The philosophy
or
What's with the Burning Bush logo?

According to the Old Testament, God would approach a righteous man to be his prophet. His job would be to act as a spokesman to God's displeasure with the people of Israel and to warn them of the consequences of continued rebellion; in most cases, destruction and slavery at the hands of a foreign power. Inevitably, this righteous man would agree to do whatever was asked of him marveling that he had been recognized for such an honor. Once the poor schlep had verbally agreed to the task, God would drop the other shoe. Spread the word ... but no one will listen, no one will believe, and they will probably kill you.

And he would go out and deliver the message.

And no one listened.

And no one believed him.

And he was killed.

Hmm. Now what does all of this have to do with our little theatre company? Well, on a basic level it is a tremendous reminder of continuing in the face of overwhelming odds. Like that Old Testament prophet many of us involved in theatre did not choose theatre ... it chose us. Many of us could have far more lucrative careers but like that prophet we have been selected to spread the word. Sometimes it's the message of an individual production. Most times, itís the message that theatre has relevance in a time where our attention is pulled in so many directions. It seems with the advent of some new technology we are told that theatre is an antiquated art. We've been told that for years and yet all of us continue in the face of naysayers and skeptics. Theatre is not an antiquated art but the way theatres do business and promote themselves is antiquated. In that area we as a community need to pursue different, creative ways of getting people to the theatre. At Visions & Voices we are working towards that end ... creating a balance between the art and the business of art.

For us, that is our message.