Sunday, June 24, 2012

2012 new leaders of color

Brilliant session in 2012 Young Leaders of Color post TCG Conference gathering. This electronic space is about to experience a resurgence of activity. We're allowing this to be a place that is grown organically where we'll share our stories, our resources, and hopefully be a platform for exchange and growth in our industry. Claudia Alick Associate Producer, community

Accepting frequent flyer miles and hotel points

Some of our donors were interested in donating their frequent flyer miles and hotel points, but I don’t know how to start that process.


Does anyone have experience with this? I’d appreciate any nudge in the right direction.


Oanh

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Opened Hair at the Chance!

Opened HAIR last weekend to standing ovations! If you're in the neighborhood over the next 5 weeks or so, let me know and I'll get you some young tickets of color.

Miss you guys,
Oanh


More info at www.chancetheater.com
More pictures at the HAIR Gallery.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The Kirkland Performance Center (KPC) invites applications for the position of Executive Director

The Kirkland Performance Center (KPC) invites applications for the position of Executive Director

Organization Description:
The Kirkland Performance Center provides cultural enrichment by offering a home for the presentation, support and promotion of the performing arts. KPC is a non-profit presenting organization with 402 seat venue and an operating budget of 1.4 million, located on the Eastside of Lake Washington, 10 miles from downtown Seattle.

Job Summary:
The Executive Director will serve as primary leader and the internal manager for the Kirkland Performance Center. Overseeing all aspects of the KPC operations, the Executive Director will be responsible for artist selection and booking, fundraising, financial oversight, Board communications, marketing, and public relations. Working closely with the Board, the Executive Director develops and executes both annual and longer-term policy and strategic planning. As the primary external spokesperson, the Executive Director will also be responsible for representing KPC with donors, patrons, government officials, and other arts organizations.

The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring the organization is effectively structured and staffed with high quality, competent, team-oriented employees. Ensuring that there is an atmosphere that promotes the Center’s philosophy and core values, the Executive Director supervises staff members and volunteers to promote and support performance.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:
· Develop programming and select, book, and negotiate fees of performers in alignment with KPC’s vision and strategic plan
· Oversee and actively pursue fundraising, including major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation giving, and special events
· Develop, track, and implement annual budget
· Manage KPC staff and volunteers to efficiently and effectively conduct KPC operational activities, with regular performance reviews for direct reports
· Provide direction and leadership in working with the Board on the continued development of KPC’s strategic plan
· Build and oversee relationships with subscribers, donors, and Board members
· Work with staff to produce and manage effective marketing strategies and oversee written publications (e.g., season programs and brochures, play bills, and print advertising campaigns)
· Participate in recruitment of new Board members and on-going board education
· Develop and maintain strong relations with community leaders and organizations to publicize KPC and its events

Candidate Profile:
The successful candidate will be a proven leader who combines a thorough knowledge of the performing arts with a strong record of success in programming, presenting, audience development, and fundraising. He/She will have a broad and compelling vision for the role of the performing arts and presenters of performing arts in a community setting. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal, communication, supervisory and financial management skills. He or She will be able to maintain a rigorous schedule that includes evening and weekend performances, events, and meetings. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 5 years experience as a chief executive or senior manager in a non-profit or presenting arts organization. A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required.
Compensation:
KPC offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Salary will be commensurate with relevant experience.

Applications:
Please send resumes by February 15, 2009, to: edsearch@kpcenter.org. No phone calls, please. For more information, go to: http://www.kpcenter.org/. References and a writing sample will be requested during the interview process. The position will remain open until filled. KPC is an equal opportunity employer.

Monday, January 5, 2009

What do you think we should do?

http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-12-31/culture/the-recession-is-hurting-a-c-t-and-others/2

I keep getting emails and facebook announcements and myspace posts all saying the same thing “ ________Theater needs __thousand dollars in the next ___days or they will have to close their doors for good”. Economically the country is in turmoil. What do you young leaders think next steps are for us as a theater community?

Friday, October 24, 2008

FRIENDS by Kobo Abe!

Brava Theater Center inaugurates its Second Stage! FRIENDS by Kobo Abe is the first play in its new Shout Out Loud series.


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b195/anthemsalgado/IMG_8523_1.jpg
Pictured: Anthem Salgado as the Man, the surprise target of a bizarre family's affection.
Photo: Nate Keck.



Brava Theater
Preview: November 5, 2008
Run: November 6-21, 2008
2781 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Tickets: $10-$35, 415-641-7657
http://brava.org

Individualism and privacy versus collectivism and shared living. FRIENDS is the story of a man whose home is invaded by a family of strangers who insist on saving him from loneliness. "We are here to help," the family declares, beginning the journey into this dark comedy written by Kobo Abe (1967). This adaptation of FRIENDS is directed by Brava Theater Center's new Artistic Director, Raelle Myrick-Hodges.

The cast includes: Alanna Coby, Anthem Salgado, Brant Rotnem, Cec Levinson, Cynthia Brinkman, Daegan Palermo, Garth Petal, Gilberto Esqueda, Heidi Wolff, Jayne Deely, Khamara Pettus, Laurie Smith, and Liz Anderson.

ABOUT KOBO ABE: Kobo Abe is a Tokyo-born Japanese writer. Although Abe trained as a doctor, he never practiced medicine. Poet, novelist, and dramatist, Abe's surreal and often nightmarish explorations of the individual in contemporary society earned him comparisons to Kafka and his influence extended well beyond Japan, particularly with the success of Woman in the Dunes at the Cannes Film Festival. His play Friends won the Tanizaki Prize, one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards.

ABOUT RAELLE MYRICK-HODGES: Raelle has worked with such notables as director George C. Wolfe, and actors Meryl Streep and Mos Def among many others. She attended the Ealing College of Humanities in London and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Raelle produced plays and a series of political satire vignettes in San Francisco, and co-founded Azuka Theater in Philidelphia. Raelle was awarded a two-year grant, the NEA/TCG Career Development Award for Directing. As an Independence Foundation Awardee, she developed a new work, “An Artist’s Workshop.” She was (with creator Alden Moore) nominated for "Outstanding New Play” for this piece. Raelle has also directed the works of Naomi Iizuka (Polaroid Stories) and Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog; In the Blood).

ABOUT ANTHEM SALGADO: Anthem Salgado is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator. He has performed his original solo-theater creations on the stages of Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Intersection for the Arts. Salgado has presented his spoken word throughout the Bay Area, New York, Honolulu, and Manila. As a literary artist, his fiction appears in the anthology, Field of Mirrors, and in the book, I Saw My Ex at a Party. He is a resident teaching artist for Brava Theater and also serves as a board member to Mind Power Collective, a network of educators focusing on social justice and youth empowerment. Salgado was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to attend Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines to expand on his skills as a teacher. Anthem Salgado was elected Young Leader for his work as an artist and active community member by national organization for American theatre, Theatre Communications Group.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Job opportunities from Casey Baltes

Hello all,
A few more opportunities for you ...

1.The School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University is currently searching for a new faculty member for the position of Head of Acting. I wanted to let you know about this exciting leadership position in hopes that you will post this job announcement. We are looking for a solid educator who has experience in theatre as well as television and film.
The School of Theatre, Television, and Film (TTF) was established to create a community of artists in related fields and to build a cross-disciplinary curriculum for students. The primary goal of TTF is to provide superior undergraduate and graduate educations for a diverse body of students seeking careers in all areas of live theatre and the moving image arts.The Theatre program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree. On the graduate level, the Theatre program offers the Master of Arts degree as well as the Master of Fine Arts degrees in Musical Theatre and Design and Technical Theatre. The Television and Film program offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Television, Film, and Digital Media Production. On the graduate level, a Master of Arts degree in TFM is currently offered and an MFA is anticipated in the near future.The School seeks to strengthen the relationship between the disciplines of the moving image arts and live theatre through faculty whose specialties allow them to move easily between both areas of the School and a curriculum that is steadily increasing the number of interdisciplinary courses.More details about the position are available at http://theatre.sdsu.edu/

2. THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (www.tcg.org), the national organization for the American not-for-profit theatre is searching for an ASSOCIATE in ARTISTIC PROGRAMS. The position is available immediately. Artistic Programs is responsible for administering TCG’s grant programs which award approximately $3 million annually, as well as artist related convenings, forums and special projects.The Associate will work closely with the Director to administer the MetLife/TCG A-ha! Program: Think It, Do It, a new grant program encouraging theatres to find creative solutions to current challenges. Candidates must be interested in researching/documenting innovations, technology and trends that will impact the theatre field. The Associate will also administer the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship Program and maintain updates on grant website pages.Responsibilities include coordinating the application process; selection and panel review; reporting; and recipient convenings. Candidates should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, familiarity with MicroEdge GIFTS, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Contribute or Dreamweaver, a plus. Ability to multi-task, work independently and collaboratively, and attention to detail are essential. Position is full-time with benefits package.

Submit cover letter, resume and salary requirements by email, fax or mail to Casey Baltes, Assistant Director, Artistic Programs, Theatre Communications Group, 520 Eighth Ave., 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-41156, fax 212-609-5901, cbaltes @ tcg. org. No phone calls please. EOE.

Friday, August 15, 2008

A Bio, An Artist's Statement, Good News and a Reminder

Hello everyone! I finally figured out how to use the blog. I really love having this tool to keep up with everyone. I wanted to let you all in on a bit of good news for me...I have been promoted to the postion of Associate Director at Young Playwrights' Theater in Washingotn, DC! Here is my Artist Statement and Bio:

Patrick Torres
Patrick is a director and educator working in Washington, D.C. He is the Associate Director of Young Playwrights’ Theater and his local directing credits include Anima (Mead Theatre Lab); Soft Cover Hard Core (John F. Kennedy Center); Much Ado about Nothing (Vpstart Crow); and The Tale of Jumping Mouse (Round House Theatre). He was awarded a Drama League Directing Fellowship in 2003 and was selected as an SSDC Foundation Observer to assist in rehearsals of The Glass Menagerie at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Patrick has an MFA in Directing from University of Southern Mississippi.

Theatre Statement

I create and promote theatre that directly addresses specific communities by building a forum where people come to be challenged, inspired and enter into a conversation with their neighbors. I believe this requires a deep personal investment to discover the theatrical experiences (be they traditional plays, innovative new works or bold explorations of theatrical form) that will make the theatre vital to the lives of those it serves. I am driven by the ways that a diversity of voices contributing to the art of theatre can awaken understanding in a community.

Also, I found this on line and I have been watching it to remind myself that all of the rigorous preparation I have been doing to guide the creation of over 500 new student plays this semester can have a strong impact on the world. I hope you find it re-inspiring as well!

http://www.tcg.org/events/conference/2008/kwei-armah_transcript.cfm

Friday, August 8, 2008

National Diversity in the Arts Information Bank

An online resource for employers and practitioners to explore diversity in the arts

This idea was inspired at NPAC/TCG Conference Denver 2008. I've been spit-balling with many colleagues, most of all, Kimiko Shimoda who runs our FAIR program. I'd love to get your feedback. Do we need something like this? How could this model be improved? What's missing? What's great about this model? Personal thought and observations are vital at this stage. Thanks for your help!!!


This is a direct response to conversations about issues of diversity for arts organizations including inclusion, recruitment and retention.

The National Diversity in the Arts Information Bank (NDAIB-horrible acronym!) is an online resource for organizations and individuals looking to improve their efforts in either hiring a more diverse work force or find organizations looking to hire a more diverse workforce. It is not a job placement site. It is a user generated site that connects people with tools and information that already exist in order to build a more diverse and sustainable field. The information is all opt-in. That means that individuals would only report as much information about themselves as they wished. The site would be key word searchable so people could look for others like themselves working in the business or organizations that were working in certain veins for example. It has 4 major components.

Organization Profiles
These are profiles created by arts organizations. They can include basic demographic data, a narrative of their diversity efforts, action plans, programs and strategic efforts that are already in place (ex. OSF FAIR or the OSF diversity council) as well as grants or other awards being used to work on diversity within the organization. This section provides organizations with working models to learn from, gives individuals seeking employment important information about places they might like to work, and promotes the good work organizations are already involved in.

Individual Profiles
These are profiles created by individuals who are already working in the field. They can include pictures, bios in narrative form, biographical information in list form, resumes, and even blogs. These would be opt-in format, the individuals would be able to report as much or as little information about themselves as they wished. There would be drop down menus so people could use language from the site to describe the areas of the arts they worked in (ex. Development, stage operations, acting, etc) as well as the areas of diversity they belong to (i.e. gender, differently-abled, ethnic information, geographical locations, etc). Instead of “other” categories” there would be places to write in your own descriptions if none of the words were accurate for the individual (ex. Instead of identifying as “black” a person might want to identify as “brown skinned” and there should be room for that. This section taps into social networks that are already in place, provides individuals with successful examples to emulate, and promotes the good work individuals are already doing.

TOOLBOX-links
This would include links to service organizations, funders, job banks, articles of interest, conferences, etc. There’s already incredible work being done in the area and this is the place to see all the places it can be accessed.

FORUMS
This would be place for people to connect and communicate. People could ask for advice, discuss issues, suggest links for the tool box section, or bring up other useful information.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

new leaders for a new century

Hey folks,
If any of you plan on being in the Bay Area in October, here's another national conference for emerging theatre leaders.
a national conference and mobilization for emerging theatre leaders
October 5-6, 2008 San Francisco, California
a program of Theatre Bay Area
event partners: Theatre Communications Group and Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Who should come?

If you're aspiring to make a life in the theatre as a leader - either artistic or administrative - and if you're somewhere in the middle of your career path - neither a beginner nor arrived at your dream job - this is the conference for you. Whether you're working up the LORT ladder, running a company you're trying to grow, or building a whole new way to have a career in the theatre, we're interested in talking to you.

Monday, July 28, 2008

S.T. Shimi's bio & stuff





Yay! Here I am...


S.T. Shimi has been a member of Jump-Start Performance Co. (San Antonio, TX) since 1996 and is now serving as Artistic Director for Company Programming. She is a writer, dancer, dance instructor, choreographer and performer specializing in the creation of solo performance work. Her most recent works and collaborations include Southern Discomfort (2001), Something Else (2005), Watermark 1.5 (2006) and On The Island (2008), which toured in workshop form to the first National Asian-American Theatre Festival in New York, 2007. Shimi is the co-owner and an instructor/choreographer for Sirocco Dance Studio, a school for bellydance. Her movement skills include belly dance, contemporary, hip-hop and aerial/off-the-ground dance. Shimi is also a certified fitness dance instructor. As co-ordinator of W-I-P (Works-In Progress/Wednesdays-In-Performance), she programs and facilitates San Antonio's longest-running monthly lab for original movement-based work in collaboration with San Antonio Dance Umbrella. She is an artist-educator with over ten years of experience in socially conscious, multi-disciplinary community projects with youth and adults.
S.T. Shimi received a B.A. in Theater and Women's Studies from Dartmouth College and currently serves on the Executive Committee of Alternate ROOTS.

http://www.myspace.com/shimarella
shimi@jump-start.org

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Heifer Theatre Project 2008

Through Heifer International, a world hunger and relief organization, high school students from around the country are educated about Heifer's mission, experience the Global Village, and create a performance piece through a series of guided exercises and workshops by an artistic staff.

The Global Village experience is the main catalyst for their creative work. For three days and two nights the students live in a simulation of one of three communities: Mozambique, Tibet or the Mississippi Delta. The students themselves come from a variety of backgrounds from foster children to highly affluent. No matter where they fall on the spectrum of backgrounds, walking in the shoes of the third world adds perspective to their lives. From that experience springs forth incredible reflections, lyrics, movement pieces and so much more.

Check out our blog http://heifertp2008.blogspot.com/ to see how this project progresses.

On a final note, each year we are always searching for artistic staff. I know Anthem and Victor expressed interest and they are on my radar, however, if anyone else is interested or would like more info...send me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

Joe's Pub's 10th Anniversary Announced

Hey guys,
We just announced our 10th anniversary last week and i'm very proud of the line up i hope that you can check out joe's pub sometime this fall!
Press Release here
Updated line-up here

Shanta

Friday, July 18, 2008

Chi-wang Yang (Bio and Statement)

Here was my response to our TCG statement:

Bio
Chi-wang Yang is a Los Angeles-based theater director. Committed to physical performance and cross-disciplinary experimentation, his work combines stage, media, and technology. He is a founding member of video performance collective Cloud Eye Control. His work has been featured at REDCAT, Time-Based Arts Festival, SF International Film Festival, NY International Fringe Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe, and the Platform International Animation Festival. Last fall he co-directed film shoot in Cuba for an upcoming theatrical production titled The Closest Farthest Away/Entrañable Lejanía. Chi-wang received his MFA in Theater Directing and Integrated Media at the California Institute of the Arts. Other training includes the SITI Company with Anne Bogart, the Kitchen Summer Institute, and Brown University (BA). Chi-wang was the recipient of the 2006 Princess Grace Award for Theater Directing.

Describe the type of theater you would like to create and/or support and sustain.
I want to create a theater that, in the traditions of Cage and Fluxus, seeks to affirm it’s core essence while tempting total annihilation.
I want to create a theater that is a leader in cultural invention and innovation.
I want to create a theater that is local, national, and international.
I want to create a theater that is home to film, dance, music, visual art, science, and academics.
I want to create a theater that is diverse on the axes of race, aesthetic, form, and discourse.
I want to create a theater that champions a spirit of experimentation and fosters an excitation for unique encounters in it’s audience.
I want to create a theater that is passionate, abstract, and entertaining.

Cloud Eye Control show at REDCAT in LA, July 17, 18, 19!


I sent this out via email but wanted to make blog it. A group that I am a part of, Cloud Eye Control, is performing this week at the REDCAT NOW Festival in downtown LA. We just opened last night and had a good show. Damaso was in attendance and it was really nice seeing his familiar face. Info below. Please circulate to any interested parties! We got a good write-up in the LA Times, check it out here!

++

NEW ORIGINAL WORKS FESTIVAL 2008
JULY 17–19 (THU, FRI, & SAT) @ 8:30 PM

Cloud Eye Control: Final Space and Subterranean Heart
With an ingenious blend of projected animation, live theater and upbeat music, Cloud Eye Control generates hyper-live performances of technological fancy. Whether probing outer space for a new habitat or mining earth for embedded gems, the creative team of Miwa Matreyek, Anna Oxygen and Chi-wang Yang seamlessly fuses disciplines to revel in a multidimensional, seductively cinematic experience.

http://www.cloudeyecontrol.com

The fifth annual NOW Festival encourages risk and invention to foster new dance, theater, music and hybrid performance works from artists throughout Los Angeles. Join us as REDCAT launches nine innovative and interdisciplinary projects that bend traditions and investigate new visions of work for the stage.

Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater
631 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://www.redcat.org

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Accepting frequent flyer miles and hotel points

Some of our donors were interested in donating their frequent flyer miles and hotel points, but I don’t know how to start that process.

Does anyone have experience with this? I’d appreciate any nudge in the right direction.

Oanh

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Latrelle Bright (Bio and Mission Statement)

Latrelle Bright, a recent graduate of the MFA Directing program at the University of Memphis, is a leader, teacher, director and arts advocate. She currently serves as Assistant Program Director for the Heifer Theatre Project (with Heifer International, a world hunger relief and sustainability organization) in Little Rock, AR and Director of Audience Development for Voices of the South in Memphis, TN.

Prior to graduate school she co-founded The Renaissance Guild (a Black theatre company) in San Antonio, TX and served as its artistic director for five years and also worked as Drama Director for Antonian High School and Holy Spirit School. In addition to her theatre work, she served her community through volunteer work with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, serving on the board of the YWCA of San Antonio and the Alamo Theatre Arts Council and speaking at a number of events on the power of social entrepreneurship.

Aesthetically the lyrical, the surreal and the "imagistic" are most appealing to her and favorite directing credits include Spell #7 and Betrayal for TRG, original works for Jump-Start Performance Company - Otherwise Occupied and Lost Recipes, The Sound of a Voice, The Castle, Hedda Gabler, The Love of Don Perlimplin...at the UofM and Topdog/Underdog at Hattiloo Theatre.

Her next creative venture, inquisition performance company, is an organization that will focus on creating performances and peripheral events focused on the questions of the day, engaging audiences in arts-based civic dialogue and pursuing means of post-performance activism.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Check out this weeks Green Show online!

Visit http://eq.tv to see The Oregon Shakespeare Festivals GREEN SHOW live online. The shows play on a loop as well as streaming live at 7:15 on specially scheduled evenings. I hope you'll be able to check it out. This minute we have Ananda Natya Indian Dance. Tomorrow is Bardbershop a multicultural ensemble of OSF actors doing funny barbershop quartet. Also check out our myspace page where we will hopefully be beta testing our Green Show TV code. http://www.myspace.com/osfashland

Monday, June 30, 2008

Photos!



If you guys want me to email you any of these, lemme know!
~Anthem

Intro Anthem Salgado

Bio:
Anthem Salgado, a San Francisco Art Institute graduate, is a multi-disciplinary artist/educator. Salgado has performed spoken word throughout New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Manila, sharing billing with the legendary Last Poets, writer Jessica Hagedorn, and lyricist/beatboxer Radioactive of international music group Spearhead, among many others. He is published in anthology Field of Mirrors. Salgado has presented his solo-theater work at Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Intersection for the Arts. Salgado is a board member of educators' network Mind Power Collective, and was awarded a Philippines Fulbright to further his skills as a teacher.

Interest:
Solo theater interests me most. I appreciate its ability to, sometimes all in one show, engage a wide range of forms and subjects: comedy, monologue, audience interaction, poetry, personal narrative, and/or social commentary. Additionally, solo theater sometimes can be produced independently. The flipside to these freedoms is the false sense that a one-man or -woman show requires solely the one artist to create it. It is still a theater show and as such, solo acts do benefit greatly, when the resources are available, from access to behind-the-scenes support: marketing, fundraising, lighting and sound design, but most importantly, work with a director and a dramaturge. Education-wise, the strength and weakness of any live art is its immediacy as well as its immediate impermanence. Text and video archives are seldom available. While there is a long history in the experimentation of solo theater, I wonder if there could be more ways structurally or otherwise to teach and learn it successfully.

Friday, June 27, 2008

In San Francisco from 6/28 - 7/1

In town for an exhbit at the SFMOMA. Let me know if you have something running or just want to meet up. You can e-mail me off blog at oanh@chancetheater.com.

- Oanh

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

David D. Mitchell Bio and Artistic Statement

BIO

David D. Mitchell, Managing Director of Run of the Mill Theater, Baltimore MD, is an actor, writer, and administrator, returned to Baltimore after working with both The Actors Studio and The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. He received an M.F.A. from the Actors Studio at The New School for Social Research, working with master teachers Barbara Poitier, Gene Lasko, Susan Aston, and Arthur Penn. While at The Neighborhood Playhouse, he worked with Harold G. Baldridge, Beverly Sugarman, and Lawrence Feeney. He has been involved with numerous arts education organizations (City Lights, LEAP). David is a graduate of Morgan State University and holds a B.A. in Theater. He currently teaches at Morgan. Plays directed: Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, Les Blanc by Lorraine Hansberry, The Great MacDaddy by Paul Carter Harrison, Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard, Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca and several short plays featured in RotM's Annual Variations Project (Read about it @ www.runofthemilltheater.org)


Describe the type of theater you would like to create and/or support and sustain. The point of the statement is to give other theater professionals a sense of where your specific theatrical interests and concerns lie.

Run of the Mill Theater is dedicated to providing innovative programming of new and under-produced plays, creating opportunities for professional and aspiring artists to collaborate, and fostering cultural diversity. The organization supports and encourages new artists in their continued development by providing a safe and structured environment for learning and the exploration of new ideas. Run of the Mill Theater consistently provides space for emerging artists and arts organizations by creating collaborative community based projects.

My goal, as an arts administrator, is to create and maintain a safe environment for artists of any age, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. I accomplish this by creating long-term, process-oriented projects that yield more than a final performance. I’m interested in theater that develops thinking skills, social skills, and personal skills. I’m producing theater that encourages creativity and collaboration by providing a nurturing and supportive environment in which actor/students learn the fundamentals of playwriting, acting, directing, and theater protocol.


Artistic Statement:

I've been a facilitator and major "catalyst" in bringing together diverse segments of the performing arts community in Baltimore. I've initiated working relationships among students from Morgan Stae University, Towson State University, UMBC and Loyola College who generally have not worked together previously. This has been accomplished through various productions and an increased number of staged readings that provide opportunities for younger theater students of varying backgrounds to work alongside more experienced professionals. I've created opportunities for emerging arts organizations from diverse segments of the Baltimore performing arts community to work together on projects.

As the head administrator I've built upon RotM's initiative to explore work of Hispanic and Latino playwrights, assisting with RotM's production of Icarus by Edwin Sanchez to directing a production of Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding. When creating collaborative projects or in-house programming, I've successfully avoided gender and racial stereotyping. I've had the opportunity to work will several other Art Education groups in Baltimore as the lead theater consultant (BELL-Building Educated Leaders for Life, Young Audiences of Maryland, and Bright Starts). I’ve worked in the classroom and at community centers. My experience has led me to believe the only approach to effective arts programming in Baltimore is an aggressive team oriented approach.

Finally, I've fostered the development of Run of the Mill from an emerging theater of young talented, predominantly white actors to include a wider range of age and cultural backgrounds. Our casting over the past two years has expanded to include Hispanic, Asian, Indian, African-American, and even French-Canadian actors. Our playwrights are becoming more diverse and exploring themes that reflect greater consciousness of community issues and cross-cultural relationships.

Shoot me an email... and let's collaborate!


David D. Mitchell
Managing Director
(and interim AD)
443-885-3670
_______________________________
Run of the Mill Theater
"It's anything but!"
PO Box 38770
Baltimore MD 21231
www.runofthemilltheater.org

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Photo slideshow

Monday, June 23, 2008

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Words of wisdom

...as delivered by Emilya:

Purpose is the question
through which your life
may be the answer

Claudia Alick Bio and Art Statement

BIO

Claudia Alick, Associate Producer, Community
Artistic Office Producer, Fences, Coriolanus
At OSF: producer of OSF Hip-hop Boot Camp (2007), curates and produces The Green Show, nexthetics play development, and serves as the artistic office liaison to the education department and the community at large. Other credits: artistic director of Smokin’ Word Productions, author and director of plays that have been seen at The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, LaMama E.T.C., Cherry Lane Theater, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival; member of the NY Neofuturists; teacher of writing, performance, and professional development workshops nationwide, performer on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. Awards: Fresh Fruit Festival best director (2006), DUTF Audience Award (2005) myspace.com/claudiaalick

Describe the type of theater you would like to create and/or support and sustain. The point of the statement is to give other theater professionals a sense of where your specific theatrical interests and concerns lie. You may approach and phrase your description however you'd like.

My personal aesthetic is based in hip-hop, language, and multi-media work. I love experimental narrative and theatricality. I love the danger of autobiography. I love rough theater. I love making magic happen on a stage using nothing but a cardboard box and a beatboxer. I love bricolage, sampling, non-linearity, humor, risk. I think theater is political and should embrace its power. I think theater should address difficult issues and allow us to understand them more deeply. I think theater should entertain. I believe in catharsis. I believe in expanding our definition of theater to include non-traditional spaces, performers, audiences, and ways of communicating.

Welcome Young Leaders of Color!

We were brought together by a Cummings Grant and TCG for the annual TCG Conference and NPAC in Denver of 2008. Dynamic relationships were created and a few great ideas were birthed. This blog is a tool for us to stay in touch, explore ideas in depth, create action plans, and connect to the greater community. We are the face of performance. Hear what we got to say.

peace ad poetry
Claudia Alick
associate producer, community
Oregon Shakespeare Festival