City Spaces

One of the biggest challenges facing Indie Theatre artists, is space!

Our good friends at the League of Independent Theatre continue to tackle this issue and are supporting new legislation to help address it. Check out their website for more information.

 

Volunteer to help OOB productions

Dear Community Dish Friends,

I hope all is well in your worlds. Sandy definitely did a number on our City. Obviously if you're reading this you're getting internet, which is probably more than most. The thoughtful Sean Williams reached out earlier with concern for the community...

"I know that someone got screwed. One of our theaters has to have gone underwater, some facility got completely nailed and there have to have been a couple dozen shows on the off-off level that were either supposed to load out or load in this week."

So let's be there for our fellow Indie Theatre folks. You can volunteer to lend a hand by emailing
amandaellenfeldman at gmail dot com

IF ANYONE NEEDS ASSISTANCE PLEASE LET US KNOW.  A volunteer list will be posted later this afternoon. Let's see if we can coordinate a handful of volunteers to send your way!

AND if you have extra time on your hand to volunteer (because your office is closed), email the Red Cross - staffing@redcrossny.org or go to their website.

Be well and stay dry!

Amanda Feldman

A Tale of Two Companies

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Cathy Bencivenga.

I wish I had had time to dive a little deeper this week, but opening was more of a time suck than I thought it would be, and at the risk of getting soap-boxy, I had an insane two show day of crazy patrons and technical difficulties.

But, I think I have managed to thoroughly introduce you to my two companies, TACT (The Actors Company Theatre) and The Internationalists.

I mentioned the other day that I had the unique situation of having one company run by actors and one company run by directors. I know of many collaborative Indie companies run by mostly slashies (actors/directors/writers, etc) but these are two of very few companies that I know of created and run by such specific subsets, and I think in both cases it highly defines their working methods.

Similarly, I mentioned how each company operates outside the typical OOB world. For The Internationalists, it's under the radar, producing mostly short runs or web based events, often not utilizing a showcase code or AEA actors so that we can avoid video recording or development process guidelines. With TACT, we float in the world between OOB and OB, competing on high levels with more limited resources than most of our peers.

Both companies are also tied strongly to very specific, highly motivating missions and maintain a constant eye to producing at the highest level of quality for their means.

Ultimately, it's all of these qualities that gives each of them their identities within the vast NYC theatre landscape. And, I think in that they are great examples of what the indie community has to offer that is interesting. Particularly working at Theatre Row over the last 5 years, I have seen a lot of companies come in and out around us that for the most part are indistinguishable from each other, getting lost in a sea of "similar." And if I have any message for my theatre making peers out there, it is to do something different, distinguishable.

As a final piece of shameless promotion - come see The Memorandum and/or participate in this awesome workshop http://theinternationalists.org/ira.html.

Also, a big thanks to Shay and Morgan and the rest of the IT folk for having me this week. If not a constant blogger, you've certainly turned me into an avid "Full of IT" reader. 

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The Gray Area of New York Theatre

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Cathy Bencivenga.

TACT (The Actors Company Theatre) was founded in 1992 by a group of mid-career actors with the mission to do rarely seen plays of literary merit. 18 years later, many of the original company members are still involved and TACT maintains one of the few groups in the city with a repertory company of actors.  I have the unique point of view of having one company that consists of all actors and another that consists of all directors.

For its first 14 years, TACT existed primarily as a reader's theatre doing concert performances (think Encores!, which debuted the same year) of lost gems in three or four performance spurts. Having built up a hefty subscriber and donor base and looking to delve deeper, TACT began doing fully realized productions in 2005. Since then, we have become a resident company in the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, presenting two six week runs there each season.

In the beginning we produced on a modified-by-concession seasonal showcase in which AEA allowed us to set a firm fee to the actors instead of a percentage of income, and after two seasons we moved on to the newly created Transition contract. While not perfect, the Transition contract is an answer to the difficulties companies were having stepping from the showcase to an LOA. It is a 3 year tiered contract that allows for lower weekly salary in exchange for less rehearsal hours and total performances and still restricts to a 99 seat house. I highly recommend it to companies looking to move past a showcase code.

While on contract and therefore officially "Off Broadway," TACT exists in a gray area of New York theatre. Ticket price and audience-wise we compete with major Off Broadway companies several times our size, yet because of our theatre size, we don't qualify for things like the Lortel Awards and barely run long enough to get real word of mouth momentum going.

Last night we opened The Memorandum by Vaclav Havel. A quintessential TACT play, Memo is a quirky satire on bureaucracy gone mad that hasn't been seen in a major NY production since its 1968 premier as part of the inaugural season at the Public Theater.  We had some bad luck in the room, namely the losing our lead actor two weeks ago when he was hit by a car, but the production has pulled together well and has had respectable reviews trickling in all day. 

Now that I've given some background, for my final post tomorrow I'll talk a little bit about what The Internationalists and TACT have in common and how they relate to the OOB community. 

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Interactive Global Theatrical Community

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Cathy Bencivenga.

Well, I'll start out by saying hello and introducing myself. Hi there, I'm Cathy, and I'm both very flattered and very excited to be your guest blogger for the week. As my bio succinctly points out, I am, like most of you, a filler of many positions. Mainly, but not exclusively, those of General Manager for TACT/The Actors Company Theatre, an Off Broadway company now in its 18th season of presenting rarely seen plays (www.tactnyc.org), and Managing Director of The Internationalists, a collective of directors from around the world (www.theinternationalists.org). As a representative of these two separate and distinct organizations, I thought I would split up my posts this week and spend some time discussing my thoughts on each.  My goal is to ultimately land on what makes such different working environments actually pretty similar, and how they relate to the OOB landscape.

Thankfully, Amanda's post on World Theatre Day left me with a beautiful segue to discuss The Internationalists. We came together in the summer of 2007, when our members met while participating in the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. It was clear that there was a craving for more opportunities for artists of different countries and cultures to work together, and we set out to create a more, "open, sustainable, and interactive global theatrical community." The challenges to creating an international company were both extensive and immediately apparent - communication first. It's hard enough to communicate when you're across a table, much less across an ocean, but we had time differences, language barriers, and varying technologies all in our way. Then of course there's the legal stuff - visas, unions, and dun dun dun... money.

That said, I think what could be deemed the biggest challenge has ultimately become our driving force: our vastly different points of view regarding how "theatre" is defined. Does it have to be in one place? At one time? Does it have to have an audience? Does it have to be live? Our different theatrical backgrounds and cultures have given us (even those from the same country) a huge span of opinions and perspectives. In my previous experience, no matter how differing our taste or techniques may have been, there was a general consensus of format. There was a script, a stage, audience, set, lights, etc, etc. But with The Internationalists is presumption is not the case. One of the most enlightening moments I've had was when our member Dina Keller from Germany explained to us that she had been trained never to consider the audience when developing a piece of theatre. This was a revelation to me that boiled down what I think is the most basic element of how Dina's style differs from other directors in the collective, and I constantly revisit it when experiencing Dina's work.

Likewise, our heavy reliance on internet to communicate with each other has led us to find ways to incorporate internet technologies in the work we do together. For instance, the last two Novembers, we've presented an event called "Around the World in 24 Hours" in which we initiated and/or curated 24 continuous hours of international programming. With events some occurring live in NY, some streamed in live from other countries, and some prerecorded, the entire 24 hours was then streamed out for mostly online audience. In 2009 we had hundreds of viewers tune in from over 60 countries.

Given these goals and challenges, our creative output, more often than not, doesn't fit into 16 performance run of a showcase. We present mostly mini-festivals and one night events. This year we are forgoing the 24 hour element of the Around the World Festival in order to focus on a direct exchange between New York and Germany (to be presented at Surreal Estate on November 13).

I've rambled for a while, so I'll wrap up, but I can't end this blog without another little plug for World Theatre Day. We've hosted events in NYC for the last three years and were thrilled to join forces with the rest of the coalition last year to help spread the word. As Amanda discussed, WTD is an easy way to acknowledge and celebrate the vastness of the international theatre community.

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Our International Theatre Community

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Amanda Feldman.

Before I start my final blog this week, I wanted to thank the Shay, Morgan, Nick and everyone at the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation for giving me this opportunity. I’m normally not the blogging type… I barely keep up with Facebook, but having this forum to put my thoughts in cyber space this week has been pretty awesome. So thank you IT friends and thank you to everyone who has read my four blogs this week.

Anyway, enough prologue… today I want to blog about the international theatre community. The trick is that it is not so much a community, as it is thousands of communities. But every single theatre artist across the world celebrates the age old tradition of story telling in his or her own way and every theatre practitioner knows that when a performer and an audience member breathe the same air there is an intense connection possible that exists in no other art form. These shared values create an incredible bond that stretches from playwrights in Uganda to designers in Hong Kong from directors in Mexico City to stage managers in Mumbai.

To be a member of the international theatre community means three things:

1. One should always do his or her best art as bravely and as passionately as possible. I know this first qualification is a bit cheesy but there is some crazy force driving us to this unstable and insane career. 
2. One should endeavor to discover fellow international theatre artists and get to know their work. Working at the Lark, I have the pleasure of getting to know playwrights from around the globe and it’s amazing to bear witness to not only their unique and eye-opening stories but also to get caught up in the way they tell their stories. I think we are extremely lucky here in NYC that there is so much international and multi-cultural theatre happening, so why not take advantage. 
3. Finally, I think to be a practicing member of the international theatre community, once a year on March 27^th one must pause for a brief moment to recognize World Theatre Day, because we are part of an age old globe tradition that touched people from all corners of the map.

Now you are thinking to yourselves, how does one celebrate World Theatre Day? Don’t worry I will tell you. You can celebrate World Theatre Day but just simply reading the international message, which is given each year by a theatre luminary. (This past year Dame Judy Dench gave the international message and then Lynn Nottage gave the US World Theatre Day message). But if you are in NYC and you want to do more you can get involved in the NYC World Theatre Day Coalition. Some of you know I coordinate the NYC World Theatre Day Coalition, so in a way this last blog is a bit of self-promotion, but really all I am asking is for you to take part in some cool flash mobs, to maybe attend a panel, and then to party… just a little. You know, throw a streamer in the air for Shakespeare, honk a party horn for Checkov, and maybe boogie down for the great Kabuki playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon.

I know I’ve piqued your interest so now you can find out more information about World Theatre Day in NYC here - http://nycwtd.com/ and nationally here - http://www.tcg.org/international/events/theatreday.cfm. If you are interesting in getting more involved we will be planning a meeting this December to solidify our March plans.

Finally, an addendum… if I had more time in my life, I would have also written a fifth blog entry about being a part of our national theatre community of which I am a proud member. And there is definitely a lot to say as about the theatre in our great nation. The regional theatre movement is not without it’s shortcomings, however, the dedicated American theatre artists and managers I have met are smart, inspirational, and totally up for the challenge.

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Our NYC Theatre Community

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Amanda Feldman.

I once heard it said that the theatre industry was the second largest industry in NYC behind finance. I’m not exactly sure how this statistic was measured or who stated it, but it sounds accurate so I’m going with it as fact. Figure if you count Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, non-profits and for profits we are a pretty huge force to be reckoned with, but I don’t think we have ever acted as a singular group and I think that’s sad.

Last year I tried to coordinate activities for World Theatre Day and I was taken aback by some of the resistance and mistrust that I encountered. Theatre Communications Group was skeptical about Broadway getting involved and stealing their limelight. ART/NY was interested but mainly concerned about what was in it for their members and were protective of their resources, because after all the World Theatre Day Coalition wasn’t a member of ART/NY. The Theatre Development Fund was surprisingly very interested in getting involved, but I didn’t seek them out in time to really help the cause. I wasn’t asking for much but I was surprised by how protective everyone was. I’ll talk more about World Theatre Day in my next blog, but what I hope to one day achieve is a much friendlier open New York City theatre community.

Based on a T-Shirt idea that Jenny Greeman and Lanie Zipoy came up with at a Dish meeting last year where they wanted to create a T-Shirt that said, I Heart OOB, which I still think is a genius idea, I would like to create a T-Shift that says “I Am New York City Theatre.” Then for one day a year everyone should wear it - from the Broadway theatre owners to the Indie theatre stage manager to all actors and designers alike. I think it would make a huge impact on the City and perhaps foster a sense of community amongst us. I think if we always identified as theater artists - not downtown theatre artists versus Broadway theatre artists - it would do a lot to encourage unity. Plus proceeds could go to a cause we all care about such as the Department of Cultural Affairs to be re-granted to us or could go to an arts education programs or Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Speaking of BC/EFA, I think the way Tom Berger brought that post show fundraising campaign to the Indie Theatre world last year for a week was genius. I’d love to see more and more Indie Theatre companies take part in doing the post-show fundraising drives for such a good cause. Sure we won’t raise as much money as Broadway but proportionally I bet we can reach equally as much.

Perhaps my dreams of a singular NYC theatre scene may be naïve but as someone who has worked on Broadway, Off Broadway, and in the Indie theatre world, I can guarantee we have more in common than we do separating us.

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Our Indie Theatre Community

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Amanda Feldman.

I remember when I discovered there was an indie theatre community. I had been the Managing Director of CollaborationTown for over a year, when I went to my first Community Dish Meeting. I remember being so excited to discover that I was not in it alone. It opened up new possibilities to me… cross marketing opportunities, producing advice, and most importantly an opportunity to get to know other theatre artists. I hate to think that there are young artists out there today who do not know the support networks that are available to them.

I think the tricky thing about nurturing an Indie theatre community, is that we are so diverse. I know it’s been said on this blog before but sometimes it’s hard to identify us - we can’t be categorized by aesthetic, a geographic location, kind of theatre, or anything aside from an Equity code that we all love to hate. Its difficult for veteran indie theatre artists who have been producing for ten plus years to put themselves in a category with young upstarts who just got their BAs and have come to NYC to put on a show, but I do not think our community gains anything from exclusivity. After all we were all once that young theatre artist. Plus measuring us by the quality of our art is counterproductive because we have all had shows that were varying degrees of success. And it’s true that not all Indie theatre is “good,” but all indie theatre artists are striving for recognition, audience, and, I believe, the support of a community.

The other challenge to fostering the Indie theatre community is that for most of us, Indie theater is not our only gig. Whether you are a waiter or have a “day job” chances are your theater company isn’t paying the bills and therefore you are much busier than everyone else you know because in essence you have two jobs. I remember thinking how great it would be to create a branding campaign on behalf of Indie theatre (and personally I think we made a huge stride when we shifted from Off-Off-Broadway to Indie Theatre, but I know not everyone agrees with me). At one point in time I had visions of doing this massive fundraising campaign to get young finance executives to donate to peer theatre artists, but then the finance system went to pot.

None of this happened mainly because we were all too busy, but other things did happen and I’m proud of where we have come as a community. Great organizations were created such as the Community Dish, the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, and the League of Independent Theatres, New York. For the past three years we played an active role in Free Night of Theatre and for the past two summers we have celebrated Indie Theatre Week.

At the moment, I can tell you’re feeling inspired and want to do something. So here are five easy things everyone can pledge to do today:

1)      See at least twelve Indie Theatre shows this year… I don’t think once a month is asking too much.

2)      Read the blogs of Indie Theatre artists, there are a lot of them to choose from but they are always insightful and fun. Although if you’re reading this, I know that perhaps I’m preaching to the choir.

3)      Join the Community Dish and go to at least three meetings a year. Our next meeting is Monday, November 8^th and we’re teaming up with Incubator Arts and the League of Independent Theatre, New York so it should be a nice big meeting. www.communitydish.org

4)      Join the League of Independent Theatre, New York because they will take your concerns to Equity, to the Mayors Office, to Albany, and to the real estate world.

5)      If you can afford it make few donations to theatre companies you admire, DO IT.

Back in 2006, I had to step down as Managing Director of CollaborationTown because I couldn’t do that and be paid to company manage an Off Broadway show at the same time. Thus I became unhitched and for a while that was scary. My place in the Indie theatre world felt less defined, but thanks to my active participation in the community I never felt lost or alone and now happily produce for various theatre companies.

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How do you define "Community"?

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week Amanda Feldman.

I’m exhausted. Today (Sunday) was the last day of Playwrights Week at the Lark. Playwrights Week is a festival of play readings – eight readings in five days to be precise – that is the culmination of Lark’s open access submission program. I feel like I just ran a marathon it’s been seven days of ten to fourteen hour days in the office filled with rehearsals, dinners, receptions, dozens of actors, tons of script copying and lots of wine and coffee and more coffee. As the week was swirling by, this group of artists instantly became each other’s friends and supporters. It was inspiring to watch how good theatre people are at creating and being part of a community.

Of course this makes sense, our art is nothing if not intensely collaborative, but what is so wonderful about being able to create and sustain communities is that I truly believe it gives theatre artists a leg up on the rest of the world. (I can’t prove this but I have a hunch that it’s true.) Anyway, I would like to take my turn as the IT Awards guest blogger by discussing the various theatre communities that I call home.  Also I want to talk about some things I think we can do to strengthen these communities that we all cling to and claim as our own.

Now I am not so naïve to throw the word “community” around willy-nilly. It’s definitely a weighted word. We all have our preconceived notions of what a community is and how we define it. Plus the word “community” is definitely one of those hot button grant speak words. People want to know who is in your community? How big is it? How diverse is it? I’m going to try to be clear in my various definitions throughout the week but bare with me as I navigate through my arguments – these are not pre-vetted so you’ll be reading as I’m thinking these thoughts. And, while I don’t plan on being overtly controversial, I do hope to put my own spin what I think is the value of community.

I think it’s only fair to finish this introductory blog post with a question…

Indie theatre artists, how do you define your theatrical community (or communities)?

[On a side note, for those playwrights who read this blog, Lark is currently accepting submissions for Playwrights Week 2011. Just go to Lark’s website for more info. Submissions are due November 20^th. http://www.larktheatre.org/programs/submission.htm]

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OOB Community: What and Who is it?

Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Cat Parker

When I first moved to New York, a dear friend, John Morrison, introduced me to the WorkShop Theater Company and they welcomed me into their fold. Thus began my entrée into the world of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. I met other directors, actors, playwrights, stage manager, producers, technicians and all the “slashie” combinations of those positions. As we all know, the ability to wear multiple hats, and change them mid-stream can be a real asset in our world.

Then I took a detour – I began work at T. Schreiber Studio, which afforded me a wonderful opportunity and unique environment to hone my directing and producing skills. TSS was a great place to work, but one thing I noticed about my time there was that I was losing touch with the outside community. So, after I left TSS, my first priority was to re-establish contact with the theatre community. Seems like an easy proposition, right? After all, it seemed pretty straight forward in my earlier years. Turns out, identities in the theatre world are mushy, grey, and ever-changing. See that struggling, first-time playwright over there? In her day job, she’s a well-respected actress in off-Broadway and regional houses. That budding OOB producer over there in the grungy jeans and decades-old tee shirt? He makes his living as a literary assistant at a very well established producer’s office, wearing a very snazzy tie with his white shirt, thank you very much.

Who are these people? Where/What are the parameters? How the hell am I supposed to get back into the swimming pool?

Fortunately, there are two very big and helpful elements to help me take this dive. The first is that theatre people are generally very willing to help each other out. When I sit in a puddle in the floor and wail “HELP!” I am never left hanging – good friends, and “6-degrees-of-facebook” friends have always come to my rescue. Casting advice, rehearsal space, that one freakish prop you desperately need – all of these have magically appeared just when I was on the verge of ripping my hair out because of the generous nature of our community. So, when I tap on the shoulder of a stranger at a gathering, feebly introduce myself, and take a chance on this scary thing called “networking,” it’s gratifying to have them smile and say something like, “Oh riiiight! You’re the one that was looking for the blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers. Glad we could share ours with you.” (The fact that no one in the group even looks vaguely askance at that description is testament to a whole ‘nuther trait about theatre folks, which I’ll leave for another time.)

The second element(s) are the folks at NYIT. [Yes, I know this is their blogspot, but I’m really not just kissing up!] I got involved with NYIT originally as a judge for productions, and then was asked into the Honorary Awards Committee. Being involved with this varied group of individuals has really widened my understanding of how intricate, complex and passionate our community is. And professional! Sometimes the word “community” has more of a social feel to it, but the reality is that our “community” is deadly serious about what we do. And the folks at NYIT are entangled with community leaders and organizations at all the various levels – political, legal, social, revolutionary, journalistic, polling, statistics, reviewing, “a”warding and “re”warding, past, present and future. If it’s going on in the world of independent theatre, someone at NYIT is involved or knows someone who is. So, when I made the decision to leap back into the fray, I turned to these colleagues, and they said…… “Hey, wanna be a guest blogger for us?”

So, next time I’m being the wall-flower at a gathering, and I pluck up the courage to come tap on your shoulder, hopefully you’ll turn around and say, “Oh yeah, I know you – I read your blog!” and we’ll have widened our community by one more degree. Who is the OOB community? – I am.

And, should you need a blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers, I’m there for ya.

Peace!

Indie Theatre Week

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INDIE THEATER WEEK is here!  With 3 can't-miss events!


First up, it's the  

LIT Mixer

Are you ready to party?

We in the Indie Theater Community work hard. Very hard.

But we're also the most fun.

Let's prove it.

Come to the LIT MIXER!
As part of the undergroundzero Festival at PS 122
And Indie Theater Week
www.ps122.org

Friday July 16th
11:00pm - 1:00am
PS 122 - 150 First Avenue

Join your favorite indie theater folks for a night of drinks, dancing, and mingling.
See you there!

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Next, join us for the -

Innovative Theatre Awards Nominee Announcement Party:

at the historic Off-Off-Broadway Venue
Demo Hall / Carmine St. Center at Our Lady of Pompeii
located at 25 Carmine Street (corner of Bleecker)

Monday July 19th
from 7pm to 10pm

For more information, please visit http://www.nyitawards.com
 

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Finally, please join The Community Dish, The Innovative Theatre Foundation,
The League of Independent Theatre and United Stages

for the
2nd Annual Indie Theatre Midsummer Classic
(Softball Game and Picnic)

Saturday, July 24th
noon to 4pm
Field #1 of the Great Lawn in Central Park

Picnic (bring your own) - noon to 1:00pm
Softball Game - 1:00pm to 4pm
Drinks at a nearby pub TBA - 4pm til they run out of beer & hot wings

Your team captains Tim Errickson and Michael Criscuolo ask that if you have equipment to please bring it and to be prepared to share a glove with a neighbor.

It is a great way to celebrate the summer, share community spirit and engage your fellow OOBers in a little friendly sporting rivalry. 

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THANK YOU!

Thanks to Rebecca Comtois for guest blogging last week!

And, since we've been guest-blogging for six months now, I want to take a moment to thank ALL of our guest bloggers this year. It's been incredible to read the insights of our community and see the conversations you've all sparked.

We have more to come, but will be taking a short break from guest blogging this week for the holiday and the Nominee announcement party. We'll be posting minimally (I'd guess you could call it blogging...) in the interim.

Have a lovely and safe holiday!

Everything I learned about Arts Administration, I learned Off-Off-Broadway

Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Leigh Goldenberg.

 

I work in a regional theatre that's not in New York City. So why should I be writing for this New York Theatre blog? Because I credit the majority of my knowledge and experience in theatre management to my years producing Off-Off-Broadway in NYC. If you are looking for a career in the theatre, I cannot recommend more highly the value of producing your own work with no money and even less of a clue. Fundraising, marketing, budgeting, advocacy, contracts, season selection - you name it. Everything I learned about Arts Administration, I learned Off-Off-Broadway. (And how appropriate that I'm following Connie's post about restaurant school's lessons - inspiration is everywhere!)

"It's the people. It's people."

This overly simple line was in Stone Soup's first original show The Seventh Song about human rights in China. (We were so ambitious in our early 20s!) In the years to follow, this remained as our thesis not only in the types of shows we created and but the way in which we created them.

I'll be honest and say that no one was ever paid for their work with Stone Soup. (This is probably true for lots of Off Off companies, especially as we re-invested our money into expanding the company however we could.) Since we all worked long hours beyond our day jobs, for no money, we had to at least like each other! Many companies start as a group of friends with a common interest. At some point, if you want to grow, you have to find other people to join you on your noble mission. Backstage ads might work for finding actors, but if you want people to roll up their sleeves to also build your sets, work your box office, AND send a fundraising letter to their aunt in Michigan, it takes a lot of trial and error, and whole lot of clarity.

I've found that the companies that are most successful have a clear mission and values, simplifying that opt-in process for a newbie. Certainly people come and go (with more or less drama, depending on the situation), but you'll know you've been honest from the start. This is what we are, take it or leave it. This was never more important than in the volunteer world of Off Off exhaustion. But in Arts Admin, spending your full time job at a place that doesn't align with your own values can be even more soul sucking than working somewhere corporate where at least (maybe?) you have some financial benefits to outweigh long hours away from the rehearsal room. Call me an idealist, but I hope I'll always work somewhere that does plays I really like to watch.

The lesson of relationships extends beyond the people you are creating work with to the people you are creating work around. Learning from peers is essential, especially if you are starting from a common place of knowing nothing and having an empty bank account. Each year, hundreds of us graduate from college and want to put on a play. I'm sure 99% of our mistakes have already been made, so it's up to you to find the people to warn you or at least commiserate with you. The Community Dish was definitely that haven for me on many occasions. You need that support network to know you aren't alone in having crazy theatre landlords or issues with the Equity Showcase contract or an audience smaller than your cast size. I've found the same with Arts Admin jobs. Search for any professional development opportunity you can that will introduce you to people with similar positions at similar organizations. Use these people to safely vent, ask questions, learn from their successes. Celebrate and support them.

So, readers: What relationships have been valuable to you in your theatre projects and careers?

Curtain

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, John Patrick Bray.

     Hello, all. Thank you for reading my blogs this week. I have had a number of responses on this site and via personal email. It means so much to me that the good folks at IT asked me to participate, and I appreciate your reading my thoughts, rants, and manifestos.  This last blog will be basically a list. I found myself inspired by a previous blog writer (Tim Errickson) who posted a blog titled Mailbag!, which was a series of questions and answers.

First OOB experience:
My play Cookies was produced during The Riant Theatre’s Summer 2002 Strawberry One-Act Festival. I had a few readings between 2000-2001, but this was my first production. I ended up participating with the SOAF a handful of times. On Top was a semi-finalist; A Play About a Guitar (retitled “Resonator Blues”) was also a semi-finalist; Goodnight Lovin’ Trail, my MFA thesis,was a finalist in 2004. So, I owe a debt to The Riant Theatre (Artistic Director Van Dirk Fisher), and director Dennis Wayne Gleason for believing in my work.

Inspiration:
Mostly music. I go to a lot of concerts. In Louisiana, I’ve seen a number of Zydeco bands as well as Taj Mahal, Philip Glass, and Ani Difranco. In NY, I was able to catch David Johansen and the Harry Smiths a few times. I miss The Bottom Line.  My favorite song by DJ is “Heart of Gold” (available on his second post New York Dolls album and his first Buster Poindexter record), not to be confused with Neil Young’s song, which is also excellent. And of course I was also able to catch Tom Waits, The Pixies, David Byrne, Iggy and the Stooges, and Ani Difranco. I guess I’m an audiophile at heart.

Family:
Several people have asked how I balance work and family. I just do. If you want a career in theatre, academics, and academic theatre you need to find a balance. If you have a family on top of that, you just make it all work. It helps to have an awesome wife like Danielle and a great little boy like Danny.

Favorite OOB production:
Really hard to say.  The ones I’ve seen have been wonderful. There were also a handful I missed because I’m down here in Louisiana.  I’m really sorry to have missed As we Speak  and Trickster at the Gate. Tom Berger and Dan Horrigan are both terrific guys, and I feel a pang of guilt whenever I think of how I missed these productions.  I’m also sorry to say I missed a reading of Liner Notes directed by Marc Eardley featuring the excellent Jerry Zellers. The last one I worked on (and I was actually able to see) was Hound with Rachel Klein, and it was really fantastic. I’m looking forward to Liner Notes with the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.

Do’s:
Read. Read plays, read scholarship, just read. And improvise! Life and writing rely heavily on improvisation. Try new things!

Don’t’s:
Don’t ignore critics, neither the ones who love you nor the ones who wish you’d go away. It’s important to be a part of the critic/artist conversation, no matter how painful.

Favorite current scholarship:
The American Play by Marc Robinson.
Postdramatic Theatre by Hans-Thies Lehmann.
Spalding Gray’s America by William Demastes.
Being Given by Jean Luc-Marion
Ethics and Infinity by Emmanuel Levinas

Current favorite plays:
The Sea Farer by Conor Macpherson
The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel
Self Defense or Death of Some Salesmen by Carson Kreitzer
Two Small Bodies by Neal Bell

Other Advice:
Listen to music. Eat bagels. (I was a bagel-baker at the New Paltz Bagel Café in New Paltz, NY for six and a half years. Great place, great people!  There’s a shout out for ya.) Read opinions that you agree with. Read opinions that you don’t agree with. Be responsible for who you are, and take responsibility for what you see, even if you believe it has nothing to do with you.  Oh, and listen to Ani Difranco.

Thanks, all for reading!  Keep believing in independent theatre.  I think we’re a part of a major cultural turn. Check out this article by Stephen Leigh Morris called “Why Theatre Matters.” See? We’re seriously onto something most excellent!

Slainte,
JpB

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Off-Off-Broadway and the American Theatre

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, John Patrick Bray.

    Okay, so in my first blog, I probably sounded really doom-and-gloom. Part of what I wanted to talk about in the first and the second blog was what we can learn from Regional Theatre, and Off-Off-Broadway’s place in American Theatre (and by “American Theatre,” I mean specifically the Theatre of the U.S.).  For me, Off-Off-Broadway IS American theatre.  Now, I’ve been reading a lot about the history of OOB, from Stephen Bottoms’ excellent PLAYING UNDERGROUND, David Crespy’s OFF-OFF BROADWAY EXPLOSION (which focuses primarily on early OOB playwrights), Leslie A. Wade’s SAM SHEPARD AND THE AMERICAN THEATRE,  to essays by Robert Brustein and David Savran.  I have to tell you folks that for many scholars OOB has been more or less written off. Oh, sure there’s THE FEMINIST SPECTATOR AS CRITIC by Jill Dolan, who champions the artists at the WOW Café during the early 1980’s; and there’s David Savran who has written several excellent pieces on the Wooster Group (I am going to keep saying “excellent;” please don’t imagine me using an “academic” voice – whatever that means! Picture instead that I’m channeling my inner Bill S. Preston, Esquire).  But if you read Robert Brustein’s “More Masterpieces,” or even a footnote in Wade’s book on Sam Shepard, there is the sense that outside of a few key companies, OOB imploded sometime during the early 1970’s and was never heard from again. HUH?!?! What happened? Where has the American theatre scholar turned to for inspiration? Are we in the academy just as much to blame for the canonization of commercial theatre as…well, the commercial theatre?!

    As a scholar, it is my hope to continue reinvestigating OOB, especially as it has come to be, for me, the quintessential American Theatre; and as a playwright, it is my hope to continue working OOB for the exact same reason.  Above all, it is my ambition to continue to merge theory and practice as a kind of living testament to my belief in the power of live, independent performance.    

    Off-Off-Broadway is presently at an incredible moment, in which it has the ability to define itself as a community (through the League of Independent Theatre, IT Awards, United Stages playbills, etc.), but without some of the aesthetic totalizing that we see in the commercial theatre model (which is why I went on my “grr-argh!” rant in blog numero uno).  I think about some of the groups that I’ve been involved with – including (re:)Directions Theatre, The Rising Sun Performance Company, At Hand Theatre, and Rachel Klein Productions – and each one has something completely different to offer to the American theatre. Granted, since I’m a playwright, these companies tend to focus on scripts rather than improvisation, dance, or performance art (outside of Klein, who is also a choreographer and a fine example of an American auteur). That they have in common. They also have me in common, for better or worse.  I’ll take just a moment to describe each of these companies, and leave my grandstanding to an academic journal one day down the line.

    The (re:)Directions Theatre Company’s productions include Marlowe’s Edward II, Bordertown, Figaro/Figaro, and Epicene (forthcoming as part of The Anything But Shakespeare Festival, which I believe to be the brainchild of Tom Berger; I may have that wrong).  This brief list highlights the company’s belief in classics and how the works of yesteryear can speak to the present (and of course I wrote an adaptation for them a couple of years back inspired by It Can’t Happen Here).  They have also been participating in the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, a festival now in its second year, dedicated to promoting social awareness by asking each company to dedicate their production in some way to a larger cause (for example, my production in the festival last year had a guest speaker affiliated with RAINN; we also donated part of our proceeds to RAINN). This year, they’re producing my play Liner Notes  - there’s a plug for ya!   

    Speaking of social awareness, the At Hand Theatre Company has a “green” agenda.  Their production of my play Trickster at the Gate (directed by Dan Horrigan) relied on two dancers to represent a storm; props were mimed; and programs were available as a PDF online.  The result was incredibly strong, winning excellent reviews from The Huffington Post and Stage and Cinema. Their focus is entirely on new works, seeking (I believe) to encounter as many emerging/established playwrights as feasible, in the hopes of attracting diverse audiences, and without causing harm to the environment.  That’s one helluva mission statement!  Meanwhile, the work they produce does not follow one aesthetic; that is, despite their green agenda, they are not producing theatre in/as an empty space. Rather, they are able to produce diverse material while following their environmentally sound mission statement.  Somehow, the theatre gods smile on them, as the At Hand has been successful at creating “great reckonings in little rooms” (to borrow the title of Bert States’ book).

    The Rising Sun Performance Company stresses ensemble above individual members, so each produced piece is carefully considered in terms of how it meets the core company’s needs. Whether an original work such as DeCADEnce, their “Aspire to Inspire” series, or productions such as William Kern’s Hellcab, the RSPC seeks to produce work that truly serves the needs of the group, while maintaining a completely non-equity agenda. Akia, a woman of many hats, is at the helm of this group, and her ability to multi-task is astonishing.  The Rising Sun was my introduction to the world of OOB; if you haven’t seen one of their productions or festive cabarets, then now is the time to change that. That little empty space inside you, the one that makes you toss and turn at night and question why your life is lacking some kind of meaning, will be filled.

    Rachel Klein of Rachel Klein Productions is one of the most unique auteurs the OOB stage has to offer. A critic once compared her work to Tim Burton’s.  I completely understand the parallel:  when you watch a piece directed by Klein, you recognize her aesthetic. Each one of her works is, in some ways, haunted by her other works. This is true of Tim Burton, Guy Maddin, and Robert Wilson as well; each is an aesthete. There is absolutely no mistaking their work for anyone else’s, which is what makes their work so special, and in many ways, so hypnotic.  With Klein, though her focus is on a world of the macabre (achieved with music, movement, lighting, and above all, costumes and make-up), she has the ability to match her artistic nuances with each piece she directs, so that it does not obscure the meaning of the playwright’s work.  Speaking from experience, with Klein there is the spirit of director-writer collaboration in which each brings their unique vision to the table, and the marriage of the two is incredibly fruitful.

    There are a number of other companies that I could go on and on about whose work I have some familiarity with: The Vampire Cowboys, whose Beginner’s Guide to Deicide brought a post-modern blend of stage combat, puppetry, stage combat, media, stage combat, and inspired musical numbers (and did I mention stage combat?!); The Rabbit Hole Ensemble, a Brooklyn-based company which has produced a number of re-imaginings of classics, including Neal Bell’s Shadow of Himself (based on the oldest extant written work  – Gilgamesh), and a post-9/11/ post-Katrina  Candide; there really are too many companies to list here! 

    What I am suggesting, with these first two blogs, is that Off-Off-Broadway *is* American Theatre: a mix of singular people escaping totalizing definitions outside of the basics of location and theatre size, who still have the ability to work within the structure of a community.  As we continue to build our community through the IT, United Stages, the League of Independent Theatre, etc., it is my hope that we keep these differences, and resist the temptation to move towards a commercial aesthetic.  My wife told me of a museum educator who said to her that America is not a melting pot, it’s a salad bowl. We’re all mixed together, but we’re not blending; each distinct flavor contributes to a new whole. If you want to be a radish, be a radish!  In the world of OOB, you’ll fit right in. And isn’t that most excellent?

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The Other Liaison Hat

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Johnny Blaze Leavitt.

For my last guest-blog, I want to mention the OTHER liaison hat.  Yesterday I was talking about groups and organizations to help you with your productions.  The OTHER liaison hat is the one you wear when you are helping other production companies with their projects.

I know how all-consuming our own projects can be.  But don’t forget to look up and see what else is going on.  No, not to “see what the competition is up to” but to see what your peers are working on.  I LOVE going to shows and seeing other companies being thanked in the program!  “Mask & Daggar would like the thank Laff Snax productions for the use of their wheelchair,” etc.  NICE! 

It’s not just about filling seats and swelling coffers to make the next project bigger and better.  It’s also about forging strong ties and building a stronger OOB community.  Especially in these difficult economic times.  Let’s face it, cats and kittens, we all have the same goal: to produce the best shows we can.

Anyone want to share a story about one group helped out another?  C’mon!  It’s almost Mother’s Day!  Make her proud by showing her how you learned to share :) 

… ok, I was reaching a little with that last one.

How about this parting thought?

In the war to save the arts, we support the troupes!

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Mailbag!

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Tim Errickson.


These are honest to goodness real questions from absolutely fake readers…

Q: Tim, love the blog posts this week! What do you think about ART/NY winning a Tony Award?
-Michele from Boston, MA

A: Great question to lead off the mailbag Michele! I think that ART/NY is a terrifically deserving organization, and any support and recognition they get is fantastic. I did wonder, however, how much they support BROADWAY theatre, which is what the Tony Awards cover. ART/NY membership criteria start with being a non-profit or seeking to be a non-profit, so most Commercial/Tourist theatre shows don’t qualify. Maybe a more accurate accolade (2nd only to their Stewardship Award from the IT Awards a few years back) would be an OBIE or The Mayor’s Awards for Arts and Culture. But ART/NY will get major pub for this, and Ginny Louloudes and her staff are bouncing back nicely from both major personnel changes and the shitastic economy. Hope we get to see Ginny on TV accepting the award shortly.

Q: Tim, what are you working on lately, besides blog posts?
-Kyle from Durham, NC

A: Right now, Kyle, my nights have been filled with rehearsals for The Desk Set with Retro Productions. It’s been going really well, and you should totally check it out when you finish celebrating Duke’s National Championship. The show has laughs, heart, a gorgeous cast, fun music, and a dance party in the middle. I shit you not. You can get tickets here.

Q: Hey man, what upcoming shows are you really excited to see?
-Jessica from Hell’s Kitchen, NYC

A: Well, I’m finally seeing God of Carnage in a few weeks, so I’m psyched about that (my love for Janet McTeer is strong and true, people). Other exciting nights in the theatre coming up include Jacob's House for Flux, The Little One with Nosedive Productions, and Song For A Future Generation by The Management Company. Rehearsal for The Desk Set (have you bought your tickets yet? C’mon!) will keep me from seeing Crystal Skillman’s The Vigil something that Impetuous Theatre Group is doing at the Brick, so I’m actually bummed about that. Ah well, next time.

Q: Dude! Ok, so…imaginary dinner party. Like that old Jon Favreau show Dinner for 5. Who you inviting?
-Victor from San Antonio, TX

A: Well Victor, I’ll tell ya…that’s a tough one. My gut instinct Chekhov (the writer, not the driver of the Enterprise, nerds), Joe Papp, Ethan Hawke, and Salma Hayek, with Sam Shepard on speed dial in case anyone gets a flat tire coming over. Keep the vodka flowing so that Anton doesn’t get too maudlin (“No more ‘we will work’ shit, Anton…tell us The Bear again”). Salma and Ethan are hitting it off and getting cozy, so I break those two up by asking Salma about a “Frida” sequel, which brings out her fiery temper. She curses me in Spanish, while Ethan smokes and asks Joe if he will finance ‘Before Moonlight’, this new thing he’s working on with Julie Delpy and Rich Linklater about two vampires who get stuck on a train to Vienna…Joe gets pissed at Ethan, who won’t stop talking business. So Joe decides to give Ethan the big fuck you by asking how Uma’s doing…Ethan downs three shots of jack, drops his phone number on Salma, and storms out. Salma, still cursing me in Spanish and thinking that calling Ethan is too much like dating Ed Norton again, gives me the finger and heads out. Joe is now sick of Anton drunkenly trying to remember the plot of The Proposal, which in his slurred speech is beginning to sound a lot like the plot from ‘Runaway Bride’ (note to self, next time invite Garry Marshall). Joe steals the last drops of vodka from Anton, and heads for the door, just as Anton passed out in mid anti-theatrical rant (“We need new forrmmsssss….zzzz”) as the check arrives. Fuck. Maybe next time, don’t go with the gut instinct. And invite Garry Marshall.

Q: Look, you seem to know a lot of stuff…what can we do about all these theatres disappearing? Pretty soon, we’ll have to do shows in parks in the afterno…whoops.
-Steven from Richland, NJ

A: Watch it there, fucker. But you are right; theatres are still disappearing at an alarming rate. David Pincus of The Workshop Theatre, along with ART/NY, the League of Independent Theatre and the IT Awards are working hard with elected officials to pass the tax incentive plan for landlords to rent to arts organizations, and let’s hope that has the desired effect. In the meantime, the community needs to seek out landlord of unused commercial real estate, churches, community centers, anywhere we can and start trying to bring back some of the spaces we lost. And EVERYBODY should get to The Community Forum on the Ohio Theatre on Monday for this.

Q: Tim, I think you are super cute. I am an actress, and I know you have auditions coming up for Boomerang’s season. What audition pieces should I avoid when going into an EPA?
-Jean-Marie from Rehoboth Beach, DE

A: J-M, no more Nina’s from The Seagull, no more Julia’s from Two Gents. Ever.

Q: Random question dude…what classic TV theme song best reps the OOB scene? My buddy in his more lucid moments thinks it’s The Facts of Life Theme (“You take the good, you take the bad…”), but I think he’s smoking crack. I can’t have Mrs. Garrett and Tootie as my personal theme song. Need your help, pal.
-Malcolm from Ghent, NY

A: I love me some Jo, and I’ll make Blair into a very bad girl…but The Facts of Life Theme doesn’t hold a candle to The Laverne and Shirley theme (aka We’re Going to Make our Dreams Come True)…Lyrics like “straight ahead and on the track now… there’s nothing we won’t try, never heard the word impossible”...it’s the equivalent of “Man in Motion” from ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’. Don’t believe me, look it up.

Q: On a scale of 1 to Christina Hendricks nude scene, how would you project the progress of the Indie Theatre scene in the next 5 years?
-CJ from Austin, TX

A: I feel optimistic about things, actually CJ. I’m looking forward to the new space that ART/NY will open in the 50s on the Westside, and the new ticketing/social media application that they’re developing with Theatermania.com (Somebody give ART/NY a Tony Award already!); I think the League of Independent Theatre will more fully establish themselves and work some of the kinks out; I think you will begin to see more recognition of productions in OOB, including OBIE, Drama Desk, and GLAAD nominations; I think you will see more prolific publishing of Indie Theatre scripts as a way of both preserving the work and distributing it for other productions; and I think you will see a major book published chronicling the experience, struggle and joy of working in Indie Theatre. So on a scale of 1 to Christina Hendricks nude scene, I would rate that a solid 8.

Alright, time for one last letter…

Q: Dear Tim, I am a Nigerian business man who needs to send $5m dollars to the US and can pay you a percentage…

A: Damn.

Thanks for a fun week everybody, and for the IT Awards for asking me to do this! See you around.

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Size, level, and the meaning of life.

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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Tim Errickson.

Some people have heard me bitch about this issue before, so I apologize in advance. Treat this like a spoiler alert…Stop reading here if you don’t want to hear the screed.

My biggest pet peeve about how OOB defines itself is not the idea of Off-Off-Broadway vs. Indie Theatre (both are acceptable to me) but rather when people say “theatre at this level”. What level are you talking about? And what are you measuring and comparing? Talent level? Entertainment factor? Level of thoughts provoked? All bullshit.

What really defines the OOB/Indie companies (see how I did that) is size. We work in 99 seat and under houses. That’s it. So let’s retire the phrase “theatre at this level”. It imparts the inferiority that Kirk Bromley was originally talking about with the Off-Off tag. We are “theatre of this size”, and a lot of that is by choice. Think about it…if you had more money, would you do your show in a larger house (off-bway 400 seater for example), OR pay everybody (including yourself), buy some advertising and more perfs and keep your show in a 99 seater? I would absolutely go for the latter, because the theatre I make is 99 seat, intimate type stuff. You wouldn’t fuck that up just so you could call yourself something else, right?

But the “level” issue again makes the work we do seem like the minor leagues or like student productions not worthy of the public and the critical community’s attention. Commercial theatre/tourist theatre is a totally different fucking animal. Are they shooting for the same demographic? No. Are they spending the same amount of money? No. Are they even using the same methods? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I’ve almost just convinced myself that Indie theatre is a better way to go, just so as to acknowledge that Commercial/Tourist Theatre is different than what we do.

And sorry if you thought I knew the meaning of life…you must be new here.


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Cabaretion! A benefit for the Innovative Theatre Foundation hosted by Jackie Hoffman

We're thrilled to announce the host and performers for our first-ever benefit for the Innovative Theatre Foundation! Invite is below; check www.nyitawards.com as more performers and special guest are announced!

Hope to see you all there!

Cabaretion! \ˌka-bə-ˈrā- shən !\ , noun - The fusion of contribution, performance, and celebration of the Off-Off Broadway community presented by your host, The Innovative Theatre Foundation.

Please join us on MONDAY, MAY 17, 2010 from 6 - 9 pm for an evening of celebration and performance to benefit The Innovative Theatre Foundation! Hosted by Broadway star and comedienne Jackie Hoffman, Cabaretion! brings together an amazing roster of performers to honor the organization that celebrates and advocates on behalf of Off-Off Broadway.

The evening features performances by the sensational Taylor Mac, roguishly delightful magician Jeff Grow, singer/songwriter Justin Utley, the mischievously clever band The Reynaldo The Ensemble, and many more...

Plus! The presentation of the first ever Innovative Theatre Luminary Award to a very exciting special guest and, as always, fantastic raffle items.

Drink, laugh and enjoy!
In addition to the show, your $45 ticket includes:
1 hour of passed hors d'oeuvres
3 hours of open beer & wine bar
and one hell of a fantastic evening.

Monday, May 17, 2010
6 pm - 9 pm

Carolines on Broadway
America's premier comedy nightclub
1626 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
www.carolines.com

TICKETS ON SALE NOW
BOX OFFICE: 212-757-4100

Maintaining ensembles

Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Brad Burgess.

Yesterday, Judith was talking to John Strasberg in her apartment about the highest artistic aim of maintaining an ensemble. I’m glad I did not write the blog yesterday, even though it was completely unintentional. Sometimes things just workout I guess. It ain’t called The Living Theatre for nothing! haha, Come on down to Clinton Street if you haven’t, this place is out of this world let me tell you. Never know what you are going to find.

Anywho, this blog is gladly stealing from those two technique tycoons and their minds who have been developing ensembles with their legacies for well over 100 years combined. Holy moly is right.

A true ensemble has one essential quality that cannot be taught or come from natural talent: they know each other. Being on stage with Judith during The Connection, we had a whole personal relationship to draw on. She’s my roommate, she’s my mentor, she’s one of my best friends. We share almost everyday with one another.

Tom Walker, is a company member of ours who has performed in 39 seasons with The Living Theatre. To put that into perspective, Mickey Mantle played 16 seasons for The New York Yankees. Judith and Tom have been on stage with each other for almost 40 years.

These examples are just a couple of dozens and dozens of similar stories. The profound effect these real relationships have on our ability to make our art together, is very present for us. It’s what makes being a pacifist anarchist political theatre group even possible.

Our art can’t help but manifest itself from these experiences. Our thoughts and feelings as people are developed this way. It makes sense then that our ability to relay translations of reality from the writer/director/actor/thinker as artists and produce something that has a connection to reality that is clear to the audience.

One balance we have is the problem of not being involved enough with our audience, as strange as it sounds. We are such a culture unto ourselves, that we need to be careful to keep our every day reality a part of the culture we are living in. We are very fortunate to be a part of the academic culture, so that much of our audience, theatre students and professionals especially, know something coming into the show about what to expect. Well, in our case I suppose its more of what not to expect.

When I see the experienced ensemble here working together, the company members who have been doing it for 10, 20, 30, 40 or in Judith’s case 65 years, I feel connected to the development of the culture. I see an ability for compromise, an ability to find a common ground, an ability to move forward in the midst of crisis.

I think we are able to accomplish this because we are really able to be who we are to one another. It’s part of the vibe and message from the moment you arrive here, from Judith to the babies that are born into the company. It’s a real family, in all the wonderful clichéd sense of it.

This adds a reality to the work for me personally that I have not been able to find or see in many places other than the theatre community at large. I think the connection we have to each other here at The Living Theatre, but also industry wide helps us communicate and relate to people who love their friends and families. That’s most people in the world.

It’s certainly not always perfect as again is the norm, but I feel theatre and its ensemble nature can be a real example for societal structuring. People should be working together with people they love on something they care about that says what they believe, in their deepest, and most elevated selves. Hopefully our work as an artistic community is doing so. I believe it is in this city.

Happy World Theatre Day!

BB