Since it was founded in 1979, Perseverance Theatre in Juneau has been committed to exploring classic plays and new works through a unique “Alaskan lens.” For their Animating Democracy project, Perseverance began a statewide dialogue about some of Alaska’s most divisive cultural, political, and social issues, using an Alaskan adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic work, Moby Dick, as the artistic catalyst. How could theater effectively contribute to discourse about Alaskan issues of subsistence rights and the urban/rural divide in disparate places across the state? The company tried several approaches, including Socratic dialogue in Fairbanks and Anchorage, and a culturally grounded potluck in Barrow.

The case study is adapted from reflective analysis by Perseverance’s Executive Director Jeffrey Herrmann, former Artistic Director Peter DuBois, and Dialogue Coordinator Susan McInnis. They recount the return to their goal of bolstering a non-official level of public engagement after illuminating experiences with the “gatekeepers” of civic discourse. They describe their shift from envisioning civic dialogue in terms of large public gatherings that address policy, to valuing more intimate gatherings in which personal story is a potent motivation and a stepping stone to civic deliberation. The Moby Dick project prompted Perseverance's leaders to question not only the theater’s authority and responsibility to initiate and convene dialogue on civic issues, but also its authority to find affirmation from various stakeholders that the theater indeed has something unique to contribute as a civic player.

Since it was founded in 1979, Perseverance Theatre in Juneau has been committed to exploring classic plays and new works through a unique “Alaskan lens.” For their Animating Democracy project, Perseverance began a statewide dialogue about some of Alaska’s most divisive cultural, political, and social issues, using an Alaskan adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic work, Moby Dick, as the artistic catalyst. How could theater effectively contribute to discourse about Alaskan issues of subsistence rights and the urban/rural divide in disparate places across the state? The company tried several approaches, including Socratic dialogue in Fairbanks and Anchorage, and a culturally grounded potluck in Barrow.

The case study is adapted from reflective analysis by Perseverance’s Executive Director Jeffrey Herrmann, former Artistic Director Peter DuBois, and Dialogue Coordinator Susan McInnis. They recount the return to their goal of bolstering a non-official level of public engagement after illuminating experiences with the “gatekeepers” of civic discourse. They describe their shift from envisioning civic dialogue in terms of large public gatherings that address policy, to valuing more intimate gatherings in which personal story is a potent motivation and a stepping stone to civic deliberation. The Moby Dick project prompted Perseverance's leaders to question not only the theater’s authority and responsibility to initiate and convene dialogue on civic issues, but also its authority to find affirmation from various stakeholders that the theater indeed has something unique to contribute as a civic player.