WISHES FOR THE NEW STARR
FROM CLARE BARRON
When I think about my hopes and dreams for New York theater post-Covid, I think about the Bushwick Starr. I think about seasons with artists whose work is singular and doesn't necessarily resemble each other. Work that's wild and free and takes many forms. I think about artists who don't fit neatly into categories: Text can be devised. Playwrights can be actors. Original composition can take center-stage in a play. Late-night talk shows live on! You can spend the night in a sleeping bag... You can feed your belly... You can see a show for seven hours... You can see a show for forty-minutes...
This diversity and this freedom are the cornerstones of healthy art, to me... We need it! Especially after the year(s) we've had... We need to feel like we can fucking breathe...
I know, for me, personally, the Starr was the first place where I was crazy enough to act in my own plays, and also the first place where I experimented with directing. I felt empowered to say: I want to try this! Can we do this... And I want that same feeling for every artist. The secret sort of thought in your brain that you're embarrassed to ask for, breaks free...
And on top of all that: a new space to gather! A LOBBY that can be multi-purpose and open to artists and the theater's neighbors. This space alone could transform New York theater, and I'm so excited to see it become our new HOME.
- Clare Barron, Creator of I'll Never Love Again
