ATCA Blog - Comments

dso comments on ATCA at the O'Neill

dso — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:59:26 +0000

There's some disagreement about the specificity of those qualifications (blogger Jonathan Mandell discusses them in terms of ATCA membership, but I imagine the criteria would be pretty similar), but I think it's a great idea, and one that could possibly help generate some ad revenue too, since blogs with an imprimatur are--again, in theory--worth more than those without.

Simon Saltzman comments on ATCA at the O'Neill

Simon Saltzman — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:13:59 +0000

The rewards of this year’s ATCA convention based around the activities at the O’Neill Foundation are almost too numerous to name. Aside from the trying accommodations at the Radisson Hotel in New London, my wife LucyAnn, who teaches in the theater department at Drew University, and I had fine time re-connecting and chatting with ATCA members from all over our country who share our passion and our dedication to the theater arts.
What we feel most grateful for is the opportunity each year to be a guest at a different hub of theatrical activity, most of which we wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to visit. As my work as president of the Outer Critics Circle and as a critic who attends more than 200 plays a year keeps me virtually glued to the stages in New York and New Jersey, I am particularly grateful for the opportunity that comes during the year to get out of town and to see the often extraordinary work being developed and presented at the various regional theaters.
As for my experience at the O’Neill Foundation, I have some qualms about the direction it seems to have taken to be more accessible to producers and promoters. This could be seen in the musical and two plays that we attended, all three of which were notable for their discernable commercial potential. It’s hard for me to imagine that out of 800 or so admissions read and selected that what we saw represented the kind of creative, challenging, innovative, and possibly untraditionally structured dramatic literature that one would like to think might comprise the bulk of the product put into the development process. This approach seems to be the antithesis of the founders’ intentions.
As I will respect the request not to review the plays we saw, I will only say that all three had the benefit of being performed by first-rate actors who, almost miraculously, created characters who lived and breathed in the most difficult of conditions. P.S. We both cherish the side trip to the Goodspeed Opera and the tour of its awesome facilities, as well as seeing the charming musical “Carnival.” I am especially thankful that we discovered Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock. But I am mostly thankful to Chris Rawson who went to extraordinary lengths to make every day of the conference eventful, informative and enjoyable. Simon Saltzman

cgeye comments on Denver: Too Many New Play Festivals?

cgeye — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:46:46 +0000

OH. Nevermind.
:^>

And an ongoing discussion on what "New Play" means: http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/how-should-we-define-new-play-newplay.html.

Jonathan Abarbanel comments on Denver: Too Many New Play Festivals?

Jonathan Abarbanel — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:32:50 +0000

The NNPN is more as the model SHOULD be: it's Continuing Life Fund gives modest cash grants to three theatres each of which guarantees a production of the same new play within an 18-month period in what the NNPN calls a "rolling world premiere." I'm familiar with the NEA program but not with details of how it works, so I can't offer comment. P.S. Full disclosure: I helped create the NNPN in 1998 and its Continuing Life idea in my part-time capacity as a literary manager.
Jonathan Abarbanel

cgeye comments on Denver: Too Many New Play Festivals?

cgeye — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:13:59 +0000

Does the Arena Stage NEA New Play Development program count? The National New Play Network?

Leslie Torvik comments on Denver: Where’s the snow?

Leslie Torvik — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:43:05 +0000

Chris,

So glad you made it to Denver. Keep us posted on all the goings-on in Denver.