Theatre Rental Collaborative – Update

I talked about the Theatre Rental Collaborative a couple of weeks ago. We just had our second meeting and it was very successful.

This week we agreed to pass on clients to another theatre in the group instead of just telling them you can’t help. In an effort to help that we agreed to pay 2% of the net income of that rental to the theatre that passed them on. Hopefully this will help move clients around within our group as opposed to going to for profit theatres or hotels.

We have also started meeting at each others theatres. We get a tour of each others spaces which raises questions that we might have about operation or budgeting. It starts the conversation that then carries over into dinner.

Not only are we learning a lot at every meeting but we get to constantly share ideas and build closer relationships with other theatres. Our next meeting will be in September.

Networking – Staying in touch

I have told you before how important it is not to lose touch with people in your network. Once it goes beyond a year without contact, you are kind of out of the picture. I bring this up because a job opened up at a former theater of mine. And I got two calls about the job. They both wanted more information about the position and company, and, most importantly, they wanted me to put in a good word for them.

The first person that called is a friend. I see her out occasionally, and she is a nice person. She has been trying to break into this industry for a while, and I was happy to tell her all I knew about the position. I was happy to help her as much as I could.

The second person is an old coworker. We have not worked together in over 3 years, and we have had no contact since then. We weren’t even that close when we worked together. He started his call with, “Jared, it's so and so, and I was wondering how you are! Also, I heard about a job opening up where you work.” He didn’t even know I was no longer working there.
I am telling you all this just to show how important it is to stay in touch. I gave them both all the information that I could about the job, but for one I will go the extra step and put in a good word. Don’t lose your contacts. You never know when they could be working at a place you want to work or what you might need them for.

Ask My Friends - Where Would You Work

Again with the Wednesday series “Ask My Friends.” My friend didn't get his post in on time so I thought I would repost our most popular, "Ask My Friends." This week we go back to my friend Clayton Smith's posting. Clayton is a young and upcoming theatre professional. He received his Journalism degree from University of Missouri, Columbia and is currently getting his Masters in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago. He is a very bright and really talented writer and marketer. I asked, “If you could work for any theatre in the country after graduate school, what theatre would you choose, and why?”

"Let’s face it; there is a correct answer to this question, and it is “In this economy?! I’ll take what I can get!” But hey, I’m an optimist, and I like to think that in one year, when I strap on my new Master of Arts Management degree, the theatre world will be my oyster. My cautious, just-off-a-hiring-freeze, “please God don’t let that happen to us again” oyster.

(Optimism ain’t what it used to be.)

If I could work anywhere in the world after graduation, it would be…are you ready for this?…St. Louis. Not theatre capital New York, not arts-heavy Chicago, not beautiful, brilliant, captor of my heart Vegas…St. Louis. And not only that, but I’d work for the St. Louis Rep. The REP, for God’s sake, when I could choose any theatre in the country.

Before you decide that life dreams also aren’t what they used to be, bear with me a second.

If you’re not familiar with St. Louis, you’re at least familiar with a city like it…a sizeable metro area with a lot to offer, but still struggling to find a solid identity. The city has been through a lot of changes in the last decade, and one of the most significant is the push for more arts. Independent theatres have sprung up like mushrooms, but they’re struggling. Like so many independent theatres, they produce art for art’s sake, and the would-be patrons, the ones who want to see quality shows selected for them as part of a target market, are being left behind.

On the other hand, St. Louis has the Fabulous Fox Theatre, an enormous, gorgeous Broadway touring house, the theatre that understands the commercial nature of the arts business and attracts crowds because its offerings are safe and familiar.

Then, in the middle, we have the St. Louis Repertory Theatre. Under the direction of artistic genius Steven Woolf, the Rep has managed to bridge the gap between the listless indies and the commercial monolith, offering line-ups that are just this side of mainstream, but doing so with so much talent and solid focus that even the art-wary citizens of the St. Louis area pack the house time and time again. In a city still trying to boost its artistic reputation, the St. Louis Rep is a bright red flag that screams, “Yes, by God, we are here, and we are quality!” It’s an accomplishment you gotta respect.

And that’s what’s important for me. I’m sure I could get a job at other theatres that would pay much better, and who knows, maybe I will…but nothing can replace the idea of working in a theatre that does high quality work to a public that is sometimes ungrateful or, at best, not understanding, a theatre that works diligently and tirelessly because the people there know that there is value in the work they are doing and believe that, with their help, the entire city can be so much more.

Great work with high ideals; sounds like quite the pearl to me."

Engaging Bloggers

My blog is a small blog with 11 followers and about 29 readers per day. Not too bad for starting less than four months ago. Today I received a press release and invite from Fire! New Play Festival 2009. They invited me and, I’m sure, hundreds of other bloggers to be part of a conference call with the Directors and Playwrights of their festival.

I wouldn’t normally have written about it, but I thought the idea of engaging bloggers to market for you I thought was great. For the fee of a conference call, they can get who knows how many bloggers to write about their festival for free. What a great way to get the word out. True, you would have less control, but you'll reach a whole new group of people who might not ever have heard about you or your company.

I have copied and pasted a little bit of information from their press release since I can’t participate in the conference call, but way to go!

WHAT: Fire! New Play Festival 2009

WHEN: August 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20th @ 7:30pm; $5 Suggested Donation

WHERE: Freedom Train Productions
138 South Oxford Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Brooklyn, NY: On August 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20th @ 7:30pm, Freedom Train Productions will open Fire! New Play Festival 2009, three weeks of political theatre featuring black queer protagonists. All staged reading performances will take place at 138 South Oxford Street in Fort Greene Brooklyn. A StoryCorps interview with a resident playwright of Freedom Train Productions will be played at 7pm, a half hour before the start of every show. There is a $5 suggested donation.

Google Toolbox

I love Google. I have found so many useful and free things on there. I talked about Google Analytics a while back, and today I will share another favorite, Google Alerts. Google Alerts will send you updates of anything you want as they happen on the World Wide Web.

If there is a project I am interested in, I “google” it. I have alerts tagged on myself, my employer, theatres, and things I am interested in. I have chosen to get the once-a-week option, so once every a week I get a report on my name. Who knew there was a promising high school athlete with the same name? When he makes the news, I get updates. When I start to make the news, the updates will be about me. But my blog and twitter accounts show up every week. If someone else blogs about me, it shows up too.

In the age of the Internet, there is no excuse for not knowing what information is out there on you. I was speaking with a writer last week about a show he is producing. He thought he had an original name for the musical about an assisted living community. Well, when I “googled” it, I found a dozen such communities with that exact name. I was surprised to hear him say he never looked up the name online.

Have you “googled” your name lately?

No Post Today

Sorry that there was no post yesterday and won't be one today. I have been in the process of moving and do not have Internet in my home yet and as much fun is it is to type this from my phone. :-) I am glad to know people follow the blog so well that I got email when there was no post yesterday. Anyway, enjoy you weekend and see you next week.

-Jared

Ask My Frends - Development Today

I was going through Facebook to find my next “Ask My Friends” blogger, and I came across Lara Smith. Lara is the Development Director at Dad’s Garage, and I have to say I keep getting more and more impressed with my friends. Lara is not only a fellow Webster University Grad but a fellow Missourian. I won’t go on because this is a really long post, but it is well worth the read. I asked Lara, “With all the talk about the economy, how are small companies doing in the Devo area? What trends are you seeing, and how are you changing your plan to deal with the changing trends?”

"In order to give you a context for my answers, let me tell you a little about the incredible theatre where I work. Dad’s Garage Theatre Company is located in Atlanta, GA, and we like to refer to ourselves as the gateway drug to theatre. What we mean by that is we’re introducing new and nontraditional audiences in an age where many theatres are struggling with building this very audience. Not only that, but we’re cultivating new and established talent. We produce improv year-round (every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) as well as a full season of shows in our two spaces. This translates to roughly three-hundred performances of twenty some odd scripted works and improv formats, twenty-five classes, private workshops and performances, as well as numerous special events. Dad’s Garage has been operating in the black and will finish this fiscal year (ending July 31st) that way as well.

First off, I would venture to say that the organizations most affected by the economy are the big guys. Most small to mid-sized organizations didn’t lose any money in the crash and were already operating with lean budgets. That isn’t to say that some aren’t feeling the crunch, but it’s more of a trickle down. Many are predicting that the same will happen with foundations. While foundation giving wasn’t hugely impacted this year, the idea is that they’ll have less money during their next budget cycle.

Small to mid-size theatres across the country have been experiencing success with special events as long as they are being made worthwhile. Theatres are getting smarter about the events they throw, what the ticket price includes, and what they’re spending. Our biggest annual fundraiser is BaconFest—250 pounds of bacon, 5 kegs of beer, a silent auction, an improv performance, bands, carnival games...well, you get the picture. Theatres are getting to know their audiences and throwing parties that people want to attend. Nobody wants to hang out on a sinking ship. They want to go to the biggest, most awesome, ridiculous party you can throw. Whatever that means for you.

The biggest impact of the economy has been on individual contributions. Regardless of the economy, people give to people. Therefore, more and more theatres are spending time making sure they’re keeping their friends, fans, and families close. This means honesty, transparency, and a willingness to over-communicate. Donors want to know how the places they are passionate about are coping and what their plans are for sustainability.

Just as organizations are reacting to the changing times, so too are granting organizations. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund recently reworked their funding priorities. In the past, the two had been more focused on project support. They recognized the need in the community, and both turned around to offer general operating support grants for the current fiscal year to nonprofit organizations. They awarded these grants to organizations that had built up the infrastructure to not only survive, but thrive in this economy with additional capital.

Each organization is reacting differently to changing trends. We’re interacting with our audience online instead of via mail. As an organization anchored in improv, we’re making everything more interactive with our patrons. We’re building deeper relationships and creating audiences that are truly invested in our product. In my mind, being in development just means selling someone on an idea. If you have an individual in love with your idea, who understands its necessity and the impact it has on the world, then the economy won’t stop them from giving. It all begins with the product.

People want a definite answer of what is working right now, and the truth is there are a lot of things. The biggest question someone in development has to be able to answer is, "What would the world be missing if my organization ceased to exist?” If you can answer that question and answer it well, you will always have donors. There are a lot of answers to that question, and organizations have donors who give for every one of those reasons.

The name of the game is mass customization. Personalization. But this has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with the changing face of the world. Investment Philanthropy. Donors want to know exactly what impact their money is having and are probably giving for a very specific reason. (This logic is the same reason that traditional subscription packages are falling to the wayside for flex passes. People don’t want to see a whole season—they want to see very specific shows for personal reasons.)

So: how are small to mid-sized theatres doing? Depends on who you talk to. Surely you’ve seen one of the many “give us money or we can’t survive” emails that have gone out over the past few months. But our ticket sales are actually up. Our contributed income is projected to come in at goal. Every organization is facing different waters.

What are the trends? Keep your friends and fans closer and more informed than you ever have before. One of the big successes we’ve seen this year is letting people know exactly what we can get with their money. Yup--$53 buys us bathroom supplies for one month. We have a younger audience, so we’re utilizing a lot more technology than anything else, but this won’t work for every organization. It’s all about the audience. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is great for building a deeper relationship with patrons, but only if they’re using it.

How are my plans changing? Every day. Truly. That’s the great thing about working at a small organization and one of the reasons we are weathering this economy so well. We’re nimble enough to react to the environment but stable enough to make decisions with sustainability in mind. You have to keep an open mind, know when to take risks, and take responsibility for your actions. In those ways (and a lot of others), nonprofit management is improv in practice."

Trust Your Instincts

This weekend I was hanging out with a good friend from Nixa, Missouri (my hometown), and she was telling me about her fabulous time in Costa Rica. She is a very well-respected person moving up the ranks in politics. Right now she handles press for a committee on the Hill. She took a year off of the fast-paced Washington life to travel to Costa Rica and just hang out. She was so unsure if this was a good move for her, but all I could think of was how jealous I was. That takes courage to just follow your heart and take time from your career to go live in a new country.

Last week in a speech to the NAACP, President Obama said, “Your destiny is in your hands, and don’t forget that.” We all get so caught up in details and get afraid to take risk, we forget that we are in control.

Another friend quit her job last week to follow her true passion. She is a very well-respected person in the events industry and finally made the leap. People like this get my respect right away. They don’t care what people think and just do what is right for them. Again, I think we all forget that we don’t have to be stuck in an office doing something we don’t love. If you are not happy in your career, do something risky and make a change. Take a class in something that interests you or join a group where you can get exposure to the thing you love. Just take a step in the direction until you are comfortable with making the leap.

Off-Broadway

Recently when producers talk about Off-Broadway they say it’s dead. That you can’t make money with the costs of unions and marketing with such small house counts. Shows like Glory Days that probably should be Off-Broadway figure there is a less risk in a Broadway house because you get more exposure and almost the same risks.

Well, recently producers like Ken Davenport have been working to fix the reputation of Off-Broadway. Last week there was an article in the New York Times that I thought was worth sharing.

So your homework for today is to read this article and tell me what you think about Off-Broadway.

Project Fringe 10 - Part 4 7.17.09

We are really making progress with Project Fringe. I have a partner in producing this show. His name is Clayton Smith. I have worked with Clayton briefly in producing a reading of one of his plays. Clayton is a bright young grad student in Chicago. He has written for this blog, and it is #2 in the top-ranked pages of the blog. Clayton will be heavily involved in the creative aspects of script formation. He will also play a key role in fundraising and marketing.

Speaking of the creative part, I am down to three ideas, though only two of them are fully formed. I want to get a director involved to help choose the piece. There is a local, young director who has assisted on a lot around town and directed a lot of readings and smaller productions. Next season will mark his directing debut of a main stage at a regional theatre in D.C. I won’t reveal his name yet, but he seems interested, and I will let you know once we move forward.

So a partner is attached, and a director and script are getting closer. Now to work on a marketing plan and budget with my partner Clayton. Stay tuned to see who will be playing the “director” in this adventure and what script will make the final cut.

Vacancy

So I was thinking about Capital Fringe, the Hip Hop Theatre Festival, and the Source Festival. They are all theatre festivals with low budgets, but they're all important to the Arts in Washington. They take place in the summer when most regional theatres are dark or mostly dark. I was thinking of how these festivals often bring in out-of-towners.

Why don’t regional theatres that have artist housing in the area lend a hand to these younger festivals? I am not saying they should give housing for free, but at Arena I know we had apartments sitting empty in the summer months. Maybe the festivals could pay for upfront costs, like cleanings, and maybe even have them cover ten percent of the cost. So if, let's just say, “Big Regional Theatre XYZ” had 10 empty apartments for which they paid $1,500 each month, they could give it to the festival for $150 a month, plus cleaning cost. Then “Big Regional Theatre XYZ” could make something off the apartment and help out a smaller festival.

Would this work? I know the devil is in the details, but if I got together Festival leaders and General/Company Managers, could they work out a plan to make this happen for next summer? Who knows. I will forward this blog to them and ask them to comment on the blog. And if you have ideas, you should comment too.

Ask My Friends - Company Management

So I remember being in college and not really understanding what a Company Manager and General Manager did. I would see their names and knew they were important by the placement but what did they do. Company Managers vary by what they are working on but I asked my friend Rachel Swan to tell me what a company manager in regional theatre did. I hired Rachel almost three years ago for Arena Stage and she jumped right in and was a great addition to the Arena Production Office. Since then she has grown to be a close friend.

"Hi. My name is Rachel, and I'm a Company Manager. Yups, I'm startingmy guest blog entry like I'm attending an AA meeting, but instead ofneeding a bottle of booze to get through my days, I'm addicted todetails, logistics & waiting for a pipe to burst. But they don't have meetings for that.

Alright, let me try to start at the beginning. In the grand theatricalscheme of things, the Company Manager assists the General Manager withcontracts (generally, doing the negotiations-in consultation with theGM, and definitely doing the paperwork), budgets, travel, housing, andpayroll. The Company Manager is also at the theater for eachperformance, checking in with the acting company and the sales office andbeing the person on the front lines for the producer(s).

In my current position as Company Manager for Arena Stage, I do some ofthose things and a great deal of others! I like to describe my job asmaking folks' contracts, then making sure each aspect is lived upto!

So, for an actor, director, or designer, it works something like this:My boss negotiates their contract with them (or their agent). I take myboss's notes and draft up a contract. That contract is sent via email orfax to the actor/their agent for approval. Once everyone agrees with allthe details, I create a contract packet, which includes partially executedcontracts (signed by my boss), and send it off. The actor countersignsthe contract and mails back copies (keeping one for themselves,hopefully...or I just mail one back!).

The first thing I address in their contract is travel andhousing. If they're local to D.C., I don't do anything because they'realready here and know how to get around (hopefully)! If they're from somewhere else,about a month before the first rehearsal, I'll contact them to make travelarrangements. The mode is specified in their contracts (train - regional orexpress, plane - coach or business, or driving - which means I have toarrange parking at their housing, the rehearsal hall, and the theater).

Next, I arrange for somewhere for them to live! Arena guests typicallystay at an apartment in a high-rise housing complex in which we rent anumber of units. They're spread throughout the complex, so folks can have theirprivacy. We rent out units on yearly leases, rent furniture, providehousewares (sheets to colanders and everything in between, per theAEA-LORT agreement), and arrange a cleaning service to go through betweeneach guest. So, I've got to coordinate who's in which apartment andwhat time, keys, laundry cards, get general info about the housing toguests (folks need to know their addresses to order take out!), etc.

While a person is in town for Arena, if they have any issue with their housing(broken toilet, gas smell, anything...you name it!), they come to me!I'm also in charge of paychecks (getting them to wherever folks are via mail or hand delivery) and billing (double checking that things are spelled correctly, listed in the correct order, orare in the program at all!!)."

Google Analytics

I send reports to my guest bloggers if they request them so they can see who is reading their blog entries and how many hits they get. When I shared this report with Jamie, she asked how I got such a report, so I thought I would share.

Google Analytics is a FREE way to track websites. If you have a website, go to the Google Analytics site and follow the easy steps to track your website or blog, and within 24 hours you will have all kinds of data.

To give you an idea of the data you can collect, I thought I would give you some data from this blog. I started tracking the date on April 30th. I have had 1,658 visits. My highest spike in hits by day were the posts about my friend David Twomey, and second was the post about the Tonys. If you look at individual page hits, though, it would be David first, and then the post about working for the St. Louis Rep.

I average 21 hits per day and average 31 hits on weekdays. Most people that visit my site are from the U.S., but I get visitors from other countries as well, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, Sweden, and the Philippines, just to name a few. I receive the highest number of hits from D.C., Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, and New York, in that order.

So go! Start tracking your website and learn who is looking at it. It could help you in marketing, or at least give you some fun facts to share when talking about your blog.

Theatre Rental Collaborative

When I came into the position of Booking Manager at Harman Center for the Arts, I really didn’t know much about what I would be doing. I knew I would act like a theatre owner and book the space as often as possible and try to Production Manage the events and productions that I book.

To learn more, I started emailing someone in a similar position at another local theatre, and we kept trying to meet up. Then I decided to try to get a bunch of us together so that we could share, discuss, and learn from each other. We could each talk about what was working and what wasn’t. I have talked a little bit about this group before, but now we are going to make it a little more official and give it a name: Theatre Rental Collaborative.

I have a lot of goals with this group, but the two most important are to learn from each other and share clients. I thought about all the calls I get that I can’t fulfill for one reason or another. Maybe we are too large or we don’t have the dates they need. We used to just tell them we are sorry, we can’t help them. But my new goal is to try to connect them with one of my fellow collaborators. Hopefully we can get all the theatres doing this and helping each other out in this way. Our next meeting is on the 27th of this month, so I will let you know what exciting news comes from that meeting. Think about your position and what collaboration you can do to help benefit your organization and help grow your network.

Project Fringe 10 – Part 3 – 7.10.09

Since I am going to produce a show for Fringe next year I figured I should start promoting them in the hopes that you will go see a show this year and come back next year to see my show. If you have read the blog about producing at Fringe, then you know at least one show you should see. I know I am buying tickets.

As a producer, part of our job is research. I will be seeing several shows this year to get a feel for how the festival is run. I will also be talking to many producers, like my friends Jamie and Cory, who are producing at this year's Capital Fringe.

I am mostly curious about budgets. How much they spent, how much they raised, and how did they do it. Part of my research will be to talk to people really involved in Fringe. One of my new Facebook friends is helping them with marketing and PR, and hopefully we will have lunch next week so I can pick his brain about how it is all going.

My last update with Project Fringe is that there is a late entry. I got a call yesterday from a young writer in NYC who has a new musical I am interested in. He seems very smart, and he pitched the idea yesterday and sent me some things to read. So now we have 3 good shows in the running.

Project Fringe 10 – Part 2 – 7.9.09

Time to update you on where we are with this project. With everything happening the last couple of weeks, I have been behind in this, and I need to try and stay more focused. So far, two ideas have really moved to the forefront.

This first is by two writers that I have never met, but I know them through friends, and I still am not sure how our paths never crossed. They are working on a musical adaption of Animal Farm. They really stepped up and came up with an outline and several demo songs for me. I have to say I am really impressed with the work they have put into this project, and it leads me to believe they will continue this work ethic all the way through, which is very exciting. I like the piece, and the songs are really cute. I can totally see myself doing this piece.

The second option is a new idea from friend of mine who is WONDERFUL writer and with whom I really want to work. His idea is less flushed out, and he would need to team up with someone to write the music, which I believe he has already started pursuing. I love the idea he has, but I am not sure how fast he can work to get the script and idea done. Although I don’t need a script now, the idea of the other option is totally flushed out.

I promised to let you know where I was, so there you have it. I will post more as details come. Who knows! Maybe I will make this really challenging and try and produce two shows! Crazy, I know. Stay tuned . . . .

Ask My Friends - Producing at Fringe

We keep the tradition of “Ask My Friends” and next up is Jamie Gahlon who I worked with at Arena Stage. She is a smart young artist and business person. I am sure we will see the words JAMIE GAHLON PRESENTS very soon. She would love for you all to buy tickets or even look up more info about their show. I asked Jamie to tell us what it is like to produce a show for the Capital Fringe Festival.

“Skywriter: Power-Madness! Subject-Verb Agreement!

From the moment I saw my first Fringe show, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of; it was just a matter of finding the right people and project. I had produced a couple of shows in college and gained some experience line-producing readings and workshops in my current job at Arena Stage, but the control freak and adventurer in me was missing the fun and chaos endemic to producing, of creating something from scratch and getting to be involved in all aspects of the process from conception to death. So when my friend/colleague/playwright extraordinaire Seamus Sullivan asked if I would consider producing a show he wanted to write for Fringe this summer, I was totally on board. Seamus, a number of other Georgetown grads, and I got together, and The Angry Young Theatre Company was born.

My initial excitement wavered only slightly as I came to terms with what lie ahead; I would be producing for the "real world," we had no budget save my trusty Wells Fargo Visa, and the most exciting/terrifying part was the fact that Skywriter was a new play, an entirely different beast from a script arriving pre-packaged and prepped for distribution.

As soon as we were officially accepted into Fringe in March, we set up auditions and put word out about the show:

"As an English teacher at a troubled DC public school, Frank Fletcher deals with a host of problems; crumbling infrastructure, violence in the halls, controversial reforms, and students who aren't always inclined to sit and learn. Thanks to a traumatic accident, he also believes himself to be a superhero named Skywriter who spends his nights patrolling neighborhood rooftops. When a new student teacher uncovers his secret identity, Fletcher must reflect on whether his heroic alter ego is a dangerous delusion or a much needed force for good in the city."

We were incredibly pleased with the response to auditions and ended up with four fabulous actors, Ricardo Frederick Evans, Christopher Michael Todd, Genevieve James, and Lynn Bandoria.

I spent the next couple of weeks madly crafting contracts, navigating Equity waters to obtain the necessary waivers, searching for rehearsal space, and getting as precise a production calendar as possible given the info that was steadily arriving from Fringe. In many respects, the blessing and curse of Fringe is the pre-ordained structure. Pro: You get a venue, name recognition, and a built-in promotional network. Con: We will have a two-hour tech and must limit the show to an hour. Thankfully, Seamus and our director, Hunter Styles, have both been aware of such constraints and have done an awesome job preserving the magnitude and substance of the show without allowing the scope to careen out of control.

By the time we were cast, Seamus had a rough first draft, but it was clear that in order to do the show justice, we would need to get a development process in place. We partnered with the Artists' Bloc as a part of their Modern Scribes program and set up three readings during April, May and June. We used our cast when they were available, and after each reading, Artists' Bloc staff helped to facilitate a non-critical feedback session based on questions generated by Seamus. It was truly incredible to experience the evolution of the script, sweeping changes and minute adjustments alike.

Seamus set the script in early June as we finalized our press pitches and listings and sent our marketing materials to print, albeit later than we had hoped (isn't that always the way?). We began rehearsals just over three weeks ago, and though it's hard to believe, we head into tech this week, and Fringe is fast upon us. Today, we had a preview performance at Big Monkey Comics on 14th Street, and though the space was unconventional, it was incredible to see a sampling of what's to come, and it was great for our cast to get some practice in front of an audience before the real deal begins THIS Saturday!

As I type, I have just sent the agenda for our last Production meeting, finished finalizing our strange tech week schedule (which includes practicing our 15 minute load in and load outs, God help us), and am trying to understand the minutiae and costs of the wondrous world of ZipCar. Do you know exactly how big the back end of a pick-up truck is or how to secure a rolling chain link fence in said pick-up? Neither do I, but I will by the time this is through.

Outside of the thrill of creation itself and the fun of working with a team of artists I deeply respect, the most rewarding part of the process thus far has been to be a part of something I believe has potential as a tool to affect positive social change in our city, to incite reflection on the state of DC Public schools, and, ideally, to serve as a catalyst for action that moves beyond the theater lobby. Skywriter begs us all to examine who we as a society choose to make superhuman and to seek out and recognize the superheroes who walk among us every day."

Being Laid Off

Last week, I heard of another local theatre who laid off more employees in an effort to keep costs down. This is a trend we're seeing all over the country, and, unfortunately, maybe it's happened to you. Having been laid off myself, I thought I would share some of the things I did to look for jobs.

First off, check with your old employer. Chances are it was nothing you did, but just financial times that contributed to the loss of your job. So check with your old boss and Human Resources to see what is out there. (This is actually how I first heard about the job I have now.)

Second, ask your contacts if there is any position they might know of that is open. They might have friends who need someone with your skills. Use Facebook and other networking tools to reach out. Don’t be ashamed of being laid off. They are expecting 3 million Americans will be laid off this year.

Thirdly, I suggest you make a job out of finding a job. I woke up at 9:00 a.m. every day to look for work. I typed cover letters, edited my resume, and read books about finding jobs. There is a great book called What Color Is Your Parachute. It is a must read if you are job hunting!

Lastly, budget, budget, budget! Look at your severance package, any income you may have, and your savings. Sign up for unemployment fast. Take all this into consideration, and determine how long you can live on it. See what you can cut, and make a plan. I knew exactly when I would run out of money. My credit cards were clear, and I was going to use them as a last resort to move home if need be. It would have not been pretty, but I knew exactly when it was coming.

I was really fortunate to have found a job, but I was zeroing in a couple of job options near the end of my three month layoff. So remember to look everywhere and reach out to find jobs, and treat job hunting like a job. And most importantly, remember to budget!

Fresh Eyes

Today I have a new assistant starting. She is new to this position, but not new to me. Kat and I have worked together on several projects. We first worked together at Webster University and have done a couple of projects since then. I am excited to have her start today because I think it will help me get a fresh perspective on the operations of our department, and that is really important.

A lot of companies hire outside consultants to come in and give their operations a look. They make recommendations, and about half the time they tell you things you already know. But maybe you forgot because you got caught up in the day-to-day operations.

I should mention that she is only here temporarily while the full-time assistant is out for a couple of months. I can't wait to see what new ideas Kat can bring to the table. Who do you have in your network who can bring a new angle to the table?

No Blog Today

Thanks for all the kind words and prayers. I will continue to blog as normal next week. I hope you all have a great Fouth of July and remember to call your family an friends.

The Fouth is a special time for me becuase it reminds me of the summer I lived with Percy. We all spent the day together with friends and every Fouth I think of that year and my best friend Kat Hill yelling, "It is the day y'all." Until next week.

My Friends - David Twomey

Seems like just yesterday he was yelling at us all to not mess up his coffee table. He had a special place for everything in his house, and if you moved it an inch, he would know. He had a great love for history and loved to argue about politics with us.

Yesterday, we lost a son, a brother, a friend, and a great guy. When I first heard, I thought it was a lie. I couldn't believe someone the same age as me that was perfectly healthy last week would be in ICU this weekend. I rushed to the hospital last night when I heard there were only a few hours left. I got there in time to see his family leave his room. And then the nurse came out to say he was gone.

I had to leave.

I can’t stop crying because he was such a great guy, and it seems so unfair. All we can do is focus on the good times. Amazing what a role Facebook ended up playing in this. I actually first heard through Facebook because people were writing getting well messages. His wall was full of messages from friends all over the country. Then his younger brother started to post updates to keep us all informed. Everything seemed so hopeful. Last night, his brother posted the news as soon as it happened. Now his wall is full of memories that will forever memorialize the friend we all lost.

I am still in disbelief. I was speaking to my younger brother last night because he lost his best friend about four years ago. It sounds stupid I just don’t want to ever forget him, and I asked Brandon how often he thought of Cody, and he said, "Every day."

David - I know you are in a better place, watching over us. I will never forget the friend I lost yesterday. Rest in peace.