As artists, we spend an extraordinary amount of time curating the creative communities in which we create work. We constantly seek new creative partners, vet them, develop affinities, establish trust, encourage growth and then build from there. Its a process that takes time, energy and thoughtful conversation before the relationship...
What makes theater stand out from all of the other art forms? What attracts us to theater to make us directors, playwrights, critics? What makes it different from a band playing a gig in a small venue, an opera at the Met, a painting, a ballet? Do our own personal...
One nice tradition on Twitter is the “follow Friday” hashtag, where you pick out a few of the people you follow and suggest them to the rest of your followers. It’s an easy way to meet new people and make new connections. So we’re going to pay homage to our...
Ah third grade, the standard by which all rational discourse should be measured. As blogging, and its shorter form (and attention span) social media siblings have become a primary form of communication in the 21st century, asynchronous adoption has given rise to odd little flare ups of attitude. People make...
How do you introduce theater to people in impoverished areas? People in many areas of Chicago might not have had an exposure to theater due to several factors: money, transportation, time. How do you introduce theater to people who live in areas like or live in Cabrini-Green and Altgeld Gardens...
The other day, I was following a 2am conversation about how some Chicago theatres could work together to maybe create “industry Monday” shows, or “pay what you can” shows to get people in seats. Ideally, you would be able to get other theatre folk in to see your show, you...
Right off the bat, let’s take a quick trip through the theatre blogs to watch an idea bloom. The beauty of this is, the idea is blooming in response to the book Outrageous Fortune. First, visit Scott Walters’ Theatre Ideas blog to read part of the ongoing commentary on the...
2am. You’re wondering why this is called 2am. What does that have to do with theatre? 2am is when the ideas start to flow. The other week, over on Twitter, a group of theatre folk started talking, brainstorming, tossing out ideas and testing to see how they’d float. Or if...