NEWS ABOUT HOWLROUND
- January 2013 New York Times article, "Theater Residencies from Emerson College."
- January 2013 Boston Globe article, "Melinda Lopez chosen for playwright residency."
- December 2012 ArtsFwd.org/EmcArts article, "#NEWPLAY TV—Submission of Excellence" by Vijay Mathew
- November 2012 Emerson.edu article, "Nonprofit, commercial theater examined in book."
- October 2012 Boston Globe article, "New report: Are nonprofit theaters too closely tied to commercial producers?"
- September 2012 American Theatre magazine feature, "The Commons Touch."
- January 2012 Shareable.net article, "Building a New American Theater Commons" by Polly Carl & Vijay Mathew.
CONVENING REPORTS
Reports are listed alphabetically by author name. Click on the titles to download. Have a report you would like to add to this list? Email jamie@howlround.com.
How Do You Develop Plays by Eugenie Chan and Adrien-Alice Hansel
Data collected from applications to NEA’s first New Play Development Program is used to reflect trends in the new play sector. The 191 applications gave insight aesthetics, the development process, the goals of development, and the role of the audience.
Gates of Opportunity by David Dower
A sample of David Dower’s findings from eight months of meetings in theater communities across the country. Through discussing issues of isolation and spreading bright spots across the field, Dower captures a snapshot of the new play infrastructure in 2007.
21st Century Literary Office Convening Report by Janice Paran
On February 24-25, 2012, HowlRound (formerly known as the American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage) hosted The 21st Century Literary Office Convening, gathering approximately forty literary managers, dramaturgs, and playwrights to discuss what the literary office of the future looks like and how we can make our vision for the literary office of the future a reality.
2007 New Play Development and Production Summit by Ben Pesner
Ben Pesner reports on a discussion hosted by the Mellon Foundation and moderated by David Dower. The purpose was to highlight bright spots in the infrastructure of the new play sector and analyze the casual relationships that lead to the development of new work.
From Scarcity to Abundance: Capturing the Moment in the New Play Sector by Ben Pesner
A report on a three-day one hundred plus participant new play convening hosted by the American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage in January 2011 to identify what's next in and for the new works sector.
Today and Tomorrow: New Play Development Before and After Opening Night by Ben Pesner
Ben Pesner reports on a gathering of industry professionals at the Humana Festival who were presented findings of TDF’s Outrageous Fortune and David Dower’s Gates of Opportunity before the reports were published. Twelve people were designated as responders and their reactions were the basis for conversation after the presentation of the materials.
Defining Diversity by Janine Sobeck
A report on a convening of a broad spectrum of theater artists and institutional leaders focused on exploring diversity in the new play sector. This convening was produced by by the American Voices New Play Institute and held at Georgetown University in December 2009.
Black Playwrights: What Stories are we Allowed to Tell by Janine Sobeck
A report on a convening of playwrights and institutional leaders on the state of Black playwriting in American theater. The convening was produced by the American Voices New Play Institute and held at Georgetown University in January 2010.
Theater Outside the Box: Devised Work by Janine Sobeck
A report on a convening that explored the development of non-playwright-centered work and the community that creates it. This convening was produced by the American Voices New Play Institute and held at Georgetown University in February 2010.
REQUIRED READING
Our list of must-reads and reference points for general consumption. Think we're missing something? Email jamie(at)howlround.com.
- Why Are Artists Poor?: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts by Hans Abbing
- Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons by Peter Barnes
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
- The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde
- Common as Air: Revoltuion, Art and Ownership by Lewis Hyde
- Outrageous Fortune: The Life and Times of the New American Play by Todd London with Ben Pesner
- Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J. Anthony Lukas
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
- The Lean Start Up:How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
- Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
- Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art, published by Theatre Bay Area
THE MICROFUND FOR ARTISTS
Artist-led projects that aim to permanently disrupt our current understanding and practices in the theater field. A project can take any form and can include any number of participants. It’s a fund specifically for artists to investigate issues in the field that concern them. Typically arts administrators drive research and report back to artists. As a way of encouraging artists to be more active voices in the shaping of our institutions and practices, we offer small sums of money for artists to take a more active role in telling the story of the theater. Grant amounts vary based on the scope of the project and are dependent on current funding generated by HowlRound. Applications are accepted and decisions are made on a rolling basis. If you’d like to pitch a project, contact microfund (at) howlround.com with an email summarizing the project idea, goals, and deliverables and we will respond with further details.
CURRENT PROJECTS
New York Times Critic Watch: A community-sourced research project that aims to evaluate every New York Times review of new theater work for one calendar year. Findings and analysis are published on the HowlRound Blog. Updates are also available via the Twitter hashtag #newplay and @NYTCriticWatch.
Center for Performance & Civic Practice: Artists and Civic/Legislative Leaders build partnerships that leverage collaborative skills and imaginative action for better public practice around policy and coalition-building. Methods: Research, Practice, Convening & Dissemination. Advocacy within non-arts sectors; capacity building among artists. Contact: michael.rohd (at) gmail.com.