If any of you are having trouble loading my blog (specifically the background), I'd be most grateful if could you email me (clydefitch@aol.com) and let me know. There's apparently there's something funky going on with my template.
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For New York Press -- a think piece.
Here's the tease:
You’ve never heard of the New York International Fringe Festival? Don’t worry—I won’t harass you with a “Have you been living under a rock?” joke. Those who’d never ordinarily dip below 14th Street without a passport and booster shots might not know too much about it, anyway.
And the Present Company—the nonprofit group that produces the Fringe—prefers it that way, touting the Fringe as the nation’s largest multi-arts festival. For the past 12 years in August, some 200 plays, musicals, solo performances, puppet pieces and theater works that the dictionary refuses to define play in 20 spaces downtown. Some of them are quite large (“Dude, did they really need that space for that Kabuki King Lear?”), some are quite Liliputian and some are, to be kind, just Fringe-y.
The content below is from Americans for the Arts' Cultural Policy Listserv, email blast of August 6, 2008:
These two stories together earn a single comment:
F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage
New York Times, 8/2/2008
"The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year. Kevin J. Martin, the commission’s chairman, said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not keep customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason. . . . The case also highlights the broader issue of whether new legislation is needed to force Internet providers to treat all uses of their networks equally, a concept called network neutrality."
FCC decision against Comcast lays blueprint for Internet battle
The Hill (DC), 8/5/2008
"The decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to punish Comcast for limiting Web traffic to its consumers is likely to reignite a torrid battle between America’s tech giants and cable providers next Congress. The agency’s move was the first time it waded into the complex 'net neutrality' debate — the push for open, unrestricted access to broadband networks — by directly acting against a cable provider. It could set a precedent for future penalties and provide the legal framework for legislation from Capitol Hill."
God, the cable people really are evil, aren't they? They'll stop at nothing. That's why we have to elect progressives.
Budget cuts loom for arts, parks
Indianapolis Business Journal, 8/2/2008
"After Mayor Greg Ballard’s upset victory at the polls last November, [Indianapolis] arts leaders were in a panic. They worried the no-nonsense former Marine would put public safety on a pedestal and slash Indianapolis’ funding for cultural groups. Now, they say their worst suspicions are being confirmed. Late last month, City-County Council President Bob Cockrum, who, like Ballard, is a Republican, warned the Indianapolis Consortium of Arts Administrators that the mayor intends to phase out the entire $1.5 million in funding it provides for cultural education and outreach."
Another stupid anti-arts Republican.
Film studio neighbors come around
Boston Globe, 8/3/2008
"Even without the promise of a generous tax credit, Plymouth Rock Studios is pressing ahead with plans to create its Hollywood East film studio in Plymouth - and once-wary neighbors of the ambitious project now appear to embrace it."
I continue to be shocked at how it's news that Massachusetts folks are even warming to this idea. The whole idea that they would be "wary" is just silly. It's called an economic driver, people.
Cultural Trust pays out $1.65 million
The Oregonian, 8/2/2008
"There's a credit crisis right now, but that hasn't stopped Oregonians from giving to the Oregon Cultural Trust, which, in turn, is dispersing its funds in record amounts, according to three simultaneous news conferences held Friday in Portland, Eugene and Salem. The trust announced $1.65 million in grants for 2009, an increase of about 21 percent, say trust officials."
Nice bit of good news, this.
BALDESSARI ORIGINAL WORK FOR ARTSVOTE2008 WILL HAVE ARTS ADVOCATES AND ELECTED OFFICIALS “ALL EARS” AT UPCOMING DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
Washington DC, August 7, 2008 — Politicians are no longer turning a deaf ear to the arts. To illustrate this point, ArtsVote2008, a national initiative by the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, has commissioned an original, limited edition poster from American artist John Baldessari. The poster features repeated images of ears, imploring voters and elected officials to: “Listen. Reflect. Choose. Vote.” The work will be made available at the Democratic and Republican national conventions at events co-hosted by the Americans for the Arts Action Fund and NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants.
“This image on the poster shows that art speaks volumes. It not only reflects the principles of the nation’s electoral process but our position and cause as well,” stated Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. “We are eager for our message to be heard but even more eager to hear how each presidential candidate will incorporate the arts and arts education in their vision of America.”
ArtsVote2008 has had great success in raising the arts as a vital campaign topic. During the presidential primary season, ArtsVote2008 issued a Pro-Arts Policy Brief addressing how the arts can be a catalyst in arts education, economic development, health care, transportation and other areas, and procured public arts policy statements in support of the arts from an unprecedented six primary candidates. Details for ArtsVote convention events and activities will be released at a later date. For more information on ArtsVote2008, visit http://www.artsvote.org/.
“This poster serves as a call to action,” said John Baldessari. “The message is for both the voters and the politicians; take time to listen and reflect on the issues and make your voice heard this election year.”
About the Artist
John Baldessari is a founding member of Americans for the Arts’ Artists Committee and in 2005 was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards. The Santa Monica, CA-based artist is known as much for his influential role as a teacher as he is for the important work he has produced as an artist, having taught at both Cal Arts and UCLA for many years. He has been described as the leading figure of the California Conceptual art movement which began in the 1960s and is credited with breaking down the division between the disciplines of photography and painting in contemporary art. Baldessari has been the subject of major museum exhibitions across the globe and in 2010 he will be among the first contemporary American artists to have a retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Got a largely ok review of my book this morning from Michael Portantiere (who was fired some time ago as the editor of Theatermania.com), but as usual (and why, I would imagine, he was fired) he makes some stumbles. Omitting the name of the author -- or only using the last name of the author in the penultimate graph -- is pathetic and churlish and silly.
And I had to send an email this morning to someone above Michael to at least note his mistakes, not that they surprised me. This is a guy who once sent me an ominous email warning me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn't mention Theatermania.com in public or private conversation. I actually sent him an email back reminding him of what the U.S. Constitution says about freedom of speech and that perhaps it is him who ought to shut it.
(The fact is, questions about Michael's professionalism are not unknown to the business. On All That Chat on Talkinbroadway.com was a brief thread about him last week that wisely was removed. Stuff like that, out of discretion, really doesn't belong in the public square.)
MP suggests there are "some omissions and mistakes" in my text, then cites a few examples -- three. Regarding Charley's Aunt, for example, the three actors are, despite what he writes, very clearly identified; the spelling of the man's name in the middle of the photograph has several variations and his birth and death dates are unknown. That's not a mistake or omission. That's where the research led me.
MP also says that my text for Outward Bound is in error, but it is not. The actors are not noted by the Billy Rose Theatre Division on the reverse side of the image (if he doesn't believe me, let him go there and look at the photo), but my text does state who was in the production.
MP also says my text for Of Thee I sing is identified unclearly; there, yes, we did not get into who starred in the show but the information is correct.
Given that the book contains upward of 3,000 names and dates, this is pretty picky, no?
And I think if MP's going to suggest there's a "whopper of a grammatical error" in the paragraph on Nazimova, shouldn't he say what it is?
At the end of the day, I simply consider the source.
A friend of mine forwarded me this earlier today.
You are cordially invited to attend
THE ORPHAN WORKS ROUNDTABLE AND WEBCAST
CONDUCTED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
How Will the Orphan Works Bill Economically Impact Small Entities?
This Friday, August 8, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Salmagundi Club
47 Fifth Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
212-255-7740
http://www.salmagundi.org
Free Admission
Please attend this important industry event in person. Let government officials see and hear directly from those of us who will be harmed if this bill passes.
Until now, the Orphan Works bill has been driven by anti-copyright forces and special interest groups. This will be our first opportunity to be heard in a government sponsored forum devoted to the business interests of copyright holders. The Roundtable will be chaired by Tom Sullivan, Director of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA). It will give artists from the Northeast the chance to explain the impact of Orphan Works legislation on our careers and on the art we create.
Will the cost of compliance create an unreasonable burden on individual artists, writers and musicians?
Will the failure to register work lead to the loss of copyrights?
Why should artists be forced to supply their business data to commercial databases?
Will the bill create a new business model favoring large corporations at the expense of artists?
Will this change the nature of competition for all of us?
Nineteen distinguished panelists, all from the creative community, will represent the copyright interests of illustrators, photographers, fine artists, art licensors, writers, musicians and the collateral businesses that serve and are dependent on creators.
Rich Bengloff, President, American Association of Music (A2IM)
Kathleen Bitetti, Executive Director, Artists Foundation
Barbara Bordnick, Advertising Photographer
Terry Brown, Executive Director, American Society of Illustrators Partnership
Gerald Colby, President, National Writers’ Union
Frank Costantino, Architectural Illustrator
Constance Evans, Executive Director, Advertising Photographers of America
Dr. Theodore Feder, President, Artists Rights Society
George Fulton, Advertising Photographer
John Harrington, Press Photographer
Brad Holland, Artist
Deb Kozikowski, Writer
Dena Matthews, Medical Animator
Cheryl Phelps, Art Licensor, Illustrator, Designer and Adjunct Professor
Gene Poole, Songwriter and Musician
David Rhodes, President, School of Visual Arts, New York
Alexis Scott, President, Workbook, print and online directory of visual artists
Frank Stella, Artist
Cynthia Turner, Medical Illustrator
Congress established the Office of Advocacy under Pub. L. 94-305 to represent the views of small entities before Federal agencies and Congress. Advocacy is an independent office within the Small Business Administration.
This event will be webcast. PLEASE RSVP to illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com and include the names of those attending.
You may review the agenda, the panelists and their biographies on the Illustrators’ Partnership blog.
The Fringe is a nonjuried festival. That means anyone can apply, and names are thrown into a lottery, held each February. Many shows left outside then ask to be included as "site-specific" shows -- in Fringe lingo, "Bring Your Own Venue." For example, one year a show was held in a pool.And then there's:
However, [festival executive director Robin] Gillette worried that some shows were simply side-stepping the rules. She argues for the blind justice of the lottery. This is an issue that cuts several ways. Producers of critically lauded or hit shows have no guarantee of returning to the festival. An absolute dog might get in, but someone such as Kevin Kling might be on the outside. However, if you're nonjuried, then you're nonjuried, and that's the deal.
"It's weird, I'll give you that," Gillette said. "Does that mean that sometimes great artists wither on the wait-list? You bet, and they wither along with a bunch of folks you've never heard of, but who have equal potential to be genius."
Blogs carrying reviews of Fringe shows soon followed the launch of the website, at a time when any newspaper referring to a blog did so in quotes and had to explain the concept. Last year, 197,000 people visited the Fringe website, an increase of 70,000 from 2006, and the 10 bloggers logged in 30,737 hits.Sphere: Related Content
The perceived power and influence of blogs has increased so rapidly that Fringe organizers decided not to host any this year. Instead, they have been off-loaded to the Twin Cities Daily Planet (tcdailyplanet.net), a separate and unaffiliated site.
Decide for yourself, bitches. And that also means you, White-Haired Dude.
Got this great email press release about Career Transition for Dancers honoring the great Sono Osato:
SONO OSATO TO BE HONORED
ROLEX Presents On Broadway!: A Glittering Salute to the American Musical
Career Transition for Dancers’ 23rd Anniversary Jubilee
Monday, October 27, 2008 at 7:00pm, New York City Center
Rolex presents ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute to the American Musical”—Career Transition For Dancers, 23rd Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 27 at 7pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (bet. 7 & 6 Aves). Multi award-winning actress Angela Lansbury will host the gala, which will be followed by an “Anniversary Supper with the Stars” at Hilton New York’s Grand Ballroom. “On Broadway!: A Glittering Salute to the American Musical,” is a glorious historical journey inside the Broadway musical seen through the eyes of legendary choreographers. Their choreography transformed Broadway shows into the greatest musicals of all time.
Sono Osato will receive the Career Transition for Dancers’ Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance. A renowned dancer and actress, and one of the first American dancers in de Basil’s original Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, she later became a member of the exciting Ballet Theatre of the 1940s, performing with Nora Kaye, Alexandra Danilova, Antony Tudor, Lucia Chase, Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins. Tudor created the role of “Rosaline” in Romeo and Juliet for her. Ms. Osato appeared on Broadway in de Mille’s One Touch of Venus (Donaldson Award) and starred in the role of ‘Miss Turnstiles’ in the classic On the Town (choreographed by Robbins). Ms. Osato’s beauty, intelligence and lyrical grace were the hallmarks of her brilliant career.
Cynthia Gregory, Chairman Emerita of Career Transition for Dancers, stated “On behalf of our Gala Chairs, Gala Leadership Committee, Board of Directors and the more than 3,900 dancers we serve nationwide, we are thrilled to honor Sono Osato for her illustrious dance career spanning the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, American Ballet Theatre and the Broadway stage. Sono’s compassion for dancers and their well-being is known throughout the dance community and so generously demonstrated in 2006 by establishing The Sono Osato Scholarship Program for Graduate Studies at Career Transition for Dancers.”
Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, has helped thousands of professional dancers identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option. Since 1985, they have provided more than 38,000 hrs (equivalent to $4 million) of one-on-one career counseling & program services (at no cost) and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships for education and grants. CTFD also provides dancers with specialized services that include seminars and workshops, peer support groups, resource centers, a toll-free national hotline, and National Networking Directory. The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers is at 165 West 46th Street, Suite 701 (at Broadway – the Actors’ Equity Building) NYC. The phone number is (212) 764-0172 and the fax is (212) 764-0343 and in Los Angeles (323) 549-6660. www.careertransition.org
Gala tickets are $600, $750 & $1,200 each, which includes the performance and a post-performance “Anniversary Supper with the Stars,” live auction and dancing. Sponsorships, tables and journal ads are also available. For Patron tickets call Marjorie Horne, McEvoy & Assocs. at (212) 228-7446 x33 and for Group Sales (718) 499-9691.
The Honorary Chairs are Cynthia Gregory, Donna McKechnie, Kevin McKenzie, Jane Powell, Ann Reinking, & Chita Rivera. The 23rd Anniversary Chairs are Anka K. Palitz and Allen Brill. Gala Chairs: Victor Elmaleh, Victoria Herbert, Michele Riggi, Yolanda Santos, Susan Fawcett Sosin, and Laura Zeckendorf. Artistic Chair is Ann Marie DeAngelo. The Dinner Chair is Janice Becker; Auction Chairs are Denise L. Cobb, Ann Van Ness; West Coast Chair is Roberta Silbert and Journal Chairs are David Goldring & Michael Weiskopf. Vice Chairs are Alexander Dubé, Mercedes Ellington, Niko Elmaleh, Irene Shen & Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick. Show only tickets are $130, $75, $55 and $45.
Events leading to the Civil War, and the war itself, touched Frederick deeply. It was here that the Maryland Legislature met when it was decided the state would not secede from the Union. The city was a natural crossroads for troop movements. Frederick residents were pressed many times to provide supplies for troops, and many families in the city as well as the state were divided in their loyalties. The Battle of the Monocacy south of town saved Washington from being taken by the Confederate Army.And, of course, Frederick was the home to the famous Barbara Frietchie:
In stories it is said that at 95 years of age she waved the Union flag out of her window despite opposition from Stonewall Jackson's troops, who were passing through Frederick in the Maryland Campaign.But in more recent times, it has been the home of the aforementioned Maryland Shakespeare Festival and doing beautifully, bringing the Bard to literally tens of thousands of schoolchildren across the entire state. Unfortunately, as per Becky's letter, not everyone in Frederick has come out of the 19th century -- much less the 20th or the 21st. Who are these backward, right-wing arts-hating heathens in my United States:
Today I came across a simply spectacular blog post by an Orange County journalist named William Lobdell. He worked at the Los Angeles Times for years and years but has now, as he puts it, "gone digital" (read: he's not at the LA Times anymore).
In his inaugural post, called 42 Things I Know, he pretty much nails what the problems are in contemporary journalism.
I don't know Mr. Lobdell and I sure hope he won't mind my posting these, but I just have to -- they're so on the nose. And please do keep in touch with his blog. I know I will.
1. I made the right decision leaving the newspaper business.
2. That’s not to say I’m happy about breaking up with my one true career love.
3. But the business model for newspapers is broken.
4. No one has figured out how to fix it.
5. That’s probably because it can’t be fixed.
6. The smaller the newspaper, the longer its life span in print (four exceptions: the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Washington Post and USA Today).
7. Technology has run laps around the print media — giving readers instant news, open-source journalism, no barriers to become publishers, and an infinite news hole.
8. The idea that your daily news is collected, written, edited, paginated, printed on dead trees, put in a series of trucks and cars and delivered on your driveway — at least 12 hours stale — is anachronistic in 2008.
9. As a friend told me last week, “Bro, face it. You guys are the 8-track cassette of news.”
10. Other seemingly indispensable industries have been rubbed out by technology, leading to the unemployment of scribes, steamship captains, and the Pony Express riders. Why not newspaper reporters?
11. Newspapers were unbelievably slow in embracing the Internet, even though younger reporters have been pleading with their bosses for years to embrace the Web.
12. Amazingly, it took until 2005 for top editors at The Times to realize the Internet not only wasn’t going away but might lead to the demise of newspaper.
13. Prior to that, the Internet operation at The Times was used as a place to hide reporters and editors who had fallen out of favor.
14. For a news operation filled with journalists with a mostly liberal bent, few people embrace the kind of progressive change necessary to save, or at least delay the fall of, the franchise.
15. Business side of the paper was worse in recognizing the Internet’s potential and its threat to the newspaper business. I once suggested that, since Craig’s List had arrived on the scene, The Times should match that business model and give away most of its classified ads (since we were already losing it already) in exchange for Internet readership and premium ad prices for corporate advertisers (such as employers). The business people laughed.
16. Even after realizing the Internet was the future, newspapers are having a difficult time adapting to the Web.
17. You can’t just transfer a news gathering operation from print to the web. Revenue on the web is fractured (like cable TV) and a news web operation can support far fewer journalists and layers of editors. It requires a different mindset.
18. Entrepreneurs — for example, Kevin Rose at Digg — have developed news sites in just a few years that have drawn far more readers than the Los Angeles Times. Digg doesn't feature original content, but The Times (and other newspapers) could have added a Digg element to its site.
19. And The Times, despite its journalistic credentials, has launched only one blog (Top of the Ticket) that has cracked the top 1,000 list. On this point, the mainstream media has gotten its butt kicked, repeatedly, by the Pajamas Media.
20. Sam Zell isn’t the ultimate villain. Though I originally thought he might be the kick in the ass we needed, I can't stand the guy. But in the long run, he’s just an accelerator for a downfall that is happening naturally.
21. For all his business acumen, Zell has allowed his executives to concentrate, at least publicly, on the stuff that needs the least fixing (editorial content and design). I'd argue that, for now, 100% of their effort should be given to increasing sales and readership -- in print and online.
22. Maybe Lee Abrams could direct his memos to the sales, marketing and circulation staff.
23. The fall of The Times had other accelerators.
24. First, the editorial department. We operated as though we had a monopoly on truth and great journalism for far too long. We didn't listen to our critics and sometimes our readers. That cost us.
25. Second, the Chandler family. The heirs of Gen. Otis, wanting dollars in their pockets, cashed out and handed the family newspaper over to the Tribune Co.
26. Third, the Tribune Co. Its MBA-worshipping executives were great at managing a monopolistic enterprise that threw off a high profit margin. But they were completely baffled when faced with a business situation that required innovation and not textbook, budget-cutting measures.
27. Fourth (and it pains me to say this), former top editors John Carroll and (and to a lesser extent) Dean Baquet. During their combined tenure, the local news operation was gutted in order to re-establish The Times’ international and national reputation. The result: shuttered Ventura and valley editions, a decimated Orange County edition (which had great reader demographics and tons of local advertising), and one reporter each left in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
28. Fifth, the business side of the newspaper. This is the gang that couldn’t shoot straight, especially evident in the revolving door of ad directors (and no one in that position since February, despite it being the most critical sales period in Times’ history).
29. Maybe that says something: that great salespeople don’t want to lead the Los Angeles Times at this time.
30. The paper also doesn't have a publisher for the first time in its 125-year history.
31. The Times could extend its lifespan significantly with some innovative leadership in sales.
32. If I were publisher (a job I wouldn't take, thank you), I’d explore a partnership with Google or, more realistically, Yahoo or another proven Internet company that would combine news gathering and advertising forces.
33. If I were publisher, I'd have a clear mission statement for The Times' editorial department (if you ask 100 journalists at The Times about their mission, you'd likely get 100 different answers).
34. I’d stop Lee Abrams from writing his dumb-ass memos that are supposed to inspire Tribune workers, but only serve to piss everyone off. It says something about Zell’s leadership that scores of great journalists -- many wanting to embrace the future and lead the newspaper -- have voluntarily walked away from their jobs/careers while Mr. Abrams continues to pull down a large salary.
35. I’d get realistic estimation on the size of The Times' future work force and then make one large cut to get it there (good sources say another 150-200 layoffs are on the horizon). An internet operation can’t support a huge newsgathering operation, and morale would improve if everyone knew no more major layoffs loomed. People can deal with reality; it's just this surrealistic no-man's-land that make it impossible to move forward and has good people bailing out.
36. I’d take the very talented journalists I had and develop a SERIES of websites that provided the best information for that beat/subject matter. The Web is all about niches. The Times, for instance, could have the premiere sites for every professional and college sports team in Southern California. It could be THE place to turn to for news on City Hall, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Los Angeles Police Department. Not to mention Southern California environmental issues, LAX and the coast.
37. These could run under the banner: Another Los Angeles Times website/blog.
38. You could combine all these different blogs/websites under the http://www.latimes.com/ banner, but make it simple for readers to navigate to the sites they want to become attached/devoted to.
39. For The Times to survive -- in print or even on the web as one of the nation's top news sources -- it's going to take herculean efforts by all departments within the company.
40. I have no doubt my newsroom colleagues who I left behind can adapt to the challenges of the New Media environment.
41. But I've seen no evidence that other parts of the company -- especially the "leaders" -- are willing, able and competent.
42. And this is ultimately why I left The Times. Though the paper has been in business for 125 years, it had become riskier to stay than to go.
If so, here's a press release I received today:
ARS NOVA’S PLAY GROUP:
A Home For Emerging Writers
IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR PLAY GROUP 2009!
New York, NY-- Ars Nova’s Play Group, a vibrant and eclectic group of emerging writers who gather twice a month at Ars Nova to share new work and get peer feedback, is now accepting applications for Play Group 2009. The group offers members the chance to develop their plays with peer support; to be inspired by each other’s work; to form collaborative relationships; and to build a strong sense of community within Ars Nova. All emerging writers are eligible for membership.
If selected, new members will be invited to join for a period of two years beginning in January of 2009. Play Group 2009 will culminate in a group-created production at Ars Nova in January of 2010. Ars Nova is located at 511 West 54th Street.
Play Group 2008 members include: Annie Baker, Bekah Brunstetter, Evan Cabnet, Dylan Dawson, Liz Flahive, Sam Forman, Kyle Jarrow, Nick Jones, Steven Levenson, Barry Levey, Carly Mensch, Rachel Shukert, Mat Smart, Adam Szymkowicz, and Samuel Brett Williams. The show created by the members of Play Group 2008 will be presented at Ars Nova in January 2009.
To apply, please visit www.arsnovanyc.com for application materials. Applications require one full-length play, a resume, two professional references and a personal statement describing what the playwright hopes to gain from membership. Applications for Play Group 2009 will be accepted beginning August 1st and must be postmarked by September 19th to be eligible for consideration. Applications cannot be accepted via email.
As New York's premier hub for emerging artists and new work, Ars Nova is committed to developing and producing eclectic theater, comedy and music to feed today’s popular culture. To that end, Ars Nova strives to create daring collaborations, meld disciplines and give clear voice to a new generation of artists. Founded on the principle that a professional and safe environment where risk-taking is encouraged will cultivate a community of innovators, our fundamental mission is to reinvigorate the world of live performance by supporting smart, surprising new work from the next wave of emerging artists. Ars Nova was founded in memory of Gabe Wiener. For more information, visit www.arsnovanyc.com.
