fbpx Berkshire Leadership Summit at WAM Theatre | HowlRound Theatre Commons

Livestreamed on this page Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October 2017 9:00 a.m. EDT (New York) / 8:00 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:00 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

Lenox, MA, United States
Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October 2017

Add to Calendar

Berkshire Leadership Summit at WAM Theatre

Produced With
Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October 2017
michelle hensley headshot
Michelle Hensley, Keynote Speaker

WAM Theatre presented the Berkshire Leadership Summit livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October 2017.

"By directly addressing the common barriers outlined in the A.C.T./Wellesley Centers for Women research, our goal is to provide such intentional training resources and direct action that there is no question that these candidates are positioned and prepared to lead with success." said Rachel Fink, member of the Berkshire Leadership Summit Steering Committee. "We have gathered a remarkable group of current and future leaders and I am so excited to witness their collective power as they mobilize to impact our field for the better."

Saturday 28 October

Welcome and Introductions
9:00 a.m. EDT (New York) / 8:00 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:00 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)
The Berkshire Leadership Summit kick off with a welcome, summit background, and goals from Steering Committee chair Kristen van Ginhoven, Artistic Director of summit host WAM Theatre, and members Akiba Abaka, Audience Development Manager at ArtsEmerson; Rachel Fink, Managing Director of Theatre Bay Area; and Shafer Mazow, Senior Grants Manager at Exploratorium and lead developer and organizer of the Women’s Leadership Project and convening.

Keynote Presentation
9:30 a.m. EDT (New York) / 8:30 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)
Michelle Hensley, Founder and Artistic Director of Ten Thousand Things Theater in Minnesota, will be providing the keynote address. Ms. Hensley will discuss her efforts, as an artistic director finding herself in a very male world, to create a place where she could work and live with her values intact - a central theme of this pilot event.

Michelle Hensley has directed and produced over 25 years of award-winning drama brought directly to nontraditional audiences in prisons, shelters and housing projects, as well as the general public in and around Minneapolis through Ten Thousand Things Theater. A McKnight Theater Fellow, Ms. Hensley was named the Star Tribune's Best Artistic Director in 2012, received the Francesca Primus Prize for outstanding contribution to the American theater by a female artist, published her book All The Lights On in 2015, and just last month received the Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement.

 

 

Plenary: Leadership Shifts: From the Wellesley Report to the Executive Search
4:00 p.m. EDT (New York) / 3:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1:00 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles)
This group discussion, moderated by Ellen Richard will use the findings from the Wellesley Centers for Women/A.C.T. research as a springboard for a conversation about current hiring practices in the nonprofit theatre, industry efforts towards gender parity, and tactics to address the barriers to advancement detailed in the study. Panelists include Emika Abe, Assistant Managing Director of Alliance Theatre; Sheila Hennessey, a Principal at Koya Leadership Partners; and Ineke Ceder, Research Associate at Wellesley Centers for Women as well as Jenna Deja, Joan Lancourt, and Laura Penn.

 


 

Sunday 29 October

Plenary: Successive Leadership: Leading on While Passing the Baton
11:15 a.m. EDT (New York) / 10:15 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 8:15 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)
This plenary, moderated by Liz Diamond, Chair of the Directing Department at Yale School of Drama and Resident Director at Yale Repertory Theatre, will tackle what leadership development looks like over the lifespan of a career, as well as transitioning leadership skills and positions to a new generation of women. Panelists include Martha Richards, Executive Director of WomenArts, and Hana Sharif, Associate Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage.

 

Pinnacle Conversation: A Clarion Call for Advancement
1:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 10:30 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)
In this final conversation, moderated by Erin Washington, attendees will hear from leaders in the field who have taken action on women's leadership and discuss what’s next. Panelists include Carol Dunne, Producing Artistic Director at Northern Stage; Joy Meads, Co-Founder of The Kilroys and Literary Manager/Artistic Engagement Strategist at Center Theatre Group; and Kristen van Ginhoven.

 

More information about the Berkshire Leadership Summit schedule can be found at http://www.wamtheatre.com/berkshire-leadership-summit-2017/.

ABOUT THE BERKSHIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
The pilot Berkshire Leadership Summit will be hosted by WAM Theatre on October 28 and 29, 2017, in the Elayne Bernstein Performing Arts Center at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass.

The summit is informed and supported by the research that American Conservatory Theater commissioned from the Wellesley Centers for Women. The HowlRound blogpost about the study can be found at http://howlround.com/women-s-leadership-research-results-and-recommendations

Sponsors and supporters for the summit include Lynn and Richard Atkinson, Hannelore Voness, Joan and James Hunter, Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, Arwen Lowbridge of Baystate Financial, Classical Tents, Blue Q, ZONTA Club of Berkshire County, and the donors of the GoFundMe campaign.

The Berkshire Leadership Summit Steering Committee: Kristen van Ginhoven, Artistic Director of WAM Theatre; Akiba Abaka, Audience Development Manager at ArtsEmerson; Rachel Fink, Managing Director of Theatre Bay Area; and Shafer Mazow, who currently works at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and was a lead developer and organizer of the Women’s Leadership Project and convening.

The BLS Advisory Committee includes Ineke Ceder and Sumru Erkut, authors of the Wellesley Study; Elena Chang, Associate Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at TCG; Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director at Williamstown Theatre Festival; Carey Perloff, Artistic Director at American Conservatory Theatre who commissioned the Wellesley study; Laura Penn, Executive Director of the Society of Stage Director and Choreographers; and Martha Richards, Executive Director of WomenArts.

 

ABOUT WAM THEATRE
Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre is Where Arts and Activism Meet. The company was co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven. WAM’s vision is to create opportunity for women and girls through the mission of theatre as philanthropy. Inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls. Since 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $32,500 to twelve nonprofit organizations and provided paid work to more than 200 theatre artists. In addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com

About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.

Bookmark this page

Log in to add a bookmark

Find all of our upcoming events here.

Upcoming Events

Comments

0
Add Comment

The article is just the start of the conversation—we want to know what you think about this subject, too! HowlRound is a space for knowledge-sharing, and we welcome spirited, thoughtful, and on-topic dialogue. Find our full comments policy here

Newest First