Opening the Conversation

Hello Everyone-

So when I made this space private about two weeks ago, I expected there to be a flood of communication back and forth between everybody. Obviously that didn't happen. It turns out that everyone was waiting on me. I was waiting on everyone else. So, ha ha, jokes on me. Let's talk.

Beth should be e-mailing the "artistic board" the minutes from the meetings we are having. She will be the operational person, the "managing director" if you will. She is a wonderful Production Manager and she will be handling all communication of duties, updates, calender, etc.

So this forum on myspace will be used for the more abstract side of things. Ideas. I want to talk ideas with everyone about the company on here. It will be an open thread blog and please feel free to respond as often as you like so that a real conversation or dialogue can happen. I will try and add something everyday, but can not promise that always. Most likely what will happen is that I will post a question and leave it to everyone else to run with it.

So for the beginning idea i'm going to post a list of things that I sent out to the "board" after our first meeting. It is a list of long term goals for the company. This is a beginning, I want your imput so that this list can grow.

Long Term Goals for the Company.

· Monday night performances for other theatres. Barter shows. We perform for free for other theatres in return for seeing and supporting their shows for free.

· Free theatre night for anyone who has not seen a show of ours before. Join with other theatres to market and plan shows that wouldn't conflict with each other.

· Have industrial publishing printers to be able to print programs, posters, marketing, and also educational materials (ie. Books, Journals) Also for extra income. Printing business on side. A non-profit can own and operate a for profit company. Publish and copywright our own plays.

· Retreat each summer to work on various scripts for the coming year. Train in our own style new actors and keep existing actors fresh. Invite people we want to work with, playwrights, designers, producers to see the work and maybe contribute.

· Everyone helps train one another. Encourage everyone to learn new things and bring it back and train others. Actors learning to design, dancers teaching designers, everyone teaching each other for the betterment of the company. If someone learns flamenco dance, somehow flamenco dance can make its way into the show.

· Passport. Instead of a subscription, have a passport for the season. For a low flat fee ( to be determined) you can see any show on the season for $5-$15. You also get invited to passport only events. Meet the cast, talk backs, backstage tours, educational packets, invites and discounts to other theatres or arts events, restaurants, etc.

· For an additional fee to the ticket price, you can stay afterwards for a "club". Dance on stage (sometimes on set if feasible) with theatre lights, sound system, DJ, and Bar. Theatrical atmosphere, themed events.

· Get a liquor license and have a bar

· Never let the stage go dark. If we aren't performing or rehearsing, have bands, improve, fundraisers, parties, etc.

· Fundraisers and parties. Have one giant ArtsGala type fundraiser for the season with themes, performances, food, drinks, auctions. Other parties for board members, passport holders, arts organizations, companies that give grants. Smaller fundraisers for individual shows.

· Tours. Tour productions for profit around the region. Also tour productions in schools around the area. As part of our educational outreach do workshops and teaching gigs in relation to the shows. Tours get 1 weekend and money for performance in our space.

· Classes at the theatre for kids and adults in our system and in other specialized things (shakepeare, Movement, dance, Voice/Speech, design)

· In school workshops not only on our shows but also about their curriculum

· Have a gallery in the theatre. Rotating exhibits in conjuction with the shows being performed.

· Dance studio for dance company to operate out of, rent.

· Restaurant

· Children's shows. A separate division that just deals with children's theatre.

· Start shows on time (8:05 say) at 8:00 we release any open or unclaimed seats to students for a smaller fee.

· Pay what you can (money wise) or Pay what you can (canned goods) nights. One theatre gives you the option of paying $15-$20 now, or taking the option of rolling 5 dice and paying that amount. You could get a ticket for $5 or end up paying $30, fun with risk.

· Equity pay for non equity actors? Treat everyone the same?

· Talk backs after the show. Either Forum style with the characters or with the actors, director, playwright, designers.

· Rehearse in the same space we perform.

· Tech week doesn't exist. Tech is as integral a part of rehearsal as blocking. Set is there as close to day one as possible, same with sound and props. If anything gets added toward the end it would be lights and costumes, unless they are paramount to a productions flow in rehearsal.

· Play bake offs. Paula Vogel started this and tries to forward this concept of a group or writers getting together and riffing on a theme. Say Los Angeles. They mention the things that come to mind when you say L.A. ( Motels, plastic body parts, Palm trees, smog, convertibles, etc.) they each then go off alone and write separate shows with all those same themes. So they are writing separate shows, but really several versions of the same show. I did this somewhat for my Columbia audition. Seeing everyones work together, 4 minute pieces, could have been turned into one larger work. There were thematic lines that ran through them.

· Beat! I participated in one of the most amazing things at Governors School. It was called Beat! The Actors, Dancers, Percussionists, Artists, and Poets/Writers all got together for a full days worth of making art. The Percussionists started playing the Dancers and actors started Jamming/Viewpointing. The Artists painted or sculpted what they saw. The Poets/writers wrote what they saw or felt. At the end of the very long and awesome day. The actors and dancers ended up performing the writers work while incorporating the artists work. This could be turned into an annual or semi-annual event. A wonderful way of creating community through art. We could charge for a ticket to the entire day- come and go as you please. Or just a ticket for the nights performance of the days work. Turn it into a block party or arts festival. Get everyone involved. Even the audience can be particpants. It was one of the most exhilarating and scary experiences I have taken part in.

Thoughts...........?