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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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.

 

 

Find a Mentor

Find a Mentor

by | Mar 20, 2024 | Inspiration, NPD, Theater

THE WORKING PLAYWRIGHT: a monthly blog column by Melissa Bell 

Find a Mentor

Sometime after I wrote my first musical, I attended an alumni event. While waiting for the elevator, a well-groomed woman and I picked up a conversation. When I asked her what she did, she said “I’m a Broadway producer.” Although at that point I had never heard the expression, the proverbial moment was about to come true – you meet a producer in an elevator, what do you say? I smiled and said that I had just written a musical that had been optioned by a film company, then added “so we can talk,” meaning I wasn’t going to try to sell her my show. She responded with a smile, “I would love to hear about your show.”

Thus began a 14-year mentorship – and friendship – with legendary Tony-winning producer Stevie Phillips, who singlehandedly produced THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS from its Off-Broadway beginnings to Broadway, film and beyond. I recommend reading her amazing auto-biography Judy & Liza & Robert & Freddie & David & Sue & Me for the details of her career as high-powered agent, manager, and producer.

So how did this amazing producer become my mentor? Over time.

 

Cultivate the Relationship

After our initial meeting, Stevie attended another alumni event I hosted called the “Writers Forum.” We were reading scripts and screenplays, and she showed up. Giving only her first name as an introduction, she joined the group, read parts, offered feedback, and listened to 5 sets of 10 pages of new work. Near the end of the meeting, one participant innocently asked, “so how do we get our scripts out there?” I looked at Stevie to answer that question, whereupon she introduced herself to my stunned participants. Her answer was simple: “You do it just like this. You go to readings, submit your work, if you don’t know where, get your friends together, do a reading, and invite people. When I was at Universal, I read the first 10 pages of everything that made it to my desk. That’s how you do it.” She added it was hard work, but everything worthwhile is hard. I took that advice to heart and still follow it with my own work.

A few days later, Stevie reached out to me and asked me to read something of hers. I read it and sent her my notes. She replied with thanks and asked, “now what can I do for you?” I invited her to a reading of my play a few weeks later. She came and sent me her notes (which was like getting a masterclass in playwriting). Back and forth we went. When she told me she was planning to produce a new show with Tommy Tune, I begged to be part of it. “I’ll take, notes, run errands, anything.” Noting that I had high-level PowerPoint skills, she said, “I’d love to have a presentation I could run on my iPad.” I met with her and Tommy, came up with an idea and created a pitch deck that she used to pitch Universal Studios and others. Sadly, the show didn’t work out, but we had become a team.

When I got the opportunity to present a one-night-only benefit reading of “Lost in Love,” a musical based on the hits of Air Supply for which I wrote the libretto, I called Stevie immediately for advice. She looked at my press release and asked me “What are you selling?” I was unsure of what she meant. She noted that I had not just one star but two in the cast, but that the press release listed all the actors in alphabetical order.

“Listen to me,” she said, “your first press release should say: Tony-nominated actor Constantine Maroulis cast in Lost in Love at the Triad along with his photo. One week later, your second press release should say: Tony-winner Andrea McArdle joins cast of Lost in Love. And the third week you announce the rest of the cast.”

Lesson: when you have a star, use them. It was golden advice, and a strategy I have followed to this day.

 

Be There

Stevie has been an amazing mentor to me ever since. I call her when I’m facing a tough decision, when a production goes off the rails, or when I don’t get the “yes” I was hoping for. Stevie calls me when she needs help with her various projects, knowing I will show up, ready to support, and will always share my honest impressions and listen to hers. And sometimes she just needs me to send a large file by setting up Dropbox for her. I will drop everything to help her, and I highly value our relationship.

Finding a mentor is a two-way street. It begins slowly and builds over time. The best way to gain a mentor is to either ask for advice with a specific problem or to offer a service only you can deliver, and then overdeliver. Go beyond the call of duty.

If you are a member of ETC, I know you’ve found a mentor as I have in Cate Cammarata as well as in the fellow members. I share my real-world experiences in the hopes that my experiences can mentor you as well. Being a theatre-maker is hard work, but so is anything worthwhile.

Find a mentor to make the journey a bit easier.

 

Melissa Bell’s work has been featured in the New York Times and nominated for Best Adaptation & Modernization by New York Shakespeare and awarded Finalist for Henley Rose Playwright Competition for LADY CAPULET and awarded Honored Finalist for the Collaboration Award by the Women in Arts & Media Coalition for COURAGE.

 

Where Are We Going?

Where Are We Going?

by | Feb 12, 2024 | Inspiration, NPD, Theater

How Are We Doing?

 

I can’t believe we’re already approaching 2025, our quarter-century mark. That’s a significant milestone in history, with enough time under our belt now to collectively look at “how we’re doing” and where we’re going.

The first 25 years of the twenty-first century were a difficult time to live through. Although Y2K never happened, it was a precursor of the “fake news” that would build enough momentum to destroy our trust in the media, government, medical/pharmaceutical industries, and in general all of the large institutions built in the twentieth century that told us what to believe and what to do. Unprotected, we chose instead to silo ourselves into smaller insular tribes with whom we decided to “know, like and trust” (a concept fittingly forged by various marketing strategies). Technology intensified and exponentially expanded each individual voice through social media and the internet.

The next thing to hit us (literally) was 9/11. Whatever vestige of safety and security we had in whatever institutions that were “supposed to keep us safe” were destroyed and replaced by excessive fear against the “other.” The “other” continued to be defined to be whomever didn’t look like us and believe what we believe.

Although 9/11 was an American tragedy, the reverberations were felt globally. With the increasing alacrity to hold “the other” at bay, nations globally reflected the search and destroy philosophy video game theory promoted and kept people hypnotized and in fear worldwide.

And … here we are.

Wars. Hatred. Potentially permanent climate change. Dire economic realities. Unthinkable just twenty-five years ago, democracies everywhere are being threatened with their very existence, to be replaced with autocracy and/or radical change.

Where’s the promise of freedom, prosperity and growth? Will we ever know, like and trust our neighbor again?

Fear expands exponentially, whether promoted for personal or national aims.

 

The Golden Age of Greece

 

The fifth century B.C. is known as the “Golden Age” of Greece. That classical era that established the concept of democracy in the first place also saw the birth of the drama itself as the primary offering to the god Dionysus. The Dionysian Festival is a huge part of the celebration of freedom which Athenians saw as an important feature of their democracy – the freedom to discuss new ideas and to reconceptualize established myths and stories to reflect a new “way of seeing” to the citizens gathered in the theatron (which literally means “placee for seeing”). The fledgling democracy of Athens supported this festival and the literary forms that flourished in this setting. Tragedy, in particular, was useful to the state and funded by the monied choregos, or producers, who also usually served in government or the military. As the “noble offering to the gods,” tragedy, unlike comedy, was always a primary platform to communicate the values of the polis. At least it was until the end of the fifth century, when political ineptitude, fear and corruption made the drama “dangerous” (as Plato said famously later, in the fourth century).

Dangerous? We can all agree that new ideas can be dangerous. But dangerous to whom?

Dangerous to the entrenched leaders, of course, who were the funders of the drama anyway and who subsequentially shut down the platform. When the drama returned roughly 100 years later audiences were entertained with broad, physical comedy rather than a theatre of new ideas. Audiences were entertained and distracted by the comedy, instead of being challenged with plays of new ideas. New ideas were thought to be politically dangerous to the established state and the dear leaders’ political strategies.

I think that we, now, like the Ancient Greeks, are in the transition stage from what was into what will be. We are definitely being entertained and distracted by the many “powers that be” that fund our multitude of various distractions.

All this to say that we should wake up and smell the expresso.

 

Where are we going?

 

I’m not Nosferatu. I’m a theatre maker. We reflect our times and put it onstage. But like the ancient choregos, I’m interested in putting the poetry of the present on stage to help represent and preserve the ideas of the moment in a new way.

In other words, I’m interested in helping writers craft their contemporary stories on stage to deliver a message meant for a wider platform of people to receive, understand, and to interpret in their own way. Creative expression received is dependent upon the story the receiver attributes to it; the creator has no control over the individual’s interpretation. Such is the nature of art.

And such is the usefulness and function of art in our society. Then and now. To receive new ideas in new ways, and to be open to new modes of thought and understanding.

To understand the “other’ and their world as perceived vicariously in the audience through the dramatic journey is what we do. To honestly experience theater is to experience another’s way of life, way of thinking, and another’s human journey without judgement, in reception of the ideas as they are presented. To present theater today is to challenge the audience to be open to other ways of living, thinking and being human.

Wherever this century takes us, we’re not going very far without knowing, liking and trusting the other and their human experience. Theatre arts help society develop empathy, which apparently we’re dreadfully lacking. 

 

Theatre Makes Us More Fully Human

 

To enjoy theatre is to understand the functions of the artist in society. To support theatre is to support those artists who sensitively create art onstage in order to reflect ourselves back to us. 

Keep making theatre like the world depended on it  – because it sort of does.

 __________________

Up next tomorrow: Theatre kids rule the world (according to the NY Times).