Careers

The gnaw came on slowly. It started to bother me more when people asked if I thought I’d ever “go back to theater?” I started peeking at audition postings every once in a while. I started telling my husband boring stories about how I “got a laugh” during a workshop or a conference keynote. I always said it will have to be the right show at the right time for it to work, for it to be worth the additional upheaval to my life.

“You did what?” This is the question I’m asked by colleagues in the field when I tell them that I’ve recently moved to Dallas. So, here are the reasons why I moved, and why Dallas is such an exciting place to be when it comes to making theater.

And although I’m proud of the production and of the nearly-all Latina/o creative team that gave Mariela en el Desierto an authentic voice, an issue arose as the last weekend of performances approached: No critics from the periodicals in the Atlanta area had attended or reviewed the show.

A couple of months ago, HowlRound hosted a discussion about parenting and theater on Twitter hashtag #newplay, and perhaps the most interesting question to emerge from the discussion was simply: "Should I bring my kid to rehearsal?"

This week's conversation topic is Writing & Producing New Plays for the Indie, High School, College, and Community Theater Markets and will be moderated by Amy Rose Marsh @AmyRoseMarsh, literary manager @MrSamuelFrench—who like all of our moderators, authors, and content producers—self-selected to peer-produce on this commons-based platform! This hour-long Howl will take place on Thursday, May 1 on hashtag #newplay at 11am PDT (San Francisco) / 1pm CDT (Austin) / 2pm EDT (Toronto) / 18:00 GMT / 7pm BST (London). On Thursday, get heard in the conversation by searching for #newplay in Twitter (sort by “all”) and by putting “#newplay” somewhere in your messages. Spread the word!

Are you the next HowlRound Fellow? HowlRound is looking for editors/writers/producers/entrepreneurs who make things happen—who are ready and passionate to dive into working on ideas for advancing the theater commons.

A sampling of some of the major non-profits suggests that there are at least, on average, 8 to 10 unpaid interns working at any given time in the average mid to large sized non-profit theater. There are over 300 non-profit theaters of varying sizes in New York alone. Even with conservative estimates, there are at least a thousand interns, (probably more) working tens of thousands of unpaid hours for the non-profit sector. There are hundreds of PAs. We’ve created a system that’s built on the backs of unpaid young people who just want to be a part of things.

But this particular day I was walking uphill in ninety-five degrees heat wearing hosiery, a corset, a silk slip, a long sleeved collared shirt, a wool skirt and a wool coat. Oh, and a pretty doofy hat. "Boardwalk Empire" followed the unfortunate schedule of filming its winter scenes in summer and summer scenes in winter. At some point I muttered to myself, "I hate this."

 Jennifer Lane shares her thoughts on how to remain optimistic among the dismal realities of theatre-making. 

I grew up entranced by Jim Henson’s Muppets. Performing with wry but gentle humor, they pulled back the curtain to snicker at backstage life and deftly expressed all the joy, camaraderie, and frustration of working as an ensemble. Though televised, it embraced the dynamic liveness integral to puppetry, variety, and vaudeville as art forms. So now, looking back at the films as a young arts manager, I’m shocked to realize that Kermit the Frog—whom I love very, very much—is a pretty bad producer.

People kept telling me, "There are no small parts, only small actors" and "small roles can steal the show." And the more I heard it the more I convinced myself I was doing something wrong.

Maybe it stems from the being a creative personality or being behind in writing projects, Catherine Trieschmann questions whether a renewal of occupation will uplift her creative stagnation.

A. Nora Long examines our culture's fascination with the starving artist, scrambling to make ends meet... and calls for a movement to dismantle our thoughts about how we make a life in the theater.

In my life as a farmer and as a playwright,  there really is a time to plan, to sow, to weed, and a time to reap. Talent is great. But endurance and luck are really what it takes.

Ira Gamerman offers his insight and a strategy to becoming a successful playwright.  

Paul Meshejian challenges the idea that compensation in theater is something to be taken for granted. Instead, shouldn't we expect to not make much for our art?

Alexis Clements interviews actress Black-Eyed Susan.

Cheryl Lynn Bruce provides her experience post-college as a template for making art: collaborate, learn from others, and try everything.

The key to successful “amateur” theatre is communication. Danielle Rosvally reminds us that outsiders need transparent frame works so the relationship with the company be a success.

Joe Markesbery talks about his time at The Orchard Project, and how working collaboratively with other young artists erased his fears of his artistic future.

Catherine Mueller offers an overview of Orchard Project's Core Comapny.

Danielle Rosvally talks about the expansive definition of what qualifies as  “professional.” She breaks down the word in order better articulate the parameters of the word.

New homes can be found when opportunity makes you pick up and leave comfortability.  EM Lewis writes about opening up to new communities in order to embrace opportunity.