web suggestions

Website everyone should know about: Doodle! The website with the funny name that offers the EASIEST way to get a scheduling consensus from a group of people...if anyone has other suggestions, let me know...

AND a blog you REALLY should be reading: The Mission Paradox Blog. I would point out some favorite highlights from the last month, but they've all been so good! Just...read it. LISTEN to it.

Good news!

After the not-so good news our latest study found and being in the middle of an economic crisis and all, I thought we could use some good news...The IT Awards staff got this last night right before our staff meeting from John Chatterton: After announcing staff changes, he stated:

"There is no longer any need to pay membership dues. We shall give priority to reviewing shows by our members until the expiration dates of their memberships. During the next year we will switch over to a system in which the reviewers will review shows that interest them, culled from the listings on TheaterOnline. Shows not listed on TheaterOnline will not
be reviewed, and the only way to get a listing on TheaterOnline is to
post it yourself with the online tools provided on the Web site. I
shall assign actual stories and maintain editorial standards. Reviews will continue to be limited
to Off-Off-Broadway shows only, meaning Equity showcases in New York
City or non-union productions of equivalent resources and scope."

Well done, OOBR!

Hey all I’m blogging. We never hear from Jason you say. Well soak it up, as I am self-confessed Bad Blogger. However I recently read the below posting and thought it was really great and worth passing along. At times I think it can be very worthwhile for us to look beyond our immediate work and reexamine why and how we are doing what we do and if perhaps we can do it better. Hope this inspires.

All the best for a Happy Holliday,

J

Jerry Yoshitomi shared this article from the November 3rd Grantmakers in the Arts Reader. The article was published prior to knowing the outcomes of the Nov 4th US elections.

The Obama Zeitgeist: Six Lessons for the Cultural Sector

1. People want to be inspired.

2. Link to a higher purpose, and herald the future.

3. The improbable is possible - with the right strategy.

4. Participation is our most important renewable resource.

5. Entitlement is dead.

6. Respect and empower the young.

No matter your political persuasion, your age, background or place of residence, your professional role or disciplinary affiliation, if you work in the nonprofit cultural sector, Barack Obama's presidential campaign holds lessons for you. The campaign marks a watershed in popular consciousness, and we will all do well to adapt - or evolve - accordingly.

Some things to ponder:

1. People want to be inspired.

Poetry counts. Language and lyricism count. Our most noble national achievements, our triumphs over prejudice and adversity, "the angels of our better natures" - they all really matter. People long for inspiration, particularly in times of significant change and uncertainty. Obama's eloquence about the power of hope and his pitch-perfect invocations of the great milestones in our collective American story have inspired millions of people to think bigger, act better, be bolder, and engage with others in new ways, and to believe in the possibility of meaningful change. We in the cultural sector will do well to remember our responsibility – and our opportunity - to inspire people's imaginations.

2. Link to a higher purpose, and herald the future.

Throughout his campaign, Obama has never missed the chance to link his campaign to a larger cause, a great public cause, the cause of a better United States, a more perfect union. Far more than other candidates, and with greater authenticity, Obama has connected his campaign to the ennobling purpose of refreshing our spirit, elevating our discourse, improving our image at home and abroad, and getting everyone focused on a common horizon: a better future for all people.

How many of us in the cultural sector authentically tie our work to the higher cause of progressive social change and a better future for people of all kinds? Might we fare better if we did so?

3. The improbable is possible - with the right strategy.

There are lots of reasons why Obama won the primary race, but high on the list is that he had the right strategy - a community organizing strategy.

Obama himself possesses the classic virtues of the community organizer: imagination; a sense of humor; a vision of a better world; an organized personality; a strong ego and sense of self; a free, open mind; and an ability to create the new out of the old (per Saul Alinsky, 1971).

And his team applied classic organizing principles in the primary campaign - starting with strategic mobilization at the neighborhood level to achieve early, assumption-altering wins. They then replicated that locally-based mobilization strategy in every contested state, fueling field workers with clear articulations of the challenge and the stakes, genuine rapport with audiences, effective communication of simple things that people could do to contribute to the cause, and continuous encouragement and appreciation of his supporters.

What would the audiences and funding base of cultural organizations look like if we approached our work with a community organizer's values?

4. Participation is our most important renewable resource.

Over 1.7 million contributors, most of them repeat donors and more than 2 million donations under $200. This sums it up. The structure of Obama's campaign has made it easy for people to contribute, made every contributor feel a valued stakeholder, and enabled his followers to get more and more deeply involved as the campaign evolved. Technology - developing that electronic social network - has been essential to his strategy. But as important have been the messages conveyed through the technology. Obama's regular email blasts give people a daily connection to the campaign and the greater cause of change, make them understand what their contributions of time and money will buy, and convey both Obama's long view and his real excitement about victories along the way.

Recent studies (such as Steven Tepper's, *Engaging Art*) suggest that cultural participation correlates with political and religious participation and that in the arts, "doing it myself" may be an important precursor to "appreciating the way the professionals do it," especially for younger people. Is there an opportunity for cultural organizations in this upsurge of new political participation? If creating catalytic participation was the primary goal of cultural organizations, how would that change our programming, fundraising, and live and electronic communications? Would it change the outcomes for both our audiences and our institutions?

5. Entitlement is dead.

In the marketplace of ideas, any whiff of entitlement is a turn-off, especially to young people. The sense of entitlement that Hillary Clinton exuded from the start of the race set her up for the fall. Technology is key to this attitudinal shift, it's the axe that levels all hierarchies.

People's increasing ability to receive and distribute information on the web diminishes the entitled class's power over ideas and cultural norms, and explodes the notion that any person or institution is sacrosanct. When people in their twenties can become millionaires (read YouTube, FaceBook, Google, and other fabulously successful Internet businesses) or challenge the nature of public school teaching and nonprofit practice (read Teach for America and Craigslist Foundation), the expectation that "the younger generation" should respectfully apprentice to their experienced, entitled elders becomes ridiculous.

In the twenty-first century, every enterprise - including the cultural enterprise - must make its case on the merits of relevance, utility, and responsive service. How many cultural institutions, consciously or unconsciously, convey a sense of privilege and entitlement that turns people away?

6. Respect and empower the young.

Obama's campaign has given unprecedented power to young people, uniquely melding the skills and experience of more seasoned political strategists (e.g., campaign consultants Axelrod and Plouffe) with the imagination and wit of much younger people. Obama's major speechwriter, webmasters and key field organizers are in their twenties! Obama has valued and maximized these people's skill sets, which include great fluency with technology and deep understanding of what motivates their cultural cohort. This generation takes technology for granted, and Obama's campaign has used the Internet with unprecedented success to get out the vote and the donations. This generation also takes diversity for granted. Twenty percent of the people under twenty-five in this country are bi-racial. Obama's field staff may be the most diverse in history. These people see themselves - and the future of our country - in Obama.

About how many cultural organizations would these people say the same? Barack Obama may or may not become president. And running any kind of political campaign, which has a finite timeframe, is different from managing an ongoing organization. But the ideas and values embedded in Obama's campaign have influenced and will continue to influence the consciousness of our larger society. It's obvious that he has set new standards for political campaigns, but he's also set new standards for performance for commercial and nonprofit enterprises. The smartest among us will take heed.

Published in Grantmakers in the Arts Reader, Fall, 2008

The more things change…

It is Finals week here in the Big Apple. This may not mean much for those of you already embarked on the real, grown-up world of work, but I’m hip deep in over-caffeinated summary and analysis.

As a break from the monotonous hum of my laptop’s internal fan, I attended NYU’s Wagner Alumni Association Annual Holiday Fundraiser. The WAA was screening “HAIR: Let the Sun Shine In”, a documentary about the making of the 40-year-old hippy musical, its cultural impact, and current revival. It was a treat to hear IT Awards presenter Ben Vereen and Honorary Award recipient Tom O’Horgan reminisce about the show.

I’ve heard it said that once you work on a show you either A) get sick of it and never want to hear another measure or B) fall in love with it and carry it with you always. Full disclosure: I stage managed a production of HAIR 8 years ago, and began singing along in my head all over again. The music and lyrics move me every time.

That said - the documentary is far from perfect. Milos Forman, Keith Carradine, Tim Curry, Melba Moore, and Michael Butler talk about their HAIR experiences. The interviews - both archival and new - are completely charming, but are presented without fact-checking. The “political analysis” and “current events parallels” are dubious and have all been said before. And Indie to my core I looked around the audience thinking, “Well, if you folks like radical theater so much, there is plenty of great new work that could use your patronage!”

“HAIR: Let the Sun Shine In” is worth a peek via Netflix one night. Keep making inspiring outsider art, kids, and maybe you, too, will be on French public television in 40 years. Stay warm and have a happy, healthy holiday season.

Peace,
Hillary

NYIT Awards UPDATE: showcase code & Spaces Report published

Our update went out this morning: sign up for it here if you're not on our list. Some highlights:
NYIT Awards present study findings to NYC's joint Theatre Task force

"A joint Theatre Task Force meeting with Community Boards 3, 4 & 5 was held on October 29th to discuss the role the cultural sector plays in the city and way in which it can expand. According to Paul Nagel, Arts and Culture Liaison for the New York City Council, 'arts and culture have a central role in business, education, community, and government, yet cultural policy in the United States has not moved beyond a 1970s model of allocating and distributing grants to not-for-profit organizations.'

At this meeting, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation presented the findings from a 5-year study, "Report of Off-Off-Broadway Performance Venues," which analyzed data from September 2004 through the present."

Highlights of the report:

• Over 25% of OOB venues in both the West Village and Midtown area have either been demolished or re-purposed into non-performance spaces in the last 5 years
• 43% of all OOB venues are located in the West Side Midtown area of Manhattan
• There has been a sharp decline in the number of OOB productions presenting work in the Theatre District
• The East Village, which only accounts for 14% of the overall OOB venues, is currently presenting 30% of the OOB productions

Read the rest of Doug Strassler's story on our Space report & the Theatre Task force...

and Matt Freeman reported on the AEA Showcase updates:

"Short version: if we want to change the Showcase Code, we need members of the union to speak on their own behalf to the union, and ask for changes in the code that will allow smaller theaters to grow and provide better opportunities for actors. Playwrights, producers and directors may have opinions, but only the voices of actors will make this change happen."

Read his full story...

A big thank you to Doug, Matt, Emily and all of our contributors.

Good news: OOB publishing events!

Spreading the good news! Indie playwrights get their due in November reading & book signing events.

United Stages celebrates their newest play titles November 23rd 2008, 3-5 pm at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle NYC with original cast readings of plays from today’s hottest Indie/Off-Off playwrights. Book signing will follow the performances.

United Stages book titles will be available on their web bookstore at the beginning of 2009.

Sunday, November 23, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Barnes and Noble, Lincoln Triangle
1972 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, 212-595-6859

THE TITLES:
Hey You Monster, part one, Derek Ahonen, paperback, $11.50
Hey You Monster, part two, Derek Ahonen, paperback, $11.50
Sisters Dance, Sarah Hollister, paperback, $11.50
En Avant Playwrights, The best of, (var. authors*) paperback, $11.50
Eatfest, The Best of, Volume one, (var. authors+) paperback, $11.50
Eatfest, The Best of, Volume three, (var. authors+) paperback, $11.50
Eatfest, The Best of, Volume four, (var. authors+) paperback, $11.50

*Best of En Avant Playwrights: Ed Valentine’s Women Behind the Bush, Maz Troppe’s How Mona Lisa Got Her Smile, Chance Muehleck’s Tagging April, David Marrero’s Incident Near Chaco, Tom Dillehay’s Blue Grass, Dan Shore’s Travel, and Kathleen Warnock’s Not at Home.

+ Best of EATfest 1,3 &4 (3 volumes): Mark Lambeck’s Lucky Day, Bekah Brunstetter’s Mom, Stoned, Joe Godfrey’s Clapp Trapp, F.J.Hartland’s Postcards from a Dead Dog, Frank Higgin’s The Questioning, Greg Kalleres’ Forgetting to Remember and Help Thyself, Karen Schiff’s Recoil, Aoise Stratford’s Our Lady of the Sea, Kathleen Warnock’s Some are People and Chris Widney’s One of the Great Ones.

United Stages publishes original scripts from today’s Off-Off-Broadway/Indie theater scene. US scripts are a smart resource for theater companies looking to present the vanguard of plays and playwrights. For actors they offer fresh material that casting agents and teachers haven’t seen time and again. Our play catalog celebrates the unfolding of NY theater history from Caffe Cino legends to emerging indie stars.

AND the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of NYTE’s Plays and Playwrights continues with a free staged reading of Daniel Reitz's Fall Forward.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 @ 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Metropolitan Playhouse, 220 East 4th Street, New York, NY

You can check out all of the Plays & Playwrights details at NYTE Small Press & Check out the Facebook invite for this event.