The Value of a Theatre Community

The Value of a Theatre Community

by | Oct 2, 2024 | Inspiration, NPD, Theater

 

The Need for an “Artistic Home”

Theatre is an especially collaborative art. It takes a dedicated creative team to create, develop and produce new work, and always have. Today, collaboration often happens on Zoom, one of the benefits from the pandemic. However, the definition of theater is “live” and must happen first with the creative team, then with the actors and audience in the same space.

As it stands now, a three-week rehearsal schedule is built for commercial success, not development. What’s needed is an “artistic home” to serve as a nurturing ground, to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation, with other trusted artists.

What is an “artistic home”?

An artistic home, to me, is a supportive environment for theatre artists to explore and experiment with new ideas. It offers a ‘safe space’ where artists can take risks, challenge conventions, and push the limits of their creativity, without fear of judgment, crucial for the development of groundbreaking and transformative work.

Moreover, an artistic home can allow theatre artists a place to collaborate and exchange ideas with a variety of other artists – playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and technicians – within a framework of critical resources and support. Funding, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities are crucial for artists to overcome financial and logistical challenges that hinder the creation of new work.

A true artistic home fosters a sense of belonging, an identity of professionalism, and provides concrete networking channels leading towards production.

CreateTheater is a Theater Community

I’ve founded CreateTheater to be this community for theater artists.

This year so far we’ve:

  • Hosted the CreateTheater New Works Festival Reading Series to give an audience to developing new plays and musicals
  • Provided two residencies that financed two readings, one new play and one new musical
  • Provided networking and mentorship opportunities to both CreateTheater and ETC members
  • Provided dramaturgy and development to 42 new plays and musicals this year
  • Workshopped twelve new musicals with industry experts in our SMASH IT! musical workshops
  • Pitching opportunities to Tony-award winning producers and to artistic directors
  • Created writing groups, workshops and social events to grow your industry connections
  • I pitched 12 scripts to a company for touring and licensing
  • We locked down a large studio to present readings and development space for new projects
  • Creating a cabaret for our first-ever fundraiser (stay tuned)

Need to experiment with form? Let’s do it. What about trying out your latest draft with actors, to see if what you have on the page is working? That’s different than a typical reading, where you invite others in to see the work, or a cold “pizza reading” that you plan with friends to get some feedback. I’ve been to two cold musical readings with minimal prep time, that were absolutely outstanding. We’re now trying to help the work go forward.

I’m proud that CreateTheater has been considered an artistic home for our writers,  as it’s playing a vital role in nurturing new scripts and fostering artistic development. The New Works Festival has proven to be a platform for artists to showcase their work, gain exposure, and receive critical feedback from their peers and industry professionals, helping these artists to refine their craft, develop their unique artistic voice, and establish themselves within the professional theatre community.

I also want to say, as an artist with both a BFA and an MFA, that forming your artistic vision among other established artists gives you a foundation to become, in time, an established artist yourself. Mindset matters; community matters. People you trust to hear your work and offer feedback, matters.

An artistic home, within an engaged theater community, is essential to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation. A supportive and nurturing environment can allow artists to explore new ideas, collaborate with peers, access resources, nurture emerging talent, and push the boundaries of our art form. By investing in such places, we not only empower theatre artists in the 21st century but also contribute to the growth and evolution of theatre as an art form – which needs some help right now.

Let’s Develop New Work Together

I’ve created CreateTheater as a space where artists can challenge traditional norms and conventions and create some groundbreaking and thought-provoking work. Whenever you gather creative people in a singular space, some wild things can happen… especially in a theatrical hotspot like NYC. The people are here. Is your work here? It needs to be, even if you live somewhere else.

Last spring I offered a free Collaboration Event to introduce creatives to each other online (where we’re providing the space to make their work happen in November), and people have been asking me to start up the ‘Cocktail Hours” that I held during lockdown. So, I’m starting it up again. Would you like to participate? Come join us on the last Sunday of the month, October 27th at 2pm EST.

Join our email list for the link and to stay “in the know” here.

Any other ideas? There will be a “Welcome to CreateTheater and ETC” meet-and-greet webinar on October 29th at 7pm EST. Stop by and meet us and see what we’re all about!

 

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The Need for an Artistic Home

The Need for an Artistic Home

by | Aug 6, 2024 | Inspiration, NPD, Theater

 

The Need for an “Artistic Home”

Theatre is an especially collaborative art. It truly takes a village to create, develop and produce new work, and that needs to happen face-to-face, with a collaboration of artists that know, like and trust each other. Yes, collaboration can and does happen on Zoom; that has been a decided beneficial outcome from the pandemic. However, theater is “live” and must happen with the actors and audience in the same space.

Theatre’s professional developmental path, as it stands now with its three-week rehearsal schedule, is built for commercial success more than development. What’s needed is an “artistic home” to serve as a nurturing ground, to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation, with other trusted artists.

An artistic home can provides a supportive environment for theatre artists to explore and experiment with new ideas. It offers a ‘safe space’ where they can take risks, challenge conventions, and push the limits of their artistic abilities. This freedom to explore and create without fear of judgment or failure is crucial for the development of groundbreaking and transformative work.

Moreover, an artistic home allows theatre artists to collaborate and exchange ideas with like-minded individuals. It brings together a diverse community of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and technicians, fostering a rich and stimulating environment for artistic collaboration. It also can provide critical resources and support necessary for the development of new work, with funding, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities, empowering artists to overcome financial and logistical challenges that often hinder the creation of new work.

It fosters a sense of belonging, an identity of professionalism, and provides concrete networking channels leading towards production.

Need to experiment with form? Let’s do it. What about trying out your latest draft with actors, to see if what you have on the page is working? That’s different than a typical reading, where you invite others in to see the work, or a cold “pizza reading” that you plan with friends to get some feedback. I’ve been to two cold musical readings with minimal prep time, that are absolutely outstanding, and we’re now trying to help the work go forward.

I’m proud that CreateTheater has been considered an artistic home for our writers,  as it’s playing a vital role in nurturing new scripts and fostering artistic development. The New Works Festival has proven to be a platform for artists to showcase their work, gain exposure, and receive critical feedback from their peers and industry professionals, helping these artists to refine their craft, develop their unique artistic voice, and establish themselves within the professional theatre community.

I also want to say, as an artist with both a BFA and an MFA, that forming your artistic vision among other more established artists gives you a foundation to become, in time, an established artist yourself. Mindset matters; community matters. People you trust to hear your work and offer feedback, matters.

An artistic home  is essential to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation. A supportive and nurturing environment can allow artists to explore new ideas, collaborate with peers, access resources, nurture emerging talent, and push the boundaries of our art form. By investing in such places, we not only empower theatre artists in the 21st century but also contribute to the growth and evolution of theatre as an art form – which needs some help right now.

Let’s Develop New Work Together

I’ve created a space where artists can challenge traditional norms and conventions and create some groundbreaking and thought-provoking work. Whenever you gather creative people in a singular space, some wild things can happen… especially in a theatrical hotspot like NYC. The people are here. Are you?

Last spring I offered a free Collaboration Event to introduce creatives to each other online, and people have been asking me to start up the ‘Cocktail Hours” that I held during lockdown. So, I’m starting it up again. Would you like to participate?

Any other ideas? There will be a “Welcome to CreateTheater and ETC” in the works for August 29, so you can meet us and see what we’re all about then.

I’d love to hear your thoughts as I continue to figure out ways to help all of us develop and produce theater in this ever-changing environment. 

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The Artist Isolation Problem

The Artist Isolation Problem

by | Jul 30, 2024 | Community, NPD, Theater

I saved a research study from last fall that I stumbled upon again, that gave stats for overall employment rates in Arts graduates. The research was conducted by Sunil Iyengar, the Director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. As I am both an artist and an advocate for other artists, I was interested in hearing the findings.

Unsurprisingly, the quick study found an overall loss of employment of artists. Interestingly, those having a college degree in an arts-related field were more likely to be employed in those fields than those who did not hold a BFA/MFA degree. Happy news as a person holding a BFA in Acting/Directing and an MFA in Dramaturgy! However, it also suggested to me that those artists who knew in their bones they were artists were able to sustain employment in the field over the long term. When your art is integral to your identity, you keep creating art.

Also interesting to me was that when the study segregated the results on artists’ participation in their art roughly by age (early career artists were those in their 20s, more established artists were in their 30s through 50s, and late career artists that were in their 60s or 70s) it highlighted the effects of the pandemic on artists.

In general, after the pandemic the study found that:

  • early career artists had a hard time building new connections in their field and were struggling to even maintain those they previously had pre-pandemic.
  • more established artists in their 30s through 50s were generally better connected, and were using those connections to gather in person or discuss art, network and socialize, but weren’t building new networks.
  • late career artists felt largely isolated in their work and personal lives, even though they seemed adept at using social media during the pandemic; they  were still “losing touch with existing professional connections that they had before the pandemic” more than the other age demographics.

In other words, despite the general experience of isolation that we all felt as a result of the pandemic, older artists were already working in the gig economy, and had weathered the last two economic recessions – but there was a “perceived loss of community and collegiality” that came with a “perceived loss of professional opportunity and collective artistic creativity in a digital professional landscape.”

Conclusions?

The study emphasized the importance of serendipity and regular encounters with others as critical to artistic career development, especially those that occur in person in their local professional communities, and encouraged all artists to “gather in person or discuss art, network and socialize.” *

Note the key words “in person.”

My take – artists of every age need to connect, especially to connect in person – but online communities can facilitate those connections, friendships and professional networking.

CreateTheater is a Community of TheatreMakers

From the very beginning CreateTheater has been an online community. I began the company to work with writers across three continents in 2015, on Zoom; soon they began helping each others in Zoom readings, which were almost unheard of at the time. Needless to say, were were ready to go when the world shut down in 2020. Each Monday throughout that year we had a developmental reading on. Zoom, given freely to many different writers just to keep them moving forward (and sane). It established CreateTheater as an online theatre develmental community.

People have told me that they miss the monthly online cocktail parties where people could meet in a fun format and talk about their work at the “cocktail tables” (known as Zoom rooms). We stopped doing these at the end of 2020 when our Zoom readings were Zoom-bombed at the end of 2020 (a traumatic experience if you’ve never experienced it), but I think as a space to network and meet people these cocktail parties were really helpful.

In January 2021 I began our resident writers’ company The Experts Theater Company, aka as ETC (a loving hat tip to Ellen Stewart, the original La MaMa, who has always served as my theatrical role model). Today ETC is a vibrant writers’ residency where writers get to know each other in writers groups, producing groups, and monthly developmental and networking opportunities. It is truly what I had hoped it would be: an “Artistic Home” that supports the creation of new work in a community of artists who encourage, instruct and inspire each other and form strong friendships and collaborations.

As a producer I’m 100% committed to creating producing opportunities for members to see their work on stage, which is why the New Works Festival is such a success.

Creating Theater is Creating Producing Opportunities

As I often say, everything I do is about developing and producing the new work created by these ETC artists. All of my programs – the New Work Festival, the Cabaret Festival, the producing partnerships – are centered around creating oppoortunities for these member artists. I do open up opportunities at times for non-ETC artists, but knowing my members’ work and being able to contribute dramaturgically to the creation of their scripts helps me to talk authentically and enthusiastically about  them, all the time.

I’ve decided to open up the cocktail hours again to anyone who is a theatre maker, of any stripe, including directors and designers. We all learn from each other. It’s also in the summer that I open the doors to new members, and I’m reading new submissions now for the 2024-25 ETC membership and for our developmental partnerships. We’re also planning the 2024 CreateTheater Cabaret Festival, the 2025 CreateTheater New Works Festival, as well as our Smash It! Musical Workshops.

As to the in-person thing, I will continue the summer and Christmas parties that are open to members. but I also believe that we can still connect online, to network, create and collaborate. But look for new in-person opportunities to support you as well, in light of and in consideration of this study.

Have ideas? I’d love to hear them! Reach out to me at cate@createtheater.com

And don’t forget to submit your scripts to createtheater.com/submissions. I want to get to know both you and your work 🙂

* Check out the study for yourself here.

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Making Theatre in a Changing World

Making Theatre in a Changing World

by | Jul 3, 2024 | Inspiration, NPD, Theater

Any Way the Wind Blows

Weather ain’t the way it was beforeAin’t no spring or fall at all anymoreIt’s either blazing hot or freezing coldAny way the wind blows
 
And there ain’t a thing that you can do
When the weather takes a turn on you‘Cept for hurry up and hit the roadAny way the wind blows.
 
( “Any Way the Wind Blows,” HADESTOWN, book, music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell)

.

I think that many artists feel the winds of change happening regarding the arts in America. We look around at states defunding the arts.  We see major non-profit and “successful” theater companies laying off staff and divesting themselves of their theaters. Meanwhile, the costs of producing theater in America has skyrocketed. We’re now in a world where a two person Broadway play capitalizes at $7 million.  No wonder so many commercial producers are looking to produce across the pond.

Are the arts dying in these not-so-United States? And what are we artists to do about it?

Well, in the musical HADESTOWN, Orpheus wins the chance to bring Eurydice back but doubts at the last second, thus condemning her to everlasting bondage in Hadestown.  The workers are devastated; Orpheus was their hope, and he failed.

Yet like a video game, the action resets back to the beginning. In the finale “We Raise Our Cups” the company honors Orpheus for his optimism and hope in times of darkness despite his momentary failure, and we see the lovers meet again on stage for another chance at happiness.

Some flowers bloomWhere the green grass growsOur praise is not for themBut the ones who bloom in the bitter snowWe raise our cups to themWe raise our cups and drink them up

(“We Raise Our Cups,” HADESTOWN, book, music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell)

Hope in Times of Darkness

We celebrate Orpheus because optimism can be a powerful tool  to help us navigate our way through challenging times. In a way I feel like we’re back in 2020, overwhelmed by the shutdowns and needing to form theater communities online where we could create work and emotionally bond with like-minded people. That was how our writers’ company The Experts Theater was originally formed.

Psychologists tell us that there are a few ways to keep hope alive in dark times. Below are some ideas that we’ve used in CreateTheater and things artists have always done when ominous clouds loom on the horizon.

Focus on what you can control. Take proactive steps forward weekly to give us a sense of agency and accomplishment. It’s easy to get down and trapped in your own inertia, I know too well. Yet look around at what some people have done during shutdown; I am continually reminded that being given the gift of time to make art is no small thing

Practice gratitude. While this may sound like a platitude, it lifts us out of continual depression, allows us room for agency and action, and just makes it easier for others to be around us.

Connect with others. Isolation leads to depression, poor health, and a veritable living death. Is that what you want, really? Sharing our new ideas and our new pages in our company not only is good for us individually, it’s good for others too. They offer feedback and feel like they have some real experience to offer, and feel part of the wider theatre industry. Feeling of value to others validates us, and helps us not question all of our previous life choices. Too much, anyway.

Take care of yourself. Honor your physical body with exercise and good food, honor your mind with reading and researching new stories, and honor your spirit with expressing yourself in your art. Only you can give your unique insights and gifts to the world.

Don’t go down the rabbit hole of negativity. Part of honoring your spirit is realizing when you’ve had too much of something (food, media consumption, being around negative people) and protect yourself. Only you can protect your own heart, mind and soul, and they need you to be fully “you.”

Celebrate small wins. Did you write two new pages this week? Huzzah! Did you show up to your writing group or reach out to your fellow artists, even when it feels hopeless? Good on you for not giving in to isolation. Did you approach a possible investor or producer with your ideas for a new piece? Fantastic! Taking action, however small, during dark times deserves your celebration and acknowledgment of your own inner strength.

Seek professional help if needed. Creative people sometimes find it more difficult than otheres to maintain optimism. If you find yourself overwhelmed by negative thoughts and fear, seeking support from a mental health professional is the very best gift your can give to yourself.

Making Theatre is Who We Are

It’s not easy to ignore reality, and I’m not suggesting you should. Rather, understand that what you’re experiencing is real and is also affecting us all to varying degrees. Maintaining a hopeful and resilent mindset right now is not easy (to say the least), but there are options other than stewing in depression or turning to mind-numbing substances to forget.

A good friend who’s also a writer was sharing with me this week. “I don’t need a theater to produce my work. I’ll put my plays on in a parking lot, I just need to write and express myself!” I admire him profoundly, and I was, as always, completely inspired by his attitude.

While it may not be all that realistic, it points to a central truth: making theatre is who we are, not just what we do.

Hey, our inner reality is theatre. Your inner life is who you are. Hang with like-minded people, and keep your spirit alive.

We are the artists in society.

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The #1 Question Writers Want Answered

The #1 Question Writers Want Answered

by | Apr 23, 2024 | Inspiration

Writers Write…

After a play is written, the writer’s job is done, right? It’s a “collaborative” art, so all you have to do is to give it over to a theater and they’ll handle the rest.

And … end dream sequence.

Reality check: writers write a play or musical, and they then spend the next 7-10 years trying to move it forward.

And that, folks, is the reality.

It All Starts With A Great Script

It’s possible to have a “meh” script and get produced. Look at many off-Broadway, and heck, even some Broadway shows, for examples of scripts that had problems but money was raised and the show was produced any way.

That’s NOT what I advise.

The more engaging a script is, with clear stakes, action, intentions and a takeaway message, the more your work is going to interest people and the farther it will take you.

Specifically, I’m interested in script with:

  • An interesting world
  • Characters that I like and feel real (and are imperfect)
  • A believable plot with high stakes and clear action
  • Theatricality
  • An emotional journey that allows me to experience something new to me by the end
  • Production values that encompass me and transport me to another place

Can your script do that? Whether the genre is comedy, satire, musical drama, “experimental,” or something else, if your work can engage me emotionally, make me think or realize something I’ve never known before, then I’m interested as a producer.

However, if you include funny songs just “because the audience love them,” stage too much exposition at the beginning, confuse me, over-explain a point or have dialogue that’s just plain too talky, well then, you have a problem.

Fix the problem by inviting an audience in, and listen to what they say.

Continue development, and then go to step #2.

#2 When It’s Ready, Present It

(Caveat: Don’t present before the script is ready! You only have one chance to make a great first impression.)

When you’re ready, present at an appropriate spot for a high-level developmental production. In NYC, think of a Ripley-Grier, Open Jar, Pearl, or maybe even the Signature studios or a theater. These locations indicate a high level of readiness for a full production, and producers, industry people, and artistic directors should be on your invite list. The higher the profile, the more bells and whistles of the reading. “Stars,” name directors and such could draw an audience, but you’ll pay more for this level of reading.

At this point you’re out of the typical 29-hour reading framework and into AEA Tier reading levels, which then become pricey but include recording permissions. This is the point to engage a General Manager, not before, and then they are useful primarily to help you get a higher-level audience. With a typical new musical you’re now generally looking at almost six figures.

Step 3: Workshop Production

It’s good if you can realize the work on its feet before a first production. These are when you can bring in the “production text” elements: music, staging, movement, choreography, and a suggestion of scenography. Ideal places for a workshop would be a regional or university theater production, or large NY studio space for a book-in-hand Tier 1, 2 or 3 reading, allowing for some choreography. Community theater production numbers are also good possibilities, although you may want to contribute to their design budget if you’re planning on recording it.

This last developmental step is for when you know your script works and are confident enough to invite producers, general managers, and perhaps some potential front money producers in to see your work. Have the next step in mind so when they ask you what’s next, you have a planned response.

Writing is just rewriting. Make sure you’re always writing the next play while you’re developing the others, so that when a producer says that she loves your work, you can send along other scripts as well!

We need the storytellers right now to provide prospective. Who is there to tell the story of life lived right now, in the early 21st century, other than our writers?

Stay true to yourself. Stay true to all of us.

Write.