TCG National Conference 2007 - Breakout Sessions
Saturday 9-10:15am
Artistic Sessions
Experimental Collectives: Case Studies in Creative Process
Moderated by: Kate Warner, TCG board; Artistic
Director, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company
Participants: Alan Berks, Co-Director,
Thirst; Paul Herwig and Jennifer Ilse,
Co-Artistic Directors, Off-Leash Area; Gülgün
Kayim, Co-Founder and Co-Artistic/Managing Director, Skewed
Visions; Megan Odell, Co-Artistic Director, Live
Action Set
Innovative theatre-making and presentations abound in the Twin Cities—and
they’re not happening in your average theatre setting. Join
some of the Cities’ hottest young site specific, hybrid physical
theatre companies for an exploration of their techniques and creative
processes. A session featuring the work of Live Action Set, Skewed
Visions, Thirst and Off-Leash Area.
A Night at the Theatre: Making Each Show a Unique Event
Moderated by: Sean Daniels, Associate Artistic
Director, Actors Theatre of Louisville
Participants: Jennifer Bielstein,
Managing Director, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Kyle Gorden,
Producing Director, The Civilians; Melanie Joseph,
Producing Artistic Director, Foundry Theatre; Rachel Kraft,
Executive Director, Lookingglass Theatre; Jason Neulander,
Artistic Director, Salvage Vanguard Theater
How do we ensure that each show is a unique event for our audiences,
not just another day in the office? How do we avoid programming
a season that is just about survival? How do we get audiences interested
in a show or artist they don’t already know? What are the
“gateway drugs” we’re using to get people in,
and how are we convincing them to come back?
Innovations in New Play Development
Moderated by Liz Engelman
Participants: Nancy Barnett, Managing
Director, Florida Stage; Polly Carl, Artistic Director,
Playwrights’ Center; Lue Douthit, Director
of Literary Management and Dramaturgy, Oregon Shakespeare Festival;
Peter DuBois, Associate Producer, the Public Theater,
Edward Sobel, Director of New Play Development,
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
What are the new models in new play development? This session will
include an exploration of some great new trends in the field, including
involving the audience in the development of work, National New
Play Network’s Continued Life of New Plays Fund, and playwright
organizations serving as “literary manager at large”
for resident theatres.
Passing the Torch: Young Artists Forging Into the Future
Participants: Recipients of the New Generations
Future Leaders Program, Round Six (Rueben Echoles,
Black Ensemble Theatre; Sunder Ganglani, The Foundry
Theatre; Daniel Jackson, Jump-Start Performance
Company; Jeff Janisheski, Classic Stage Company;
Autumn Knight, Alley Theatre; Ife Okwumabua,
Youth Ensemble of Atlanta; Martina Plag, Mum Puppettheatre;
Randy Reyes, Mu Performing Arts; Megan
Smith, INTAR Theatre)
It’s a burning question on the minds of many young artists
and administrators in the field: do you forge a new road, start
a new theatre with your own vision, or do you try to make a name
for yourself within the theatres that are already established, and
aim to lead one of those someday? If you take on an established
theatre, how do you lead that theatre with your own vision? This
session will explore some of the pros and cons of both options,
given the current economy and state of the field.
International Sessions
Crossing Borders: Case Studies in Translation
Moderated by Caridad Svich
Participants: Andy Bragen, and Kyoko
Yoshida, Vengeance Can Wait, The Playwrights’
Center; Del Hamilton and Ismail Conner,
In the Solitude of Cottonfields, 7 Stages; Bobby
Theodore, Andy Bragen, Kyoko Yoshida
The creation and presentation of international theatre
requires a crossing of cultural and linguistic borders, and the
first step in this process is a good translation. Directors, translators
and playwrights share their cross-cultural experiences—from
the early conversations about style and substance to the work onstage.
Framing International Work for American Audiences
Moderated by Elissa Adams
Participants: Ellen Gavin, Executive/Artistic
Director, Brava Theatre Center; Barclay Goldsmith,
Producing Artistic Director, Borderlands Theater; Kate Leowald;
Jim Nicola, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop
How do you demystify work from another country for American audiences?
How do you retain the integrity of the original work while providing
points of access for viewers? Are supertitles the answer? Artists
and producers share their thoughts and experiences about what’s
worked and what hasn’t.
Management Sessions
Social Media: New Technologies in Practice
Participants: Erika Block, blockwork
and Brad Carlin, Associate Managing Director, SITI
company
Podcasting. Video blogging. Wikis. Tagging. RSS. Distributed collaboration.
Web 2.0. Digital convergence. Online communities. You’ve heard
the words, but what do they really mean for theatre makers and producers?
This session defines emerging technology concepts and tools, and
discusses SITI Company’s new project with blockwork, SITI’s
Extended Ensemble (SEE). SEE uses social media to build and strengthen
a community of artists and audiences, using an ensemble theatre
context to bridge virtual and “real” worlds. You’ll
come away with a basic understanding of the words that are buzzing
around us, along with resources for continued exploration.
Innovations in New Income Development
Rebecca Hunter, Producing Director, Redmoon Theater
This session will explore innovative ways in which organizations
are developing new streams of income to provide financial resources
for their work. Learn about how new income ideas are hatched; how
to determine if a particular venture is worth the time and effort;
how to structure these income development activities within your
organization; and how to evaluate their non-cash benefits. Hear
from a range of theatres on their successful models.
Collaborations and Co-Productions
Moderated by Michael Maso, Managing Director, Huntington
Theatre Company
Participants: Deborah M. Cullinan,
Executive Director, Intersection for the Arts; David Ira
Goldstein, Artistic Director, Arizona Theatre Company;
Victoria Nolan, Managing Director, Yale Repertory
Theatre
Are collaborations and co-productions are becoming more and more
prevalent in our field? What are successful models of co-productions,
from a business standpoint as well as an artistic standpoint? What
is the value created by a co-production, aside from the financial?
Casting Tomorrow’s Leadership
Moderated by Rick Shiomi, Artistic Director,
Mu Performing Arts
Participants: Gary Anderson, Artistic
Director, Plowshares Theatre Company; Eduardo Machado,
Artistic Director, INTAR Theatre; Jack Reuler,
Artistic Director, Mixed Blood Theatre Company
It’s a well-known issue: the theatre field today does not
fully reflect the face of America. Where do race, culture, disability,
gender and other issues of diversity intersect with the selection
of our field’s leadership? What are we, as a field, doing
to encourage the theatrical careers of an inclusive pool of potential
leaders? What decisions can theatres make to improve the situation
for future generations? A conversation about where we should be
and how to get there.
Free Night of Theater: An Audience Development Update
Participants: Mark Gordon, Web
Director, Theatre Communications Group; Philip Matthews,
Director of Communications, Theatre Communications Group; Mark
Shugoll, Chief Executive Officer, Shugoll Research
Audience development has long been identified as one of the most
pressing needs of the American not-for-profit theatre field. At
TCG’s National Conference in Milwaukee in 2003, TCG and its
members agreed on the necessity of positioning theatre as a viable,
exciting alternative for entertainment and social interaction. The
Free Night of Theater initiative created a collaborative national
program to reach out to future audiences to build a healthier not
for profit theatre sector. Philip Matthews, Mark Gordon and Mark
Shugoll report on exciting new data and analysis of the 2006 program,
share “best practices” program management models, and
provide an update on the significant program success from 2005 when
one out of three new theatregoers returned to purchase tickets following
their Free Night experience. TCG will also introduce the 2007 national
program expansion plan and debut the 2007 national Free Night media
campaign.
Unfulfilled Potential: Professional and Academic Theatre Collaborations
Moderated by Roger Copeland, Professor
of Theatre, Oberlin College
Participants: Shirley Fishman,
Associate Artistic Director, La Jolla Playhouse; Greg Johnson,
Artistic Director, Montana Repertory Theatre; Calvin MacLean,
Producing Artistic Director, Clarence Brown Theatre Company; Leslie
Shook, Theatre Manager, Head of Theatre Management Department,
The Theatre School at DePaul University, Scott L. Steele,
Executive Director, U/RTA
What are the possibilities for professional theatres to collaborate
with universities and academic departments? How can the resources
of theatres and colleges/universities be leveraged for mutual benefit?
This session will explore the exciting potential to be found in
creating this kind of ongoing partnership between an academic institution
and professional theatre.
Governance Sessions
Keeping your Board Artistically Engaged
Participants: Douglas Brown,
Board Chair, Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Charles Dillingham,
Managing Director, Center Theatre Group; Jasson Minidakis,
Artistic Director, Marin Theatre Company
How can board members best support and contribute to the artistic
mission of the theatre? TCG’s past several Fall Forums on
governance have encouraged trustees to focus on the art, understand
the artistic process and be good advocates for the work produced
by their theatres. What are some models of board development focused
on the artistic process? How can we engage our trustees in the artistic
process while balancing their interest with the artistic leadership
of the theatre?
Education Sessions
Striking the Balance: Education Departments Working to Support Mission and Community
Corey Madden, Producing Director, PLAY, Center
Theatre Group; Dawn McAndrews, The Shakespeare
Theatre Company; Jeff Church, Artistic Director,
Coterie Theatre
How do resident theatres support the development of young artists?
What are the most effective means to build future audiences? How
do we develop the most effective programs for our organizations
and our community? A lively conversation encompassing the often
difficult balancing act for education departments to support both
artistic mission and community needs to secure funding.
Working with Young Actors: New Ideas, New Definitions
Moderated by John Dillon, Sarah Lawrence College
Participants: Susan Booth, TCG
Board, Artistic Director, Alliance Theatre; Marion McClinton;
Chay Yew, TCG Board,
Playwright/Director
No two plays are the same today, and so it follows that not all
acting programs should be the same. Some artists and educators are
experimenting with new ways of training young actors. This case
study presents several different approaches to creating work with
youth.