Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Talent Show
Something I wanted to do before wrapping up this blog was to document the performance line-up of the Tuesday night cabaret, which featured David Ferney (Dell’Atre) and Mark McKenna (Touchstone) as suitably charming emcees. If I’ve gotten a name wrong or overlooked one of the acts, please let me know, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got them all, even if the order is slightly off. I think everyone was extremely impressed by the caliber of the talent across the board.
1. Laurie McCants (Bloomsburg): Call-and-response
2. Levi and Dad (Camp Winnebago): Two tunes: one of the traditional Camp Winnebago songs, plus a bit of a song that was apparently from “Little Einsteins” (which explains why I swear it sounded like ‘The Anvil Chorus’).
3. Stephen Buescher (Workhorse): bowling pantomime to hip-hop music
4. LAVA/Valconao Love inc. and NaCl collaboration: Songs accompanying dances so athletic that they may qualify as "acrobatics"
5. Rolf Sturm (Strike Anywhere): solo jazz guitar
6. Kali Quinn (GUTWorks): Short play involving an old woman in a nursing home, her nurse and other roles, compressing a remarkable range of emotion and information in a brief time
7. Natascha Smith (Irondale Canada): Funny monologue set at speed-dating
8. Damen Scranton (Irondale): Rowan Atkinson routine involving taking attendance at an English boy's school*
9. Dawn Crandell and helpers (Playback): Poem/dance, followed by Playback improv demonstration
10. John Flax (Theater Grottesco): Funny/bittersweet monologue from boyish "Henry" about animal toys (which John told me later is basically the Romeo and Juliet story). Possibly the most beloved performance of the evening.
11. Mark and David (hosts): A little sketch involving Terry Greiss’ fondness for fly-fishing
12. Wellend Scripps (Irondale): ballad about winning a bride in a poker game
13. Shirley Anderson (Zoo District): A trio of poems involving love, heartbreak and Ben Gazzara (hilarious!)
14. Shayamala Moorty (The Post Natyam Collective and TeAda Productions): Possibly autobiographical dance/poem/improv piece that unexpectedly hinges on toilet paper
15. Irondale chorus: "Camp Winnebago" song for big finish
Something that's occurred to me after the fact is the idea that many if not most of these would be viable Youtube clips. I'm not sure how many theaters dabble in putting short sketches or performances on Youtube, but it seems like a natural. If you've got a show with a 2-5 minute piece that could stand alone as a funny, touching or appealing clip, it may be relatively simple to videotape it and post it on-line. (I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that somewhere on line you can find practical tips for sound and picture quality that would suit the little Youtube screen.) Even though Youtube has become increasingly common and the films increasingly sophisticated in the past year, clips don't have to be elaborate mini-movies. One of Youtube's most popular clips (at least in the first half of 2006) was simply a guy sitting at a desk playing a rockin', virtuoso electric guitar version of Pachelbel's "Canon."
A nice Youtube clip strikes me as a handy way to promote the kind of work a theater does and the kind of entertainment one particular show offers -- like the equivalent of a "trailer for coming attractions" of a movie. At the very least, it could offer a hint at the kind of work your theater's ensemble regularly produces, and generate a little word of mouth -- on potentially a national/global scale, if it becomes a popular "viral video" that friends and bloggers share with each other. I imagine a show like theater simple's '52 Pick-Up,' which tours a lot, might get a lot of benefit from a clip like that (assuming they don't have one already). Talent like the kind we saw Tuesday night need not be a one-time thing.
* BTW, one of the most amusing surprises of the evening occurred when Damen took attendance of the smutty-named students ("Anus... Arse-bandit... Myprick... Yourprick") and concluded, incongruously, with "Leese Walker." I happened to be sitting next to Leese and she EXPLODED with laughter.
1. Laurie McCants (Bloomsburg): Call-and-response
2. Levi and Dad (Camp Winnebago): Two tunes: one of the traditional Camp Winnebago songs, plus a bit of a song that was apparently from “Little Einsteins” (which explains why I swear it sounded like ‘The Anvil Chorus’).
3. Stephen Buescher (Workhorse): bowling pantomime to hip-hop music
4. LAVA/Valconao Love inc. and NaCl collaboration: Songs accompanying dances so athletic that they may qualify as "acrobatics"
5. Rolf Sturm (Strike Anywhere): solo jazz guitar
6. Kali Quinn (GUTWorks): Short play involving an old woman in a nursing home, her nurse and other roles, compressing a remarkable range of emotion and information in a brief time
7. Natascha Smith (Irondale Canada): Funny monologue set at speed-dating
8. Damen Scranton (Irondale): Rowan Atkinson routine involving taking attendance at an English boy's school*
9. Dawn Crandell and helpers (Playback): Poem/dance, followed by Playback improv demonstration
10. John Flax (Theater Grottesco): Funny/bittersweet monologue from boyish "Henry" about animal toys (which John told me later is basically the Romeo and Juliet story). Possibly the most beloved performance of the evening.
11. Mark and David (hosts): A little sketch involving Terry Greiss’ fondness for fly-fishing
12. Wellend Scripps (Irondale): ballad about winning a bride in a poker game
13. Shirley Anderson (Zoo District): A trio of poems involving love, heartbreak and Ben Gazzara (hilarious!)
14. Shayamala Moorty (The Post Natyam Collective and TeAda Productions): Possibly autobiographical dance/poem/improv piece that unexpectedly hinges on toilet paper
15. Irondale chorus: "Camp Winnebago" song for big finish
Something that's occurred to me after the fact is the idea that many if not most of these would be viable Youtube clips. I'm not sure how many theaters dabble in putting short sketches or performances on Youtube, but it seems like a natural. If you've got a show with a 2-5 minute piece that could stand alone as a funny, touching or appealing clip, it may be relatively simple to videotape it and post it on-line. (I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that somewhere on line you can find practical tips for sound and picture quality that would suit the little Youtube screen.) Even though Youtube has become increasingly common and the films increasingly sophisticated in the past year, clips don't have to be elaborate mini-movies. One of Youtube's most popular clips (at least in the first half of 2006) was simply a guy sitting at a desk playing a rockin', virtuoso electric guitar version of Pachelbel's "Canon."
A nice Youtube clip strikes me as a handy way to promote the kind of work a theater does and the kind of entertainment one particular show offers -- like the equivalent of a "trailer for coming attractions" of a movie. At the very least, it could offer a hint at the kind of work your theater's ensemble regularly produces, and generate a little word of mouth -- on potentially a national/global scale, if it becomes a popular "viral video" that friends and bloggers share with each other. I imagine a show like theater simple's '52 Pick-Up,' which tours a lot, might get a lot of benefit from a clip like that (assuming they don't have one already). Talent like the kind we saw Tuesday night need not be a one-time thing.
* BTW, one of the most amusing surprises of the evening occurred when Damen took attendance of the smutty-named students ("Anus... Arse-bandit... Myprick... Yourprick") and concluded, incongruously, with "Leese Walker." I happened to be sitting next to Leese and she EXPLODED with laughter.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
NET Promotional video from YouTube
This was mentioned several times during the retreat, so I thought I'd post it here for the convenience of anyone who hasn't seen it yet. Incidentally, YouTube videos have an "embed" function that makes them very easy to post in blogs like this. You don't need any technical savvy at all. On the page of the video in question, to the right of the li'l TV screen, you can find the word "embed" followed by some HTML code. Just copy that and paste it into a "new post" field of a blog, and presto.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Keynote
Here's the keynote from the gathering. Hope this stimulates some thoughts/responses.
It is such an honor to be here with y’all as the National Coordinator of the Network of Ensemble Theaters. Let me start off by first thanking you for entrusting me with this job—it’s a big one. I believe the strategic plan likens the job to herding cats. And even though it’s only been one month, I can honestly say to you that I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Who else but NET can bring together companies that include artists who have formed a touring circus for teenagers, or who dress up as a “toilet matron”—using mops, a janitor’s pail and a “caution when wet” sign to present the “mopera” Carmen, or a group of artists and activists who travel across Interstate 10 gathering the oral histories of those affected by Hurricane Katrina, or who have the audacity and chutzpah to say “we’re going to reform the criminal justice system” or who program a two year cycle of plays that explore the theme of justice in the U.S.? Only NET does this. So yeah, I love my job.
But as tempting as it is to stay in this euphoric state, I am nonetheless reminded, daily, that we’re living and working in a perilous time. I am burdened by the wars our country is waging in Iraq and Afganistan and by increasingly tense rhetoric we hear with regards to Iran and North Korea, while at the same time we continue to turn a blind eye to the genocide in the Darfur region. I am heartbroken by the insanely high foreclosure rates we are seeing right now, as millions of our neighbors are seriously faced with the prospect of homelessness. I am angered that two years after hurricane Katrina, people in the gulf region still have to fight to get regular mail service and that our government has yet to fully step up to the plate to do right by them. And I am dumbfounded that even now, in the year 2007, that there are those who still regard evolution and global warming as mere theories that we can chose to accept or ignore. This is the part of the speech where I wanted a joke—but just couldn’t think of a good one.
So, in light of all of this global and national instability, is it any wonder that the arts sector is in the condition it is. Anecdotally, my friends at theatres across the country tell me they’re scaling back their seasons, producing less and/or presenting smaller shows. Some companies are laying off employees—the robust improvements of 2004 and 2005, declining in 2006. In California, where I am from and where many of are members are based, we’re still recovering from the drastic cut in arts spending of 2004, and I am embarrassed to say we remain last in state spending on the arts.
According to the most recent TCG Fiscal Survey, 2006 saw contributed income from federal, state, county and city agencies decline, as did individual, corporate and giving. And while there was an increase in earned income last year, over the past five years, overall attendance has declined by 8%, even while the number of performances has increased. Add to this the fact that the Durfee Foundation, a long-time friend and supporter of ensemble theaters, will cease theater funding in 2008. We’re still waiting to see what changes are in store at Ford, as their new president comes in. Meanwhile, the NEA continues to prioritize nicely packaged (read: safe) programs such as Shakespeare in American Communities and American Masterpieces at the expense of individual artists and more experimental works that defy classification (such as the work many of you are doing).
In short, and I’m not saying anything you don’t already know, it’s rough out there. And while I’m sure we could spend our time together here swapping war stories and commiserating with one another, my hope for this gathering is that we can take this opportunity to plan an active and successful future-- not devoid of the present reality—but acknowledging that ensemble theatermaking, as a field, has only just recently reached a tipping point where we can tap into our full potential. And while it’s true that I am the eternal optimist, though you’d never guess that from the gloom and doom I just delivered, I am convinced that this is not a naïve vision.
The course we are on in the American theater is not the one laid out by the regional theaters fifty years ago. It is the one we are paving, right now. The field is changing, and you can feel it—it’s palpable. The very notions of community and artmaking have shifted dramatically, even as the nation has shifted from an industrial economy to one that is technology driven. I suspect many of you know of or have read Tom Friedman’s book “The World is Flat.” In it, Friedman quotes an article he read in the magazine, The Nation that said, “The era of top-down politics—where campaigns, institutions and journalism were cloistered communities powered by hard-to-amass capital—is over. Something wilder, more engaging and infinitely more satisfying to individual participants is arising alongside the old order.” He’s talking about politics and economics, but it might as well be the arts. He goes on to say, “everywhere you turn, hierarchies are being challenged from below or transforming themselves from top-down structures into horizontal and collaborative ones.” And if you don’t believe that, just take a look around this room.
A few weeks ago, I was watching the NET promo video that has a clip of Michael Fields from Dell’ Arte sharing a story about a time when ensembles were isolated, not only from each other, but from rest of the theater field as well. At last year’s TCG Conference, an entire session was devoted to ensembles attended by a room full of ensemble company members. In my hometown of Dallas, Texas, there weren’t too many options if you wanted to see a play, (a shock, I know) but one of them was the Undermain Theater. I saw a play there when I was in college that totally rocked my world—it was innovative and risk-taking and sexy and poetic and it was created by an ensemble company. I count myself fortunate to have grown up in time where I had role models for ensemble artmaking; companies like the Mime Troupe and Dell’ Arte, and Teatro Campesino, and Carpetbag and Touchstone, and Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble and Roadside Theater and the many other companies on whose shoulders we stand here.
In this new world in which we now find ourselves, theaters must provide a communion for peoples united and divided not simply by geography, but by heritage, beliefs, daily interests, and, increasingly, class. And in this new society where virtual, on-line communities are just as strong and alive as those defined by neighborhoods, theaters need to adjust, and we can be leaders.
The voice in my head right now is Ben Cameron’s, formerly TCG’s Executive Director. Ben made it a point at every opportunity he had, to remind us that, and I quote: “it’s no longer quality that determines public investment of time, money, and energy (and to this list I add participation). It’s value. Our challenge in the arts community lies in our ability to frame the value of the arts” (and here I would go further, to say, our challenge lies in articulating the value of ensemble-based art making.
But here’s the thing: we can do this. Each one of us here can talk, at length, I’m sure, about why we value ensemble artmaking. When I was interviewing for this job, a board member asked me, “what would you tell funders and people outside of the field is the value of Ensemble Theater?” I’ll tell you what I told them: ensemble theater is where boundaries are being pushed, where innovation is happening, where risk-taking is the base-line of creation. We are the research and development wing of the American Theater. We offer a model of creation that prizes inclusion, democracy, partnership, connection. By working together over a sustained period of time, we learn to understand one another, to listen and even how to disagree with each other. And by doing this, by taking this path, the work we create becomes richer, it is alive and it breathes. And I don’t know about you, but in this time of secrecy and obfuscation, I welcome collaboration and transparency and respect and community.
When I worked with Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, we created a promotional video. Al of us and we were interviewed and asked, “why do you choose to do this work?” My response was, “I want to change the world.” For the longest time, whenever we’d show the video and it came to the part where I’d say “I want to change the world” I’d conveniently find an excuse to leave the room, or I’d just silently sink into my chair, embarrassed by what seemed to me upon viewings a trite and schmaltzy sentiment spoken by a naïve kid. By the way, I’m happy to report that Cornerstone has a new video so I no longer have to watch myself. But the thing is, I’ve now come to own that statement. I do want to change the world. I do want to create art with everyone. I want desperately for us to reflect the full diversity of the communities in which we live and work. I want to change the world. And if we’re talking about values, that’s a good one, too.
I look at the work that you all are doing, and it’s clear that we share this vision—we may go about it in different ways, but if you look closely it’s there. Some of you go out directly into communities and tackle issues head-on: issues of social justice, of immigration, of the environment, of the racist education and justice systems. Other of you let us to see ourselves on stage, our struggles, our foibles and you allow us to re-examine our world and our place in it. Still others of you give us opportunities to laugh and to commit what is perhaps the most radical and transgressive act anyone can do in this day and age: to be happy and joyous. And many of you are doing all of this at the same time!
Our collective strength is that we do all these things, and that we do them in myriad ways: with puppets, through dance, through linear and non-linear narratives, using music, with our bodies, in English, in Spanish, in Arabic, Urdu and through the lyricism of spoken word and kinetic energy of hip-hop. And our strength, too, is that we do this for an audience as diverse as the country itself. And here’s where I want to make a pitch to y’all—we’ve go to compile this information from all of our members so that we can share it funders and the field, because that’s what makes us our collective a powerful force. These are our assets, the very things that make us an invaluable sector of the art world.
We come here to Camp Winebago (is that not the best name for a camp ever!!) with a lot to be proud of. We had a very successful National Festival in Blue Lake, and we completed and adopted a three-year long-range plan using a planning process reflective of our collaborative values—yet another work model that we can share with the field. But as we go about the business of the next two days, I’d like to invite you to consider this: like a football team huddling before a crucial play, we too are coming together to map out a strategy to go out into the world.
Right now we’re riding the momentum of two successful years’ work and I don’t doubt for one second that we can sustain that momentum. However, if our aim is to advance the field of ensemble theater, if our goal is to grow our membership and strengthen our organization—and I’d say it is, because that’s what’s clearly articulated in our strategic plan—than we cannot merely sustain our momentum, we’ve got to build upon it. Right now, as a result of the great work that’s happened, we have the attention of funders, of presenters and of our colleagues in the theater field. We have a perfect opportunity to reach goals. To quote one of my heroes, Stephen Sondheim, “opportunity is not a lengthy visitor.” (You thought I was gonna say “send in the clowns” didn’t you?)
So what does all this mean? During the planning process for the gathering, we began with our touchstone, the strategic plan, and as Terry pointed out we’re on target with our strategies and we continue to make progress. The next steps, the next areas of focus call on us to fortify our communications strategies, and to develop and exchange our programs with each other and the field. And like the folks who deliver Watch Tower to your door each week as they do in my barrio, the task before us is to go out into the world, and as Ben Cameron said, “communicate our value.” We will do this through our partnerships with sister organizations like Alternate ROOTS, the National Performance Network, Arts Presenters and TCG. We will do this through the regional gatherings we host, which will not only strengthen ties and collaboration among our members, but which will also reach the public at large, providing community members and community partners with opportunities to participate and to inform the art we create. We will do this through our case studies and documentation efforts that will not only record what we are doing but will also dig deeper, to investigate the impulses behind our choices and our actions. And when we do that, we will gain even greater clarity about our roles and opportunities in the world, as art makers. We will grow from these findings and will share them not only within the greater theatre field, but also with our colleagues working in other areas, like community organizing, policy making, and education. We’ll do this by publishing our findings in journals, on websites, and in anthologies and books. Who knows, we may even create a reality TV show about theater and make a fortune.
We will demonstrate our values through our touring initiatives, which will let us reach new and more diverse audiences. And through the 2009 National Ensemble Theater Festival which will culminate the results of all these efforts. This is the vision. This is the plan. As for the nuts and bolts of how we’re going to reach our dreams, that’s where you come in. That’s the work of our time here.
Shortly after I was hired, I placed calls to all of NET’s members and spoke with many of you. What I learned was that there is, across the board, a readiness to move NET forward. And I gotta say, in the short time I’ve been working with NET’s board, I have been blown away by their level of participation. They truly are a working board. The emphasis, here, is on working. But a working Board and a National Coordinator aren’t enough—we need you. In the same way that you’ve structured your ensembles so that your membership shares in the work, responsibilities and rewards, NET also relies on our membership. We will work hard to stay in touch and to invite your participation, but please don’t wait for the phone call. If you have an idea, if you need help—call us, or call your colleagues and enlist their help. If you have something to offer, to share—let your colleagues know. We’re in this together.
I took this job because I see the value and the potential that our work has to change the world. And while it may sound like a cliché, dammit it’s not because I believe it, in my heart, and I have to believe that you do too, or else you wouldn’t be here right now. And if I can inspire you, beseech or bribe you to further this vision with me, then I have no doubt we will change the world.
One last thing, I was talking with Dudley Cocke from Roadside Theater, and he posed the question: What does it mean to be an artist in a time of declared war?” Now, those of you who know me know that I love musicals—what can I say, it’s in the genes. So in this time of war, I offer you the words of Jonathan Larson and the musical Rent. “The opposite of war is not peace, it’s creation.” What does it mean to be an artist in a time of war? For me, it means that we must make art; that we must create, and through creating, we will change the world. That’s why I am hopeful about the future.
Thank you for being here with us, for giving your time, your work, your ideas. The work that each of us does as artists and arts leaders is an act grace. Let us remember that as we set off to the good work that lies before us.
Thank you.
It is such an honor to be here with y’all as the National Coordinator of the Network of Ensemble Theaters. Let me start off by first thanking you for entrusting me with this job—it’s a big one. I believe the strategic plan likens the job to herding cats. And even though it’s only been one month, I can honestly say to you that I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Who else but NET can bring together companies that include artists who have formed a touring circus for teenagers, or who dress up as a “toilet matron”—using mops, a janitor’s pail and a “caution when wet” sign to present the “mopera” Carmen, or a group of artists and activists who travel across Interstate 10 gathering the oral histories of those affected by Hurricane Katrina, or who have the audacity and chutzpah to say “we’re going to reform the criminal justice system” or who program a two year cycle of plays that explore the theme of justice in the U.S.? Only NET does this. So yeah, I love my job.
But as tempting as it is to stay in this euphoric state, I am nonetheless reminded, daily, that we’re living and working in a perilous time. I am burdened by the wars our country is waging in Iraq and Afganistan and by increasingly tense rhetoric we hear with regards to Iran and North Korea, while at the same time we continue to turn a blind eye to the genocide in the Darfur region. I am heartbroken by the insanely high foreclosure rates we are seeing right now, as millions of our neighbors are seriously faced with the prospect of homelessness. I am angered that two years after hurricane Katrina, people in the gulf region still have to fight to get regular mail service and that our government has yet to fully step up to the plate to do right by them. And I am dumbfounded that even now, in the year 2007, that there are those who still regard evolution and global warming as mere theories that we can chose to accept or ignore. This is the part of the speech where I wanted a joke—but just couldn’t think of a good one.
So, in light of all of this global and national instability, is it any wonder that the arts sector is in the condition it is. Anecdotally, my friends at theatres across the country tell me they’re scaling back their seasons, producing less and/or presenting smaller shows. Some companies are laying off employees—the robust improvements of 2004 and 2005, declining in 2006. In California, where I am from and where many of are members are based, we’re still recovering from the drastic cut in arts spending of 2004, and I am embarrassed to say we remain last in state spending on the arts.
According to the most recent TCG Fiscal Survey, 2006 saw contributed income from federal, state, county and city agencies decline, as did individual, corporate and giving. And while there was an increase in earned income last year, over the past five years, overall attendance has declined by 8%, even while the number of performances has increased. Add to this the fact that the Durfee Foundation, a long-time friend and supporter of ensemble theaters, will cease theater funding in 2008. We’re still waiting to see what changes are in store at Ford, as their new president comes in. Meanwhile, the NEA continues to prioritize nicely packaged (read: safe) programs such as Shakespeare in American Communities and American Masterpieces at the expense of individual artists and more experimental works that defy classification (such as the work many of you are doing).
In short, and I’m not saying anything you don’t already know, it’s rough out there. And while I’m sure we could spend our time together here swapping war stories and commiserating with one another, my hope for this gathering is that we can take this opportunity to plan an active and successful future-- not devoid of the present reality—but acknowledging that ensemble theatermaking, as a field, has only just recently reached a tipping point where we can tap into our full potential. And while it’s true that I am the eternal optimist, though you’d never guess that from the gloom and doom I just delivered, I am convinced that this is not a naïve vision.
The course we are on in the American theater is not the one laid out by the regional theaters fifty years ago. It is the one we are paving, right now. The field is changing, and you can feel it—it’s palpable. The very notions of community and artmaking have shifted dramatically, even as the nation has shifted from an industrial economy to one that is technology driven. I suspect many of you know of or have read Tom Friedman’s book “The World is Flat.” In it, Friedman quotes an article he read in the magazine, The Nation that said, “The era of top-down politics—where campaigns, institutions and journalism were cloistered communities powered by hard-to-amass capital—is over. Something wilder, more engaging and infinitely more satisfying to individual participants is arising alongside the old order.” He’s talking about politics and economics, but it might as well be the arts. He goes on to say, “everywhere you turn, hierarchies are being challenged from below or transforming themselves from top-down structures into horizontal and collaborative ones.” And if you don’t believe that, just take a look around this room.
A few weeks ago, I was watching the NET promo video that has a clip of Michael Fields from Dell’ Arte sharing a story about a time when ensembles were isolated, not only from each other, but from rest of the theater field as well. At last year’s TCG Conference, an entire session was devoted to ensembles attended by a room full of ensemble company members. In my hometown of Dallas, Texas, there weren’t too many options if you wanted to see a play, (a shock, I know) but one of them was the Undermain Theater. I saw a play there when I was in college that totally rocked my world—it was innovative and risk-taking and sexy and poetic and it was created by an ensemble company. I count myself fortunate to have grown up in time where I had role models for ensemble artmaking; companies like the Mime Troupe and Dell’ Arte, and Teatro Campesino, and Carpetbag and Touchstone, and Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble and Roadside Theater and the many other companies on whose shoulders we stand here.
In this new world in which we now find ourselves, theaters must provide a communion for peoples united and divided not simply by geography, but by heritage, beliefs, daily interests, and, increasingly, class. And in this new society where virtual, on-line communities are just as strong and alive as those defined by neighborhoods, theaters need to adjust, and we can be leaders.
The voice in my head right now is Ben Cameron’s, formerly TCG’s Executive Director. Ben made it a point at every opportunity he had, to remind us that, and I quote: “it’s no longer quality that determines public investment of time, money, and energy (and to this list I add participation). It’s value. Our challenge in the arts community lies in our ability to frame the value of the arts” (and here I would go further, to say, our challenge lies in articulating the value of ensemble-based art making.
But here’s the thing: we can do this. Each one of us here can talk, at length, I’m sure, about why we value ensemble artmaking. When I was interviewing for this job, a board member asked me, “what would you tell funders and people outside of the field is the value of Ensemble Theater?” I’ll tell you what I told them: ensemble theater is where boundaries are being pushed, where innovation is happening, where risk-taking is the base-line of creation. We are the research and development wing of the American Theater. We offer a model of creation that prizes inclusion, democracy, partnership, connection. By working together over a sustained period of time, we learn to understand one another, to listen and even how to disagree with each other. And by doing this, by taking this path, the work we create becomes richer, it is alive and it breathes. And I don’t know about you, but in this time of secrecy and obfuscation, I welcome collaboration and transparency and respect and community.
When I worked with Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, we created a promotional video. Al of us and we were interviewed and asked, “why do you choose to do this work?” My response was, “I want to change the world.” For the longest time, whenever we’d show the video and it came to the part where I’d say “I want to change the world” I’d conveniently find an excuse to leave the room, or I’d just silently sink into my chair, embarrassed by what seemed to me upon viewings a trite and schmaltzy sentiment spoken by a naïve kid. By the way, I’m happy to report that Cornerstone has a new video so I no longer have to watch myself. But the thing is, I’ve now come to own that statement. I do want to change the world. I do want to create art with everyone. I want desperately for us to reflect the full diversity of the communities in which we live and work. I want to change the world. And if we’re talking about values, that’s a good one, too.
I look at the work that you all are doing, and it’s clear that we share this vision—we may go about it in different ways, but if you look closely it’s there. Some of you go out directly into communities and tackle issues head-on: issues of social justice, of immigration, of the environment, of the racist education and justice systems. Other of you let us to see ourselves on stage, our struggles, our foibles and you allow us to re-examine our world and our place in it. Still others of you give us opportunities to laugh and to commit what is perhaps the most radical and transgressive act anyone can do in this day and age: to be happy and joyous. And many of you are doing all of this at the same time!
Our collective strength is that we do all these things, and that we do them in myriad ways: with puppets, through dance, through linear and non-linear narratives, using music, with our bodies, in English, in Spanish, in Arabic, Urdu and through the lyricism of spoken word and kinetic energy of hip-hop. And our strength, too, is that we do this for an audience as diverse as the country itself. And here’s where I want to make a pitch to y’all—we’ve go to compile this information from all of our members so that we can share it funders and the field, because that’s what makes us our collective a powerful force. These are our assets, the very things that make us an invaluable sector of the art world.
We come here to Camp Winebago (is that not the best name for a camp ever!!) with a lot to be proud of. We had a very successful National Festival in Blue Lake, and we completed and adopted a three-year long-range plan using a planning process reflective of our collaborative values—yet another work model that we can share with the field. But as we go about the business of the next two days, I’d like to invite you to consider this: like a football team huddling before a crucial play, we too are coming together to map out a strategy to go out into the world.
Right now we’re riding the momentum of two successful years’ work and I don’t doubt for one second that we can sustain that momentum. However, if our aim is to advance the field of ensemble theater, if our goal is to grow our membership and strengthen our organization—and I’d say it is, because that’s what’s clearly articulated in our strategic plan—than we cannot merely sustain our momentum, we’ve got to build upon it. Right now, as a result of the great work that’s happened, we have the attention of funders, of presenters and of our colleagues in the theater field. We have a perfect opportunity to reach goals. To quote one of my heroes, Stephen Sondheim, “opportunity is not a lengthy visitor.” (You thought I was gonna say “send in the clowns” didn’t you?)
So what does all this mean? During the planning process for the gathering, we began with our touchstone, the strategic plan, and as Terry pointed out we’re on target with our strategies and we continue to make progress. The next steps, the next areas of focus call on us to fortify our communications strategies, and to develop and exchange our programs with each other and the field. And like the folks who deliver Watch Tower to your door each week as they do in my barrio, the task before us is to go out into the world, and as Ben Cameron said, “communicate our value.” We will do this through our partnerships with sister organizations like Alternate ROOTS, the National Performance Network, Arts Presenters and TCG. We will do this through the regional gatherings we host, which will not only strengthen ties and collaboration among our members, but which will also reach the public at large, providing community members and community partners with opportunities to participate and to inform the art we create. We will do this through our case studies and documentation efforts that will not only record what we are doing but will also dig deeper, to investigate the impulses behind our choices and our actions. And when we do that, we will gain even greater clarity about our roles and opportunities in the world, as art makers. We will grow from these findings and will share them not only within the greater theatre field, but also with our colleagues working in other areas, like community organizing, policy making, and education. We’ll do this by publishing our findings in journals, on websites, and in anthologies and books. Who knows, we may even create a reality TV show about theater and make a fortune.
We will demonstrate our values through our touring initiatives, which will let us reach new and more diverse audiences. And through the 2009 National Ensemble Theater Festival which will culminate the results of all these efforts. This is the vision. This is the plan. As for the nuts and bolts of how we’re going to reach our dreams, that’s where you come in. That’s the work of our time here.
Shortly after I was hired, I placed calls to all of NET’s members and spoke with many of you. What I learned was that there is, across the board, a readiness to move NET forward. And I gotta say, in the short time I’ve been working with NET’s board, I have been blown away by their level of participation. They truly are a working board. The emphasis, here, is on working. But a working Board and a National Coordinator aren’t enough—we need you. In the same way that you’ve structured your ensembles so that your membership shares in the work, responsibilities and rewards, NET also relies on our membership. We will work hard to stay in touch and to invite your participation, but please don’t wait for the phone call. If you have an idea, if you need help—call us, or call your colleagues and enlist their help. If you have something to offer, to share—let your colleagues know. We’re in this together.
I took this job because I see the value and the potential that our work has to change the world. And while it may sound like a cliché, dammit it’s not because I believe it, in my heart, and I have to believe that you do too, or else you wouldn’t be here right now. And if I can inspire you, beseech or bribe you to further this vision with me, then I have no doubt we will change the world.
One last thing, I was talking with Dudley Cocke from Roadside Theater, and he posed the question: What does it mean to be an artist in a time of declared war?” Now, those of you who know me know that I love musicals—what can I say, it’s in the genes. So in this time of war, I offer you the words of Jonathan Larson and the musical Rent. “The opposite of war is not peace, it’s creation.” What does it mean to be an artist in a time of war? For me, it means that we must make art; that we must create, and through creating, we will change the world. That’s why I am hopeful about the future.
Thank you for being here with us, for giving your time, your work, your ideas. The work that each of us does as artists and arts leaders is an act grace. Let us remember that as we set off to the good work that lies before us.
Thank you.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
General question; and I've got a rock
I'm sitting on the porch of the Ping-Pong room one final time. The Wi-fi reception is great on this particular bench, and I know that in the future, the smell of mothballs will make the NEA Retreat at Camp Winnebago come back in a Proustian rush, I just went down to look at the lake once more, but you almost can't look at the lake, because the morning sun is shining off it with such brilliance.
I haven't had the chance to write blog plots about everything I've wanted to, so I'll post a future more through the weekend when I'm back home, in the interest of posterity, documentation, etc, I wanted to post this one just under the wire, and anyone who happens to read this while traveling might be inclined to comment.
I think it's fair to assume that everyone had a good and productive time. It's probably also fair to ask "Is there anything you would have done differently?" and "Is there any aspect of the retreat you would change for the future?" Last night I was talking to someone who, while acknowledging that it was a strategic retreat, wished there had been a little more time for workshops on ensemble-making process. Any other tweaks or suggestions?
Better run and pack my suitcase. I defnitely need to find a safe place for my rock. I picked up a rock from the road just now (I may trade it for a better one if I notice one). As per Terry's suggestion at the campfire last night, I'm only borrowing it.
I haven't had the chance to write blog plots about everything I've wanted to, so I'll post a future more through the weekend when I'm back home, in the interest of posterity, documentation, etc, I wanted to post this one just under the wire, and anyone who happens to read this while traveling might be inclined to comment.
I think it's fair to assume that everyone had a good and productive time. It's probably also fair to ask "Is there anything you would have done differently?" and "Is there any aspect of the retreat you would change for the future?" Last night I was talking to someone who, while acknowledging that it was a strategic retreat, wished there had been a little more time for workshops on ensemble-making process. Any other tweaks or suggestions?
Better run and pack my suitcase. I defnitely need to find a safe place for my rock. I picked up a rock from the road just now (I may trade it for a better one if I notice one). As per Terry's suggestion at the campfire last night, I'm only borrowing it.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Down at the ARTFarm
I just got out of the festival-planning session, and want to write a post quickly before Happy Hour, Lobster, Board Nominations, Cabaret and Fire-building eats up the remaining time.
During today’s post-lunch “free” session, I decided that I wasn’t physically prepared for the rigors of volleyball, so instead I came in late on Marcella Trowbridge’s ARTFarm workshop within sight of the big Totem pole with the dragonfly on top. I missed the live music activities, but got to take part in the “group juggling,” which involved tossing balls back and forth and was both soothing and energizing.
Apart from the fun-and-games activities, the purpose of the workshop was to talk about doing ensemble work in communities, with the most common examples involving students in housing projects, or neglected in school as underachievers. Partly Marcella organized the discussions this way:
WHERE (do the companies do the work): Schools, shelters, prisons, special needs classes, community centers, senior centers, museums, protests
WHAT (do the companies do):* Life skills, ensemble-building, curricular skills, spreading joy, unlocking imaginations, creating original performance pieces based on the students’ lives, encouraging them to find their voices, listening, giving attention and affection
* This prompted some interesting points about that what the company actually does may not be how they describe the activity to a funder. I believe Marcella quoted a colleague who said, “You have to sell the math, but give them yoga,”
HOW: Theater class, poetry, movement (“hand stands!”), storytelling, discussions, writing, analysis, audience awareness
PITHY WORDS OF WISDOM:
“Be wary of the missionary complex”
“Meet ‘em where they are, take ‘em someplace else”
“Authenticity” (i,e, be yourself, because they can tell if you’re faking)
“Give the audience the dignity of their own response”
“Find your teacher-clown” (not just the teacher within you, but the more vulnerable, less didactic “teacher-clown”)
“Don’t be afraid to fail: dare to suck!”
What struck me about all of this – and some of the participants alluded to this – is that even though a great deal of this is considered “touchy-feely” by outsiders, the touchy-feely activities get practical results. They're not just fun: they work. And they work because they're fun. Even the most hardened anti-arts jerk will have trouble disputing a strong bottom line.
Okay, time to strap on the lobster bib.
During today’s post-lunch “free” session, I decided that I wasn’t physically prepared for the rigors of volleyball, so instead I came in late on Marcella Trowbridge’s ARTFarm workshop within sight of the big Totem pole with the dragonfly on top. I missed the live music activities, but got to take part in the “group juggling,” which involved tossing balls back and forth and was both soothing and energizing.
Apart from the fun-and-games activities, the purpose of the workshop was to talk about doing ensemble work in communities, with the most common examples involving students in housing projects, or neglected in school as underachievers. Partly Marcella organized the discussions this way:
WHERE (do the companies do the work): Schools, shelters, prisons, special needs classes, community centers, senior centers, museums, protests
WHAT (do the companies do):* Life skills, ensemble-building, curricular skills, spreading joy, unlocking imaginations, creating original performance pieces based on the students’ lives, encouraging them to find their voices, listening, giving attention and affection
* This prompted some interesting points about that what the company actually does may not be how they describe the activity to a funder. I believe Marcella quoted a colleague who said, “You have to sell the math, but give them yoga,”
HOW: Theater class, poetry, movement (“hand stands!”), storytelling, discussions, writing, analysis, audience awareness
PITHY WORDS OF WISDOM:
“Be wary of the missionary complex”
“Meet ‘em where they are, take ‘em someplace else”
“Authenticity” (i,e, be yourself, because they can tell if you’re faking)
“Give the audience the dignity of their own response”
“Find your teacher-clown” (not just the teacher within you, but the more vulnerable, less didactic “teacher-clown”)
“Don’t be afraid to fail: dare to suck!”
What struck me about all of this – and some of the participants alluded to this – is that even though a great deal of this is considered “touchy-feely” by outsiders, the touchy-feely activities get practical results. They're not just fun: they work. And they work because they're fun. Even the most hardened anti-arts jerk will have trouble disputing a strong bottom line.
Okay, time to strap on the lobster bib.
Memorable quotations
Memorable quotes of the Retreat (so far):
“I don’t know if Winnebago, which has its own set of traditions, can withstand a company of New York actors,” Terry Greiss, relating the initial reaction to Camp Winnebago serving as a retreat for Irondale.
“That’ll be $5.” An unidentified voice (probably from Seattle) on the dock on the first night, charging for space on the blankets spread out beneath the stars.
“Ask not what TCG can do for you; ask what you can do for TCG.” Okay, Mark Valdez didn’t actually say that during the TCG session, but it’s probably fair to say that was the gist.
“If there was any message of the 1960s and the Beatles, it was “Learn to swim, then,,, swim.” John Lennon, as delivered (with Lennonesque aplomb) by Rolf Sturm.
“My face marks the sunny hours
What can you say of yours”
The sundial on the lawn near the infirmary. (Oh, snap! That sundial really zinged me!)
Have any of your own? Be sure to add them!
ADDED LATER:
"Time is a generous lover, if embraced." Michael-David Gordon (Terry made a point of telling me to remember this one.)
Curt
“I don’t know if Winnebago, which has its own set of traditions, can withstand a company of New York actors,” Terry Greiss, relating the initial reaction to Camp Winnebago serving as a retreat for Irondale.
“That’ll be $5.” An unidentified voice (probably from Seattle) on the dock on the first night, charging for space on the blankets spread out beneath the stars.
“Ask not what TCG can do for you; ask what you can do for TCG.” Okay, Mark Valdez didn’t actually say that during the TCG session, but it’s probably fair to say that was the gist.
“If there was any message of the 1960s and the Beatles, it was “Learn to swim, then,,, swim.” John Lennon, as delivered (with Lennonesque aplomb) by Rolf Sturm.
“My face marks the sunny hours
What can you say of yours”
The sundial on the lawn near the infirmary. (Oh, snap! That sundial really zinged me!)
Have any of your own? Be sure to add them!
ADDED LATER:
"Time is a generous lover, if embraced." Michael-David Gordon (Terry made a point of telling me to remember this one.)
Curt
Live From The Lodge
On my Livejournal blog I have some young friends on my Friends List, and if any of them had seen last night's performances, they probably would write a post along the lines of "OMG! I saw Irondale and Strike Anywhere perform last night and they were SO AWESOME!!!"
And they were indeed pretty awesome. Irondale performed the company created show '9/11: Voices Unheard.' I must admit that in such a festive atmosphere as the retreat, I wasn't sure I was up for a show about Sept. 11, but 'Voices Unheard' was terrific. It was based on interviews with family members of people who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center (along with one first-responder fireman who narrowly survived), performed by Scarlet Rivera, Patrena Murray (two roles), Damen Scranton (two roles), Michael-David Gordon, Terry Greiss and Sarah Merkel (call her Merkel). Live music frequently accompanied their voices.
I couldn’t help but compare ‘Voices Unheard’ to last year’s big Sept. 11 movies, ‘United 93’ and ‘World Trade Center.’ Both of those films dealt almost exclusively with the events of the day, without reflecting on its repercussions. While the Sept. 11 families had their own fascinating, unique stories, they also served as stand-ins for America’s citizens anywhere, and I appreciated seeing 9/11 through their context. Or, for that matter, ANY context.
After an intermission, Strike Anywhere performed a work-in-progress “sound painting” inspired by the life and work of John Lennon. I may not write much about it, partly because it IS a work-in-progress, but mostly because I don’t think I have the vocabulary to describe its mixture of song, dance, spoken word and performance techniques whose names I don’t even know. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it – even the comparable shows at Atlanta’s 7 Stages don’t really come close. But it was cool, and by the end, my mind was pretty much blown.
And later, the musicians of Strike Anywhere (along with some guest musicians) jammed for the benefit of the folks on the dance floor of the lodge – which seems somehow unfair, given the effort that they’d put into entertaining us roughly an hour earlier.
Earlier on Monday, someone told me about Irondale’s tradition of putting on plays in the campground as part of their annual retreat. I heard about a ‘Waiting for Godot’ that started on the road outside the camp, and ended with actors standing in a rowboat on the lake, illuminated by car headlights. I heard about a show set on the waterfront that was performed on the actual dock of the lake (and included an unexpected but fortuitous downpour at the climax). I heard about an adaptation of a certain J.K. Rowling work, that featured members of the audience pulled in rowboats along the edge of the water by an actor. And I wished I’d gotten to see those shows.
But after the performances of Irondale and Strike Anywhere, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
(PS: I didn’t have the list of Irondale musician names or Strike Anywhere performers when I wrote this, so if anyone cares to I.D. them in a comment, that would be great,)
And they were indeed pretty awesome. Irondale performed the company created show '9/11: Voices Unheard.' I must admit that in such a festive atmosphere as the retreat, I wasn't sure I was up for a show about Sept. 11, but 'Voices Unheard' was terrific. It was based on interviews with family members of people who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center (along with one first-responder fireman who narrowly survived), performed by Scarlet Rivera, Patrena Murray (two roles), Damen Scranton (two roles), Michael-David Gordon, Terry Greiss and Sarah Merkel (call her Merkel). Live music frequently accompanied their voices.
I couldn’t help but compare ‘Voices Unheard’ to last year’s big Sept. 11 movies, ‘United 93’ and ‘World Trade Center.’ Both of those films dealt almost exclusively with the events of the day, without reflecting on its repercussions. While the Sept. 11 families had their own fascinating, unique stories, they also served as stand-ins for America’s citizens anywhere, and I appreciated seeing 9/11 through their context. Or, for that matter, ANY context.
After an intermission, Strike Anywhere performed a work-in-progress “sound painting” inspired by the life and work of John Lennon. I may not write much about it, partly because it IS a work-in-progress, but mostly because I don’t think I have the vocabulary to describe its mixture of song, dance, spoken word and performance techniques whose names I don’t even know. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it – even the comparable shows at Atlanta’s 7 Stages don’t really come close. But it was cool, and by the end, my mind was pretty much blown.
And later, the musicians of Strike Anywhere (along with some guest musicians) jammed for the benefit of the folks on the dance floor of the lodge – which seems somehow unfair, given the effort that they’d put into entertaining us roughly an hour earlier.
Earlier on Monday, someone told me about Irondale’s tradition of putting on plays in the campground as part of their annual retreat. I heard about a ‘Waiting for Godot’ that started on the road outside the camp, and ended with actors standing in a rowboat on the lake, illuminated by car headlights. I heard about a show set on the waterfront that was performed on the actual dock of the lake (and included an unexpected but fortuitous downpour at the climax). I heard about an adaptation of a certain J.K. Rowling work, that featured members of the audience pulled in rowboats along the edge of the water by an actor. And I wished I’d gotten to see those shows.
But after the performances of Irondale and Strike Anywhere, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
(PS: I didn’t have the list of Irondale musician names or Strike Anywhere performers when I wrote this, so if anyone cares to I.D. them in a comment, that would be great,)
Monday, September 3, 2007
General Question: How's it going?
For those of you who are here in Maine, how are you enjoying the retreat? Have you had any favorite experiences so far?
And, to ask a question that's a little more specific, can you name an interesting person that you've met?
And, to ask a question that's a little more specific, can you name an interesting person that you've met?
"I've got three Internets at home."
I attended the Documentation break-out session, which took place in a casual circle on the lawn in front of the Infirmary porch – the same place, in fact, where this evening’s happy hour should take place. If I time it just right, I’ll be able to write a blog entry, post it, and get over there just in time.
Lead by Bob Leonard, the session touched on a variety of ways the work of different theaters can be documented: both via outsiders (the TCG “Observership model has apparently worked out very well for NET companies) and by the companies themselves. Damion Teeko Parran of Watts Village Theatre Company said words to the effect that a small company has spends so much time creating the work and managing the company that they don’t really have time to document the work. Everyone seemed to appreciate the perspective that an outsider can bring on a company’s work and mission,
I had a thought that maybe self-documentation is easier than it seems – it may simply involve changing one’s thinking about what counts as “documentation.” I thought about the subject of blogs, and how blogs are great, foster connectivity and can be great fun to write – if you have the time and inclination. Some people are natural e-diarists, so if there’s anyone on your staff who likes to blog, you should let them have at it. If not, it might not be as fun, and it’s unfortunate when blogs don’t get updated often – nothing’s sadder than a fallow blog.
What struck me is that the nature of what counts as a “viable blog entry” may be more fluid than people think. It would be great if anyone could just sit down and said “We did such-and-such today and it got great feedback,” but few people can. But theater artists and administrators may be documenting their work more than they realize. Think of all the e-mails that get exchanged during the preparation of a show and it’s run: back-and-forth conversations between members of the creative team, marketing ideas, grant proposals, notes from patrons, etc. Some of these things might actually be GREAT blog entries – if the conversation is succinct and informative, or passionate and from the heart, readers will probably respond to them. Things that may look like ephemera might actually have value as documents. It obviously depends on how much transparency a group is comfortable with, but people might be comfortable with more than they realize.
For example, many productions will have post-show audience talkbacks, particularly when they involve hot-button issues. Some might be geared toward the make-up of that evening’s particular audience. A company could simply have its sound/iPod expert record that discussion, and if it’s lively and interesting, it could be a natural MP3 or “Podcast” entry. I’ve noticed that several people want to know and record how their work is received in the community – that might be a start.
Plus, once you get the hang of it, it’s totally easy. Give or take a spelling mistake or two.
Lead by Bob Leonard, the session touched on a variety of ways the work of different theaters can be documented: both via outsiders (the TCG “Observership model has apparently worked out very well for NET companies) and by the companies themselves. Damion Teeko Parran of Watts Village Theatre Company said words to the effect that a small company has spends so much time creating the work and managing the company that they don’t really have time to document the work. Everyone seemed to appreciate the perspective that an outsider can bring on a company’s work and mission,
I had a thought that maybe self-documentation is easier than it seems – it may simply involve changing one’s thinking about what counts as “documentation.” I thought about the subject of blogs, and how blogs are great, foster connectivity and can be great fun to write – if you have the time and inclination. Some people are natural e-diarists, so if there’s anyone on your staff who likes to blog, you should let them have at it. If not, it might not be as fun, and it’s unfortunate when blogs don’t get updated often – nothing’s sadder than a fallow blog.
What struck me is that the nature of what counts as a “viable blog entry” may be more fluid than people think. It would be great if anyone could just sit down and said “We did such-and-such today and it got great feedback,” but few people can. But theater artists and administrators may be documenting their work more than they realize. Think of all the e-mails that get exchanged during the preparation of a show and it’s run: back-and-forth conversations between members of the creative team, marketing ideas, grant proposals, notes from patrons, etc. Some of these things might actually be GREAT blog entries – if the conversation is succinct and informative, or passionate and from the heart, readers will probably respond to them. Things that may look like ephemera might actually have value as documents. It obviously depends on how much transparency a group is comfortable with, but people might be comfortable with more than they realize.
For example, many productions will have post-show audience talkbacks, particularly when they involve hot-button issues. Some might be geared toward the make-up of that evening’s particular audience. A company could simply have its sound/iPod expert record that discussion, and if it’s lively and interesting, it could be a natural MP3 or “Podcast” entry. I’ve noticed that several people want to know and record how their work is received in the community – that might be a start.
Plus, once you get the hang of it, it’s totally easy. Give or take a spelling mistake or two.
Gathering Quiz - Monday
Question: Who had the most fun during the post-lunch/early afternoon period?
a.) The folks participating in NaCl's workshop, a memory-based movement game that involved running around a greenspace in an increasingly complex pattern;
b.) The folks who participated in Mondo Bizarro's workshop, an improv game (tentatively called "Triplets and Sextets") that involved improving rhythmic musical patterns and providing variations on them;
c.) The members of Strike Anywhere, rehearsing their John Lennon-inspired performance in the lodge?
I spent part of that time trying to get a signal on the laptop, then posting blog entries on the porch of the Ping Pong room, with the heady perfume of mothballs wafting from the window. So I'll just disqualify myself.
a.) The folks participating in NaCl's workshop, a memory-based movement game that involved running around a greenspace in an increasingly complex pattern;
b.) The folks who participated in Mondo Bizarro's workshop, an improv game (tentatively called "Triplets and Sextets") that involved improving rhythmic musical patterns and providing variations on them;
c.) The members of Strike Anywhere, rehearsing their John Lennon-inspired performance in the lodge?
I spent part of that time trying to get a signal on the laptop, then posting blog entries on the porch of the Ping Pong room, with the heady perfume of mothballs wafting from the window. So I'll just disqualify myself.
A Viable Caffeine Substitute
We found out this morning that we are discouraged from taking coffee out of the dining hall, and from entering the dining hall outside of mealtime. So how are we supposed to function with such limited access to coffee? I’m used to knocking back several cups of black coffee from roughly 7:30 – 10 a.m. each morning. This isn’t one of those cult-inspired brainwashing techniques, is it? ;-)
From listening to our keynote address this morning, a good supplement (if not substitute) for morning caffeine is Mark Valdez. In 2005 I was a Fellow in the National Endowment of the Arts Institute for Theater Critics, and Ben Cameron at the time still with the TCG, spoke with us one morning. Ben is a great evangelist for theater, articulating the challenges the art form faces while firing up the crowd to meet those challenges. (Several people at lunch were talking about Ben’s gifts as a motivational speaker,)
Mark proves comparably gifted, and may even have a more infectious enthusiasm and sense of good cheer. Mark quoted Ben Cameron by saying “It’s no longer quality, it’s value of the arts” that is it’s crucial thing in America right now. He evoked Thomas Friedman’s book ‘The World is Flat’ and compared the current state of the arts to the state of global economics, that it’s shifting to “something wilder, something more energizing and infinitely more satisfying to the individual participants.” And in raising the question “What does it mean to be an artist in a time of war?” he found an answer in a lyric from Jonathan Larson’s ‘Rent’: “The opposite of war is not peace, it’s creation.”
A refrain in Mark’s address was the impulse and desire to change the world for the better. As “the research and development wing of American theater,” ensemble theaters are at the point of both finding new forms of theatrical language and engaging with the community in new ways. We’ll put the full text of Mark’s address on-line, but I’ll say this: it cleared out the cobwebs as good as any cup of coffee.
Curt
From listening to our keynote address this morning, a good supplement (if not substitute) for morning caffeine is Mark Valdez. In 2005 I was a Fellow in the National Endowment of the Arts Institute for Theater Critics, and Ben Cameron at the time still with the TCG, spoke with us one morning. Ben is a great evangelist for theater, articulating the challenges the art form faces while firing up the crowd to meet those challenges. (Several people at lunch were talking about Ben’s gifts as a motivational speaker,)
Mark proves comparably gifted, and may even have a more infectious enthusiasm and sense of good cheer. Mark quoted Ben Cameron by saying “It’s no longer quality, it’s value of the arts” that is it’s crucial thing in America right now. He evoked Thomas Friedman’s book ‘The World is Flat’ and compared the current state of the arts to the state of global economics, that it’s shifting to “something wilder, something more energizing and infinitely more satisfying to the individual participants.” And in raising the question “What does it mean to be an artist in a time of war?” he found an answer in a lyric from Jonathan Larson’s ‘Rent’: “The opposite of war is not peace, it’s creation.”
A refrain in Mark’s address was the impulse and desire to change the world for the better. As “the research and development wing of American theater,” ensemble theaters are at the point of both finding new forms of theatrical language and engaging with the community in new ways. We’ll put the full text of Mark’s address on-line, but I’ll say this: it cleared out the cobwebs as good as any cup of coffee.
Curt
There's no tradition like a new tradition
Apparently, one of the traditions of Camp Winnebago is to end every evening with the song “Good Night Winnebago,” while the assembled campers throw their arms around each other and sway awkwardly. Unless some of the long-time Irondale campers were just pulling our legs. Either way, mission accomplished last night,
While the board members held their meeting for upwards of four (!) hours, many of the rest of us played "The Song Game," emceed by Michael-David Gordon. In all honesty, Group Four may have been the best competitors, coming up with "Hungry Like The Wolf" for songs about animals and "Particle Man" for songs about science. (And I'm not biased -- I'm saying that as a member of Group Three.) However, since the camp was founded in 1919, there’s a tradition to end every game with the score “19-19.” So last night, the four teams competing in “The Song Game” ended with a four-way tie of 19-19-19-19,
At breakfast, Laurie McCants mentioned that, following a busy time of year (which involved putting on a puppet show from an Egyptian company), she took some workshops for herself. I frequently see that attitude in artists and creative people and think it's great: to refresh yourself not just by relaxing and chilling out (I think "chillaxin'") is the new, instantly-dated slang term), but learning a new skill-set, or just dabbling in something creative, The idea to restore yourself by educating yourself strikes me as a terrific virtue. This retreat puts that notion into practice: not only are we enjoying an unbelievably gorgeous setting, but we're learning new things and passing along shared experiences.
And we may come up with some new NET traditions along the way,
Curt
While the board members held their meeting for upwards of four (!) hours, many of the rest of us played "The Song Game," emceed by Michael-David Gordon. In all honesty, Group Four may have been the best competitors, coming up with "Hungry Like The Wolf" for songs about animals and "Particle Man" for songs about science. (And I'm not biased -- I'm saying that as a member of Group Three.) However, since the camp was founded in 1919, there’s a tradition to end every game with the score “19-19.” So last night, the four teams competing in “The Song Game” ended with a four-way tie of 19-19-19-19,
At breakfast, Laurie McCants mentioned that, following a busy time of year (which involved putting on a puppet show from an Egyptian company), she took some workshops for herself. I frequently see that attitude in artists and creative people and think it's great: to refresh yourself not just by relaxing and chilling out (I think "chillaxin'") is the new, instantly-dated slang term), but learning a new skill-set, or just dabbling in something creative, The idea to restore yourself by educating yourself strikes me as a terrific virtue. This retreat puts that notion into practice: not only are we enjoying an unbelievably gorgeous setting, but we're learning new things and passing along shared experiences.
And we may come up with some new NET traditions along the way,
Curt
Unofficial welcome
It's 7:20 p.m. on Sunday night and with luck, most of the NET attendees are already here. I'm typing this on Mark's laptop at the lodge -- options for electricity between relatively limited. While the board members cover the official business in their meeting starting at 7:45, everyone else is invited to play a game called "The Song Game," which is reportedly a Camp Winnebago tradition, Apparently the team who knows (and can sing) the most songs within a given theme (without repeating them) will win. Given that 75 theater people are expected for the NET retreat, many of whom no doubt have musical theater backgrounds, the game could last all night.
It certainly strikes me as a great "getting-to-know-you-exercise," which, in a larger sense, is part of the whole point of getting together. Already people have been telling me about the importance of relating shared experiences and picking each other's brains. In the shuttle ride from the airport, I heard a fascinating conversation between Damon, Mildred and John about doing plays that represent remembrances of national tragedies like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Sitting on the porch just now, Mark told me that one of the goals for this meeting was communications. How can NET facilitate communications with its member ensemble theaters? Of all the different varieties of internet connectivity, which would best help NET members help each other? It'll be fascinating to hear some of the solutions to this, and Camp Winnebago looks to be the ideal backdrop.
I heard the bugle call for happy hour a about 90 minutes ago, and it was that classic "call to the post" fanfare we've all heard at horse races and at the top of "Guys and Dolls." Maybe we'll sing "Fugue for Tinhorns" before the retreat is over. I have a hunch some of the people will know it.
Curt
(Posted 9:15 a.m. Monday)
It certainly strikes me as a great "getting-to-know-you-exercise," which, in a larger sense, is part of the whole point of getting together. Already people have been telling me about the importance of relating shared experiences and picking each other's brains. In the shuttle ride from the airport, I heard a fascinating conversation between Damon, Mildred and John about doing plays that represent remembrances of national tragedies like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Sitting on the porch just now, Mark told me that one of the goals for this meeting was communications. How can NET facilitate communications with its member ensemble theaters? Of all the different varieties of internet connectivity, which would best help NET members help each other? It'll be fascinating to hear some of the solutions to this, and Camp Winnebago looks to be the ideal backdrop.
I heard the bugle call for happy hour a about 90 minutes ago, and it was that classic "call to the post" fanfare we've all heard at horse races and at the top of "Guys and Dolls." Maybe we'll sing "Fugue for Tinhorns" before the retreat is over. I have a hunch some of the people will know it.
Curt
(Posted 9:15 a.m. Monday)
Saturday, September 1, 2007
It's NET Gathering eve
It's Saturday night and with luck, by this time tomorrow, most of us will be at Camp Winnebago in Maine, settling in, getting to know each other and negotiating over who gets to sleep in which bunk bed.
Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Curt Holman and I'm a staff writer for the alt-weekly newspaper Creative Loafing Atlanta, and I also keep a Livejournal blog (see below). During the retreat I'll be writing blog posts, interviewing people, sitting in on meetings, taking notes, summing things up and generally acting as a kind of "recording secretary" for the event. I've never been as far north as Maine, nor did I ever go to summer camp, so I'm excited about the retreat.
The day Mark contacted me about attending the event, Atlanta was at the tail end of a heat wave of 100+ degrees days. The weather in Maine promises to be a little different. According to Weather Underground’s web site for Fayette,Maine
Anyway, to everyone who's traveling tomorrow, I wish you best of luck, arrive early to the airport and bring something good to read. I look forward to meeting you all face-to-face.
By the way, if any of you has suggestions for things to bring on woodland camping trips (in Maine or otherwise), or, for that matter, for things that are handy to have when NET members get-together, be sure to mention it in a comment on this post.
Added later:
The Creative Loafing URL is
Atlanta.creativeloafing.com
(or Google Creative Loafing Atlanta)
and my Livejournal blog is
curt-holman.livejournal.com
(Or Google "Loud, Honking Dignity")
Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Curt Holman and I'm a staff writer for the alt-weekly newspaper Creative Loafing Atlanta, and I also keep a Livejournal blog (see below). During the retreat I'll be writing blog posts, interviewing people, sitting in on meetings, taking notes, summing things up and generally acting as a kind of "recording secretary" for the event. I've never been as far north as Maine, nor did I ever go to summer camp, so I'm excited about the retreat.
The day Mark contacted me about attending the event, Atlanta was at the tail end of a heat wave of 100+ degrees days. The weather in Maine promises to be a little different. According to Weather Underground’s web site for Fayette,
Sunday: High of 76 degrees, low of 51 degrees (Sunny)
Monday: High of 81 degrees, low of 54 degrees (30 percent chance of rain)
Tuesday: High of 71 degrees, low of 46 degrees (Partly cloudy)
Anyway, to everyone who's traveling tomorrow, I wish you best of luck, arrive early to the airport and bring something good to read. I look forward to meeting you all face-to-face.
By the way, if any of you has suggestions for things to bring on woodland camping trips (in Maine or otherwise), or, for that matter, for things that are handy to have when NET members get-together, be sure to mention it in a comment on this post.
Added later:
The Creative Loafing URL is
Atlanta.creativeloafing.com
(or Google Creative Loafing Atlanta)
and my Livejournal blog is
curt-holman.livejournal.com
(Or Google "Loud, Honking Dignity")
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