The Launch of The Global Theatre Project

I thought about Michelangelo a great deal these past five years. It was hard not to since I was living in Florence, Italy where so much of his influence was felt everywhere you looked and one of his homes was just down the street from my apartment. I had the utter pleasure and enormous lesson of living in the city of the Renaissance. Renaissance means ‘rebirth’ and it is a city which draws many people to it who, consciously or unconsciously are looking for that change in their life. I had no real idea why I felt so strongly that I should go to Florence, but I followed the voice in my heart and did. I didn’t know anyone, the culture, the language. I am not even of Italian origin. And I had no idea what I would do when I got there. But I went.

In gratitude I have to say what I did while I was there was co-found and run Florence International Theatre Company. It was, without a doubt, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It was the largest risk I ever took and, although much of it bore no resemblance to ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ or ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ I wouldn’t change a moment of banging my head upon The Renaissance stones of the Palazzo Vecchio, trying to explain the benefits of ‘community outreach’ (of which there is no Italian equivalent) to Italian officials or to slamming into an abrupt awakening with regards to the U.S. presence abroad both through our government and our study abroad students. What I learned as an artist, as a mentor, as a human being and as an American is the treasure I discovered in this Tuscan city and which guided me in developing FITC and in, ultimately, transforming that work to the larger vision of The Global Theatre Project based here in Los Angeles.

In Florence I learned a great deal which is found at the core of The Global Theatre Project. What became
clear is that we – and by ‘we’ I mean Americans – are not aware enough of how we are dealing with the world on a daily basis. Rightly so we are concerned about health care and economy. However, unless you live abroad you will likely not come to understand how deeply important our relationship is with our international neighbors. I learned by observing and engaging that we DO have an active relationship abroad, albeit an unconscious one. We send our students to countries, hundreds of thousands of them a year, and we have no idea of their affect on the local population or on the personal decisions about ‘Americans’ made by the residents of those cities who have to deal with these kids. And if they don’t have contact with our students, the decision of our character can be decided from exported American television and film which was declared the best representative of our culture 20 years ago when our government shut down all American cultural institutions and libraries world-wide and put a moratorium ‘on any cultural directive.’

This is where The Global Theatre Project comes into its mission and purpose. From my experience I now believe in theatre as possibly the most relevant of all art forms for developing true community in this growing time of globalization and technology, and I also believe in how much could happen to our relationship abroad if we put a directed intention on two things: connecting our professional theatre artists and students with international theatre artists and students in projects and productions that reaches out to the community they are working in.

Another great Florentine master, Dante Alighieri, said ‘The secret of getting things done is to act!’ The Global Theatre Project wasn’t something I was looking for when I went to Florence five years ago. It found me. If we could create a community, through The Global Theatre Project productions, programs and initiatives that allows us to truly know each other we would, actually, be working toward finding a way to live together on this planet in respect and love. Because we would have first hand experience of one another. Can theatre do this? I believe it can. I spent almost all my time in Florence taking the advice of Michelangelo and Dante: to raise the vision high and to act upon that high vision. We may not make it, but we will open doors to new relationships and opportunities and, who knows, we might create a bit if a theatrical renaissance in towns and cities around the world and, maybe, here at home while trying.

Bari Hochwald is President and Artistic Director of The Global Theatre Project.. You can contact her at info@theglobaltheatreproject.org or through visiting the website www.theglobaltheatreproject.org