Bad news:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Troubled Artaud lays off staff <BR>Volunteers keep doors open as board considers options<P>Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle<P>Theater Artaud, long an important San Francisco venue for dance, theater and performance art, has laid off its entire staff in what may be a last-ditch effort to cope with a long-standing financial crisis.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><a href=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/04/20/DD159032.DTL target=_blank>More</a>

Very bad news. Apparently the Butoh Festival (scheduled for Aug.) had to pull out of Theater Artaud. Don't know any of the details...

Artaud the Site of Community Arts Meeting to Save It<BR> <BR>By Toba Singer<BR> <BR>Amid reports of bankruptcy and mismanagement, Theater Artaud was the site<BR>of a meeting of the dance and theater phalanx of the San Francisco<BR>performing arts community on Sunday, April 28, 2002, to discuss the future<BR>of this performance space. The building, at Florida and Mariposa Streets,<BR>has been owned and curated by Project Artaud, modeled after the “flexible<BR>space” concept advocated by dramatist, Antonin Artaud. Theater Artaud,<BR>Inc., managed the theater, and when income did not support operating costs,<BR>made a decision to lay off its front-of-the-house staff, and is finishing its season thanks to volunteer labor, and cost-shearing measures undertaken by its board of<BR>directors.<BR> <BR>Kent Lindstrom, speaking for the board of directors, indicated that a determination would be forthcoming as to the viability of Theater Artaud, Inc. Lindstrom noted that its largest debt holder is the City and County of San Francisco, which will be collecting back taxes at the rate of $1,000 a month for an unspecified period. The theater’s total debts exceed $150,000.<BR> <BR>Nicole Sawaya, of Project Artaud, detailed the history of the building, which was originally a machine assembly plant. It was purchased 30 years ago by a group of artists, and run as a collective. Over the course of three decades, democratic decision-making guided the project through a bootstrap effort resulting in artist live/work space in the basement, and the theater occupying the upper tiers of the building.<P>Among the 65 or more participants in the meeting, there was unanimous sentiment for continuing the theater under a new management arrangement. Numerous speakers favored a performing arts consortium, with residencies for more established companies, while also accommodating new talent. Among those who were most enthusiastic about sharing the space were representatives of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and Theater Bay Area. There was discussion about how to assure that the fixed capital assets of the theater, such as lights and electronic equipment, would not be liquidated in any debt repayment scheme that might ensue. <P>Toba Singer<P><BR>[This message has been edited by Toba Singer (edited April 30, 2002).]<p>[This message has been edited by Toba Singer (edited April 30, 2002).]

Thanks, Toba, but ouch. It looks like Theater Artaud Inc is looking for an exit strategy a bit too late in the game. It seems to me the City and County would own the assets should the Theater Artaud Inc cease to exist.

Thanks for the report. I have always seen Theater Artaud as the worst run space in the city and there is a part of me that thinks they may have gotten what they were asking for. Mean, but true. In this day and age, and in this city, there is absolutely no excuse for poor management.