Will It Play In Peoria?

By Suzy Evans in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 12, 2009 9:00PM

A few days a go, new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Rocco Landesman couldn’t tell you whether there was theater in Peoria, Illinois and now, he’s probably going to have to visit to remove the taste of shoe from his mouth. In his first interview since his confirmation as chairman last Friday, Landesman told The New York Times, “I don’t know if there’s a theater in Peoria, but I would bet that it’s not as good as Steppenwolf or the Goodman.”

Well, that comment didn’t play so well with the Peoria Historical Society so it invited Landesman to come mingle with the Peorian thespians. Landesman also told the Times that he aims to fund organizations based on artistic merit, a noble goal. However, if he ignores small towns across the country because they don’t have big name theaters, he’d be doing those communities and the country a disservice. Also, if he fails to realize that Chicago also has great theater aside from the two giants, our precious storefronts might get screwed.

Landesman also told the Times that “there are some institutions on the precipice that should go over it” and he wants to focus on the best arts organizations throughout the country, regardless of location. But everybody needs the arts, even if it’s not the best art in the country. So what if the Goodman has better theater than the Eastlight Theater in Peoria? Those artists make a valuable economic contribution to their community, which would disappear without funding for the arts. And sometimes bad theater or failures only lead to greater successes. But in order to take risks and make mistakes, you need money.