National Theater Project (NTP) Twin Cities Regional Convening, Minnesota

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and Pangea World Theater partnered to bring you the National Theater Project (NTP) Twin Cities Regional Convening, which livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 2 December 2018 at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles) / 11 a.m. CST (Minneapolis) / 12 p.m. EST (New York).

The NTP Twin Cities Regional Convening is an exploration of the performing arts landscape in the Twin Cities and the surrounding regions. As part of its effort towards understanding the theater-making ecology across the nation and making more equitable grant awards, NEFA’s NTP and its partners hosted a day of information gathering and networking to expand the NTP Advisor knowledge base and make connections with the region. This day provided opportunities for NTP Advisors to meet artists, presenters, producers, service organizations, and philanthropists from the region and beyond, and for all attendees to build connections and share stories and analyses of the regional infrastructure, triumphs and challenges in supporting new and existing work in the performing arts, and the structures that support emerging and veteran artists, from commissioning to touring.

The day included three discussion sessions and three excerpts performed by regional artists and ensembles. This event was made possible through the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

All times listed in local Minnesota time, Central Standard Time (UTC -6):

11 a.m. NTP Information Session by Quita Sullivan, Theater Program Director, NEFA

12 p.m. Lunch

12:45 p.m. Welcome by NEFA & Pangea World Theater (Land acknowledgement)

• Sharon Day, Executive Director, Indigenous Peoples Task Force

• Quita Sullivan, Theater Program Director, NEFA

• Meena Natarajan, Executive/Literary Director, Pangea World Theater

1 p.m. Panel Discussion #1: State of Ensemble Theater and Touring in the Twin Cities

Moderator: Seena Hodges, Founder, CEO, The Woke Coach

Panelists:

• Carlyle Brown, Playwright/Performer, Artistic Director, Carlyle Brown & Company

• Curtis Kirby, Ikidowin Program Manager, Indigenous Peoples Task Force

• Meena Natarajan, Executive/Literary Director, Pangea World Theater

• Luverne Seifert, Co-Founder, Sod House Theater

• Sandy Spieler, Resident Founder, Artistic Director of MayDay & Community Partnerships, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre

2 p.m. Networking Break

2:15 p.m. Performance Showcase #1: The Wastelands/Open Flame Theatre

2:45 p.m. Panel Discussion #2: Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition (TCTOCC) and Racial Equity Funders Collaborative (REFC)

Moderator: Seena Hodges, Founder, CEO, The Woke Coach Panelists:

• Sarah Bellamy, Artistic Director, Penumbra Theatre

• Arleta Little, Program Officer, Director of Artists Fellowships, McKnight Foundation

• Dipankar Mukherjee, Artistic Director, Pangea World Theater

• Eleanor Savage, Program Director, Jerome Foundation 3:45pm Networking Break

4:00 p.m. Performance Showcase #2: Little Boy/Masanari Kawahara

4:30 p.m. World Café Session on Community Engagement Practices

Panelists:

• Sharon Day, Executive Director, Indigenous Peoples Task Force

• Seitu Jones, Visual Artist

• Ricardo Levin Morales, RLM Arts 5:30pm Networking Break

5:45 p.m. Performance Showcase #3: Testimonies / Sha Cage

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.