For years, almost as long as anyone can remember, the Baby Boomers have been in charge — with the youngest, around 60, still firmly entrenched in the workforce.
Even the oldest of the Boomers are still hustling — former President Trump is 78, on the very oldest edge of the generation.
“What are the steps for the next generation to take over?”
That’s a question that theater professional Deborah Block has been asking herself. Like Vice President Kamala Harris, Block teeters on the Boomer/GenX cusp.
And not surprisingly — because that’s what theater people do — Block decided to raise the question on stage. Luckily, she has one.
As Theatre Exile’s producing artistic director, Block chose to open the South Philadelphia company’s 28th season with “Red,” running through Nov. 10 and directed by Matt Pfeiffer.
Veteran actor Scott Greer plays Mark Rothko, the famous abstract American painter at the peak of his career. In the play, as Rothko works on the commission of a lifetime, he is facing existential questions about vision and purpose — questions and challenges posed by his young and increasingly confident assistant.
Changing of the guard
In real life, Rothko was known for his disdain of pop art, and perhaps the creators behind it. During a pop exhibition in 1962, the painter famously asked, “Are the young artists plotting to kill us all?” according to Rothko biographer James Breslin.
Yes, “Red” is about artistic vision and process, what it means to sell out, and the compromises artists must make in the name of fame and survival. And, of course, any play about Rothko himself, known for his huge rectangular swatches of color and canvas, would surely attract an audience.
Rothko’s paintings certainly did. In 2014, his painting “No 6 (Violet, Green and Red)” sold for $186 million, according to published reports.
But Rothko’s fame and questions about art-making are not what drew Block to John Logan’s 2019 Tony Award-winning play.
In the play, “there’s an element which is really important about the next generation taking over from the old guard,” Block said. “Where is the space for the voice of the younger folks?”
It’s an important question in Philadelphia, where one in four residents is a Millennial, defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. Millennials constitute the largest age demographic in the city, growing as the Boomer population declines.
In “Red,” Rothko’s young assistant Ken, played by Zachary Valdez, “is learning and listening to Mark Rothko,” Block said. “He’s not treated great in the play. At a certain point, it’s about when and how does the younger generation take over. To me, that’s a very important conversation to have right now and that conversation is the reason I did this play.
“I see it playing out everywhere,” she said.
For example, new leaders have been replacing the old guard in theaters around the region.
Three years ago, Wilma Theater co-founder Blanka Zizka became Wilma’s artistic director emeritus, making way for a new leadership team of younger artists. Ken and Amy Kaissar replaced Bristol Riverfront Theatre’s founding director Susan D. Atkinson. Zak Berkman, producing artistic director at People’s Light in Malvern, took over for longtime executive artistic director Abigail Adams. And at Philadelphia Theatre Co., artistic director Paige Price moved on, succeeded by husband-and-wife team Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar.
Generational shifts also challenge Block, she said. “How do we create a bench” of rising talent?
It is tough enough, she explained, handling the day-to-day scramble to pay for theater operations. “But what I also have to do is make sure I nurture the next voice to take over for me.”
“The boomers are aging and aging well. They are holding onto the power,” she said, partly because society doesn’t have a system that values elders and the contributions they can continue to make with the skillsets, energy, and resources they have.
“How,” she asked, “do we make sure every cycle is valued?”
Generational conflict
Greer, who plays Rothko, says he personally hasn’t experienced pressure from younger actors trying to push him aside. In the region, Greer performs in about four or five plays a year.
“I might feel differently if I were a playwright. As an actor, I’m working in part because of my age,” he said.
Valdez, a former boxer and teacher from Texas playing Rothko’s assistant Ken, said he is too new to the acting world to be ready to challenge old-timers for a place on stage.
“As far as what the younger generation is and how they combat with older generations, I don’t know what that is,” he said, adding that he thinks younger people bring a sense of joy and optimism that can dim as people are impacted by experiences in their professions.
“My character is trying to find his place in the world,” Valdez said, “and that’s where I’m at, too.”
FYI
“Red,” through Nov. 10, Theatre Exile, 1340 S. 13th St., Phila. 215-218-4022
