|
A New Home for Performing Artists
Theater of the Seventh Sister and the Artistic Village
by Madeline Masters
Community, creativity, and sustainability. These are The Theater of the Seventh Sister’s ideals. Led by Gary Smith, 59, and his wife Mary, Theater of the Seventh Sister (TSS) is pioneering the “Artistic Village” concept as well as continuing a 19-year tradition of providing Lancaster city with high-quality performing arts experiences.
Most of us will now ask, what is an Artistic Village? Since Theater of the Seventh Sister has moved into the Armory, Smith and the team are planning to open their space to other performing arts organizations. Dance teams, acting troupes, drama clubs, poets, playwrights and more will all have a chance to become part of a cooperative that will share TSS’ space. “The best model is a mall,” explains Smith. Theater of the Seventh Sister will be the establishment’s cornerstone, the Macy’s or Nordstrom of the mall, and the other, smaller artist organizations will function like satellite stores: the Walden’s, the Gap, or the Cinnabon. All involved will benefit from having a place to perform as well as the opportunity to interact and cooperate with each other.
The Artistic Village is an example of the philosophy Smith upholds for his theater and in all areas of his life. Smith is adamant about the idea of a sustainable society. “The root of the word ‘organization’ is ‘organic,’” explains Smith. To him, a sustainable society is based on a structure that will endure over time. This structure will develop organically, reflecting the needs and desires of its participants. Smith has also planned for his new theater to be a sustainable building, meaning it uses minimal energy derived from “green” sources.
The theater’s founders want to nurture culture and art in the Lancaster area. To them, theater’s intention is to open up a dialogue between actor and spectator. Theater is an opportunity for humans to communicate with each other, share ideas, and form new ones. Theater of the Seventh Sister often attempts this through ancient and traditional stories, the ones to which human beings have always clung and cherished.
Along with new endeavors and exciting prospects, Theater of the Seventh Sister has a lot of upcoming events, including some from the Artistic Village. For the holiday season the team will be performing The Long Christmas Dinner, and Dillon Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales. The Happy Time Explosion Show, a comedy troupe formed by Karen Horst of the TSS staff, will be performing Too Much Turkey Makes Grandma Go Blind on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Theater of the Seventh Sister is an established name in the Lancaster arts community that has always promoted sharing of the human experience and the desire to understand and improve the world in which we live. Now they are expanding their horizon to include other artistic groups, in order to help them realize their vision, remove inhibitions on their creativity, and strengthen their sense of community and cooperation with each other, their mother theater, and the city of Lancaster.