In Search of the Artistic Home

Jamie Gahlon has asked theatre artists from around the country to talk about their personal search for an artistic home. Tony Taccone continues this series.

What makes an artistic home?
All manner of support: money, time with quality people, trust, a feeling of safety. As well as feeling integrated into a specific place: the culture of the institution, the community. A shared fluency of ideas and goals. A committed work process that simultaneously fulfills individual needs and is larger than individual needs.

Where and how did you find yours and what does it mean to you?
I found mine at the Eureka Theatre with a small group of like-minded souls. We operated as a co-operative of sorts, spending a large amount of time trying to marry the values we espoused from the stage with those we practiced in our daily lives.

It meant the world to me. Still does.

How can one create and/or build an artistic home for others?
By being honest about what the theatre can and can’t provide. By trying to catalyze and sustain real dialogue about the work. By being present. By building stamina. Digging in for the long haul. By treating everyone first and foremost with respect.

What is the artistic home of the future?
What we make it.