the Arts Member Responds to Rocco Landesman

Ben Donenberg, the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA) and a Member of the National Council on the Arts has posted his feedback to NEA head Rocco Landesman's arguments about the supply and demand in the theatre and arts world.

Ben writes "As a Member of the National Council on the Arts, the presidentially appointed and senate confirmed oversight body for the National Endowment for the Arts, I respectfully and energetically disagree with Rocco Landesman's assertion that demand will not grow and his assessment of the field. I think it's important that readers understand that Rocco Landesman's opinions are his own and do not represent an official agency opinoin. While he may have the pulpit and position to air his personal views, I do wish he'd be more thoughtful about their consequences - particularly in light of the fact that two weeks ago 165 elected members of Congress called for the defunding of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.

The National Endowment's Chairman says we have too much art for the dwindling audiences in the United States and then suggests we stop paying arts administrators so we can use the money to create more art.

Chairman Landesmann is not a trained Supply Side Economist, nor does NEA have an economist on its staff. Despite his self-esteem for his economic theories he really is completely unqualified to propose supply side economic models. By trade, prior to his appointment to the National Endowment, he was a commercial, Broadway theater producer that gambled well. He's basing his assumptions on research that was not gathered for economics forecasting. Nor is the research for the participation survey statistically sophisticated enough for economic forecasting or modeling.

My opinion, having read the survey, is that I'm not convinced arts audiences are dwindling despite the reports. I actually believe they may be increasing. I think people are getting their needs met in this market in ways the participation survey he's reading do not capture. For instance, the survey doesn't include attendance at the movies. We can go to the movie theater to see the National Theater of Great Britain's production of King Lear starring Derek Jacobi, or the Metropolitan Opera and that would not be in the survey.

I believe the research analyst at the Endowment would be hard pressed and unqualified to propose economic models based on the participation survey.

The National Endowment for the Arts just published a new Strategic Plan that calls for supporting broadest access possible for the most excellent art in the nation. Rocco's skin diving into economic theories side tracks him from the mission of the agency, while he indulges himself and distresses the nation's arts community in self-important musings that have little veracity and are not part of his job description.

The amount of art we have is perfect. The sizes of our audiences are perfect and can evolve. Let's focus on getting great art into the hearts of as many Americans possible and get the NEA back on its mandated track."

Ben Donenberg is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA).

Mr. Donenberg directs and produces professional theater and teaches acting in Los Angeles. He has performed as an actor on- and off-Broadway, in Central Park at the New York Shakespeare Festival's Delacorte Theater and on television and in film.

He annually directs Simply Shakespeare, a star-studded series of staged readings to benefit SCLA by Board Member Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks.

In 2006, the United States Senate unanimously approved his Presidential appointment to a six-year term as a Member of the National Council on the Arts, overseeing the work of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mr. Donenberg is also featured in the National Endowments' award-winning inspirational documentary â€Å"Why Shakespeare?� which was distributed to more than 40,000 high schools throughout the country.

He has served as a National Juror for the Coming Up Taller Awards, under the auspices of The President's Committee for the Arts and the Humanities, a volunteer on the National Endowment for the Arts Theater Grant Panel and the Los Angeles County Performing Arts Commission's Theater Grant Panel.

Mr. Donenberg holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of The Juilliard School's Drama Division.