By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-954532.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo is known for its burgeoning arts community. But not all the groups are serving the same audience. And some niche communities could get left out if those groups went away or were diminished. In part six of our series, "Culture in the Balance," WBFO's Joyce Kryszak tells us about a few of the unique groups that are part of the region's rich cultural landscape.
It's a sunny Thursday afternoon outside the Theatre of Youth's Allendale theatre. But inside it's dark, with the stage dimly lit and the packed audience particularly quiet and somber during this performance. More than four hundred middle school children watch intently, sometimes with hushed exclamations of shock.
The professional cast of actors is performing Number the Stars. It's the story of a Danish family that takes in and protects a Jewish girl during the Nazi holocaust. Toy's Artistic Director Meg Quinn said TOY does much more than provide entertainment for children.
"I've had kids say to me, 'that really happened?' They study it, they might be able to answer questions, they might be able to pass the test, but do they really feel anything from just reading about it?" said Quinn. "You're not creating the same experience in the classroom as when you come here and we have people in Nazi uniforms slapping people or stopping people and people are frightened and you start to sense, My God, what was that like?"
11-year old Ethan Caramanas and Hailey Gruber from Hoover Middle School in Kenmore agreed.
"I loved the play. It was good re-enacting and stuff," said Caramanas. "It was like different from seeing it or reading, because it was like real," said Gruber.
Quinn said the performances can be a catharsis, helping families to talk to their children about painfully real subjects, such as war and death.
And she said live performances help kids stretch their minds as well as their hearts. She says they learn to think creatively and be adaptable.
Robert Brunschmid is Toy's Managing Director. He said children from different social and economic backgrounds go on a collective journey at TOY that expands their world.
"At the end of the play when we ask them 'what are you wondering about?' They're all raising their hands. They can identify that the kid who I've never seen before has the same question I do, so maybe people aren't so different after all, maybe we all have some commonality amongst ourselves," said Brunschmid. "And that's a real important social interaction that happens here."
But he said it is an interaction that's in danger of becoming less accessible. The 40-year old theatre lost nearly $50,000 in county funding. The money helped offset ticket prices, particularly for school performances to keep them affordable for all. Brunschmid said they may have to raise those prices to maintain the high quality productions he says they will not sacrifice.
About thirty-five miles down the road at the far edge of Erie County, the Springville Arts Center also is trying to maintain its modest programming. Theatre performances by the Springville Players are among the programs offered by the rural, mult-arts center.
The center hold exhibits and screenings, and it offers theatre and art workshops. Seth Wochensky is the Executive Director. He said without the center, people from their five county, rural area would have little or no access to culture and the arts.
"If we're not doing the programming, people here just don't have an alternative. There's no where else to go," said Wochensky. "You know, there's not some other organization down the block proving kids arts classes. It's not happening."
And Wochensky said those experiences can make a big impact - especially with kids.
"I've seen kids come into our programs and have that experience sort of turn a light on in their soul," said Wochensky.
He said the $14,000 they used to get from Erie County offset the cost of these workshops so they could make them affordable for kids and adults in the mostly low-income rural community. Wochensky worries that if these and other public funding cuts continue, the cultural landscape could become barren here.
Back in the city of Buffalo, one cutting-edge organization is trying to move past funding cuts to move the region into the future.
The sound you hear is part of an experimental film made with the help of Squeaky Wheel Media Resource Center. The organization provides low-cost equipment rentals for budding film makers. Tammy McGovern is interim director. She said Squeaky Wheel helps film makers express themselves.
"They have an idea that media is a powerful medium to be able to sort of amplify their voice back into the community in some way," said McGovern.
But Squeaky Wheel is not just for film makers.
The resource center also provides assistance with all forms of technology. People can come here to learn sound design, computer programming, and a host of other electronics skills. McGovern said this kind of skill building is definitely the future.
"And it's good for people to kind of see technology as something accessible, because this is where the job market is going," said McGovern.
She and others say the county should be recognizing the value of these and the other services that arts groups provide to help make the region stronger.