The Playgoer: Major Panels Today

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Monday, July 10, 2006

Major Panels Today

Short notice, I know. But many of you might be interested (if you haven't heard already) about two panels today linked to the upcoming Summer Play Festival at Theatre Row. The panels are at the Little Shubert up the block.

Of special note: New York Theatre Workshop's Jim Nicola on "the relationship between producers and producing organizations, and artists."

I'm going to try to go to the 4pm panel, but please write in some dispatches if you make it to either. (Or maybe our readers at Time Out will share some post-show reflections?)

On July 10th the Summer Play Festival and the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting will present two free panels addressing theatre in New York City, including an exciting line up of theatre professionals. All panels are free, and open to the public.

About the Panels:

July 10, 2pm to 3:30pm – Looking For A Perfect Match: A practical dialogue between artists and industry

This practical panel will address the relationship between producers and producing organizations, and artists. It will offer practical advice and suggestions to artists on finding the "perfect match" to get a play read, developed, and produced. Panelists include: Vallejo Gantner (Artistic Director, PS122); Daniella Topol (Director, Dead City); Bartlett Sher (Director, Awake and Sing!; The Light In The Piazza); Jim Nicola (Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop); Kristin Caskey (Associate Producer, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Death of a Salesman)

July 10, 4pm to 5:30pm – Where Have All The Audiences Gone? The evolving world of off- Broadway This panel will focus on the changing audience and future direction of off-Broadway theatre. Panelists include: Adam Feldman (Moderator) Theatre Critic, Time Out New York; Beverley MacKeen (Executive Director, New World Stages) Neil Pepe (Artistic Director, Atlantic Theatre Company) Lisa Kron (Playwright / Actor, Well); Michael Hurst (Managing Director, The Public Theater); Will Frears (Director, Omnium Gatherum; The Water’s Edge); James Houghton (Artistic Director, Signature Theatre Company).

Please note that panels and panelists are subject to change. Each panel is scheduled for 90 minutes and will take\nplace at the Little Shubert Theatre (422 West 42nd St). RSVP to message@film.nyc.gov. All seats are complimentary on a first come, first serve basis.

Please note that panels and panelists are subject to change. Each panel is scheduled for 90 minutes and will take place at the Little Shubert Theatre (422 West 42nd St). Please RSVP to message@film.nyc.gov. All seats are complimentary on a first come, first serve basis.

2 comments:

Larissa said...

I went to the first one....stop whining and find people who respect you and a barn out in the boonies to work with them in seemed to be the theme. lots of whiny "why can't I get my work produced?" questions, even after the panelists gave, I think, pretty thorough ideas on how to seek out and create production venues, as well as the disclaimer that there doesn't seem to be one fool-proof method of developing one's career. intereting tat they all encouraged
producing work regionally rather than just showing up in NY and trying to make it big.

Anonymous said...

Well, the panelists might be right. Unfortunately that attitude is their own death warrant; in marginalizing this work outside of their own bricks-and-mortar theaters, they're rendering their own buildings simultaneously irrelevant to art.

These so-called "Artistic Directors" of institutional theaters should really take that word "Artistic" out of their titles, and there's a huge difference between the directorships of PS122 and NYTW. Gantner (like Mark Russell before him) is more of a curator of the PS122 spaces, while Nicola has more pretense. The administrators of these spaces should be more in the nature of discriminating landlords who lease their spaces rent-free, the art itself being the rent paid on the space, which the institution financially subsidizes, leaving the art in the hands of the artists.