ABSTRACT
Today’s dominant American theatrical practice is “spaceclaiming”—mounting a production in an already built environment that comes with already built-in values. Mission statements may announce commitments to inclusion, innovation, and community, but spaceclaiming defines what’s possible before any art is ever made. There are, however, alternative ways of working, of doing, of theorizing. What if the theory of placemaking guided the dramaturg? What if the action of dramaturgy is to make a place? Placemaking—and its core principles taken from architects and urban planners—explicitly fosters abundance, innovation, and inclusion. The key to success in applying these principles to the theatre lies in the interrogation skills of the dramaturg. The right questions can position placemaking as a generative force for creating third spaces for theatrical experiences—places beyond the public/private binary. By examining the theory of placemaking and looking at straightforward real world applications of those ideas, “Life First” proposes generous, outward facing, artmaking that is both sustainable and reflective of the diversity of actual communities. As Danish architect Jan Gehl lays out definitively, “First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works.”
