Category
devised work
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audiences, collaboration, corporate sponsors, designers, development, devised work, directors, dramaturgy, funding and support, ideas, new plays, non-profit theatre, playwrights, presenting, producers, the process
Devised Theatre: Transitioning to Production
Previously in this column: The members of Bright Alchemy Theatre, a very young devised theatre company based in Washington, DC, have spent the last nine months working on its new project which began with the question: Why do we as a species feel the need to tell stories about our own destruction? This weekend, for [...]
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development, devised work, directors, dramaturgy, marketing, p.r., presenting, producers, Uncategorized
Play on the beach…
Here in Vancouver, as a theatre producer, one of your greatest challenges is simply finding space. We have two major theatre companies, The Vancouver Playhouse and the Arts Club, that own their own theatres, but other than that, the 100-or-so independent theatre companies in the city all are fighting for a piece of the half-dozen [...]
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collaboration, conversation starter, devised work, the process
Devised Theatre: Maybe There’s No Such Thing
08.15.11 | Permalink | 2 CommentsRachel Chavkin, founding artistic director of the TEAM, a devising ensemble, wrote an article on TCG’s blog that asks the question, “What if devised theatre moved from the margins to the mainstream of theatre making?” She makes the case that the slower, cooperative methods involved in a lot of devised work could make for a [...]
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audiences, collaboration, conversation starter, development, devised work, ideas, new plays, playwrights, rabble rousing, social media, the process, Uncategorized
John Lahr is not a dumbass.
06.22.11 | Permalink | 5 CommentsJohn Lahr, New Yorker theater critic, wrote a piece on Julie Taymor’s frustration with the process of creating a new theatrical work in the era of instant feedback, Twitter, and focus groups. It’s a great piece, full of historical perspective on the role of audience (that is to say, amateur) criticisms of theater. He rubbed [...]
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collaboration, conferences, devised work, festivals, ideas, livestreams, rabble rousing, technical work, the process, theatre festivals, theatrical ecosystem, video
How to Discuss Excellence?
This Saturday, we’re hosting a convening on artistic excellence at FoolsFURY. This convening arises from a belief that, as a field, we have serious difficulty having useful (and sometimes hard) conversations about the quality/excellence of each other’s work. We do this fine, at the bar, without the artists present. But how can we have more [...]
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actors, arts service organizations, collaboration, community, corporate sponsors, designers, development, devised work, dramaturgy, ideas, new plays, non-profit theatre, partnerships, playwrights, producers, the process, Uncategorized
Devised Theatre: Terrible Practicalities
Previously in this column: Bright Alchemy Theatre, a very young company devoted to the creation of devised work, decides to begin work on a narrative and thematic sequel to A Cre@tion Story for Naomi, which explored the world’s creation myths. We began this new process with a question: Why do we feel the need to [...]
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collaboration, community, devised work, ideas, partnerships, playwrights, technical work, the process
Devised Theatre: Planning Your Own Funeral
04.22.11 | Permalink | 2 CommentsPreviously in this column: Bright Alchemy Theatre, a very young company devoted to the creation of devised work, decides to begin work on a narrative and thematic sequel to A Cre@tion Story for Naomi, which explored the world’s creation myths. We began this new process with a question: Why do we feel the need to [...]
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collaboration, devised work, ideas, new plays, partnerships, technical work, the process, theatrical ecosystem
Devised Theatre: The End of the World Gets Personal
04.13.11 | Permalink | 2 CommentsWeek 6: This is the first week where there was homework. For the last two months, we’ve been talking about Apocalypse on the grand scale. Lots of great thoughts circling vast concepts of evolution and society. I thought it might be useful to start thinking on the micro scale. Throughout the process, we have briefly [...]
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collaboration, devised work, ideas, playwrights, technical work, theatrical ecosystem
Devised Theatre: What’s A Playwright To Do?
On the last day of the new play convening held at Arena Stage this past January, participants (and livestream satellite observers) were asked to come up with goals for the coming year. What could we do to further the state of new play development in our town/city/shire? One of my resolutions for the coming year [...]
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collaboration, devised work, new plays, playwrights, the process, theatrical ecosystem
Devised Theatre: Short-Circuiting Armageddon
Week 3. Is it just me, or are destruction stories a lot less interesting—or at least less fantastical—than creation stories? And there are a lot fewer variations on how things end than on how things begin. Maybe because with creation you have to work for it. We can’t imagine how things like worlds and civilizations [...]
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actors, collaboration, community, conversation starter, development, devised work, dramaturgy, ideas, new plays, partnerships, playwrights, producers, social media, the process
Devised Theatre: Apocalypse as sequel
03.14.11 | Permalink | 2 CommentsSo, here we are. Week two and hip-deep in the initial group dramaturgy of Bright Alchemy’s devising process, which started with the question “Why do we as a species feel compelled to tell stories of our own destruction?” It’s very early, but I’m already beginning to get that familiar feeling of drowning in images and [...]
