Harper A. MacNeill
Dr. Linda Persau
IAS 300: Adult Career Development
2 March, 2013
Word Count:2554
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un£td & Company
Just in case nothing in my life works out the way I am planning it-to go to Prague and
write a movie script about Terezin; maybe like it so much Istay, and maybe die there- I think I
will build a street theatre company. Building the creative aspects of a theatre company is
relatively easy for me; its definitely easier than working at Kmart! By easy, I mean the action of
writing a play, rehearsing it, and performing it in front of an audience. I have been in theatre
since I was five-years-old. I have written and performed my own plays almost as long, and I
have studied with some of the greatest actors and directors of the twentieth century; such
talented people as John-Michael Tebelak, Paul Sills, Avery Schreiber, Annie Potts, Jeff Corry, and
Sian Phillips. But live performance is more than the actual play. It is the logistics of putting
together a physical theatre, making an operational budget, applying for funding and all the
other unseen, but vital parts of running a theatre. I found this daunting at first; especially after
I started thinking about what my theatre should physically be.
The vision
My theatre should be for the artists: a vehicle for actors/directors/writers to perform
their work. This is especially true of writers; a writer never knows how their script will look until
it is staged. They never know if the logistics are wrong, how an actor or director will interpret
their work, nor do they know how an audience will respond to their ideas, until the play is
performed in front of an audience. Many people are unaware that the stage directions in a
script are not necessarily anything the writer added. They come from the stage manager's
hand-written notes of the first performance of the play.
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My company will be paid a fair wage. This is important to me because I am union, and I
want to create a platform in Phoenix for people to gain points toward an equity card. Though I
plan for my theatre to be "equity waiver," meaning I am only required to pay them a nominal
$10.00 a performance, I want to pay them at least $60.00 per performance...but I realize at this
point I will have to pay them nothing or stay with the nominal pay; that is, until we get on our
feet.
I also want to pay directors and playwrights because I want quality original work on my
stage. This brings me to my third point; plays must be original or the unique staging of a work
in public domain. The same is true of any music used in performance. Until then my plays will
be in public domain like Shakespeare in the Park.
This theatre company must be community based. I think there is a strong market in
Phoenix for home-grown theatre, but I think it must be vibrant, original community theatre. My
theatre also will be part of the communities in which we perform. Theatre is nothing if it does
not reach into our lives and move us. Great theatre speaks to us, to our life source; it cannot
exist without an organic interchange of ideas and passion from artist to audience and back
again. We have dynamic talent and drive here, but not enough theatre companies to serve tne
need.
Last, I have no money so this theatre must be visually "minimalist;" literally "actors in
space." Our work will be performed in "found spaces"; whatever space we can find...or a park.
Costumes and props will be spare, often just a hat or a cape. I have an old trunk full of hats,
wigs and hand props, and with a chair or two, that is pretty much it. This sparseness has given
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me the name of my theatre company un£td & Company; we may be limited in many things but
we are unlimited in imagination and talent.
The Search for Information
In deciding to form a theatre company, there were immediately a few things I needed to
find out. The most important thing I needed to know is how many live theatres are already here
in Phoenix. Next, I needed a blueprint to know what to do. This entailed that I get a vision of my
theatre company in my head. To get some ideas, I needed to look at inexpensive, alternative
theatres as it is unlikely I will have the money to rent a brick-and-mortar space. Finally, I
needed to research funding. I thought I was only looking for grants, but as you shall see, that
search opened up many possibilities beyond funding; it gave me a more realistic point-of-view
of what I could reasonably do the first year of my theatre production.
The first place I looked for information was the Internet. The ASU Database online
turned out to be more of a starting-point than an end-point in most cases. Most of the articles
posted on the database were largely scholarly, but they did point me in the right direction. That
being said, I did find a complete online edition of How to Start Your Own Theatre Company by
Reginald Nelson (Nelson, 2010) in the database. Nelson knows what he is talking about; he is
one of the founders of Congo Square Theatre in Chicago (Congo Square Theatre). This became
my blueprint for building my company, though I later tempered it with an article by Rebecca
Novick, a consultant for theatre and arts councils in the San Francisco Bay Area. The article,
entitled "Please, Don't Start a Theatre Company! Next-Generation Arts Institutions and Career
Paths." (Novick 2011) was a clear and concise statement on the future of nonprofit theatres
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from the POV of grantmakers. Being able to compare these two sources was invaluable to me
as you will see later.
Reginald Nelson says in the first chapter of his book, that to build a successful theatre
company you must have more than passion, you must have a "strategy" (Nelson, p. 1). I needed
to start my research with a vision for a workable strategy to create my company. When I first
started my research, I had envisioned a "Little Theatre", or Resident/LORT Theatre, but quickly
ruled them out as too expensive. I went to LOTR/League of Resident Theater website to find out
what professional theatres you already have here in Phoenix (LORT/League of Resident
Theatres). The list of LORTs here is impressive; you already have the Arizona Theatre Company.
You also have the Phoenix Theatre one of the oldest "little theatres" in the country (Phx
Theatre/ History). These theatres already have prestige, the audience share and a track record.
They probably also have professional grant writers. To compete with them on any level would
be ridiculous. They also produce "big-budget" shows that are out of my league. To be truthful, I
have no money and I will leave school with sizeable student debts so this theatre is going to
operate on a shoestring, at least at the very beginning. That being said, I will still have to apply
for grants so I had to ask myself what I community need could I fill with my theatre company? I
then focused my research by finding a small, successful community-theatre company to model
my company after. I began to search the web for websites of successful alternative and
experimental theatres. I already knew some theatres like Congo Square, San Diego Rep,
LaMaMa and Shakespeare in the Park. San Diego Rep, LaMaMa and Shakespeare in the Park
are all models I could use, but the problem is that they are already well-established theatre
companies. It was Novick's article that helped through this conundrum when she mentioned
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extremely small theatre companies that were highly successful (Novick p.1). Novick's own
company, the Crowded Fire Theatre Company in San Francisco looks amazing (Crowded Fire
Theater Company),as is Red Poppy Art House (Red Poppy Art House) . Moving to their website
< http://redpoppyarthouse.org/> I found this quote from founder Todd Brown:
The Red Poppy Art House does not really exist.
What does exist is a room within a building on the corner of Folsom Street and
23rd Street in San Francisco. The room has a closet, a bathroom, and a not-soentirely-random assortment of things, such as speakers, chairs, sound
equipment,etc. This room is owned by a landlord, Curt Cournale, who nearly no
one we know has ever met (Red Poppy Art House,blog)
This is exactly the kind of theatre company I need; a large bare space for stage, equipment,
folding -chairs and a bathroom, the closet is optional. Brown used his rented house to make a
theatre. This would definitely be a viable alternative to finding a building solely for a theatre. To
be honest, I really can't afford this now, but it is definitely in the ballpark for the future. So now
I had a reasonable model of what I was looking for- now I could begin to see un£td & Company
as a something that can exist if I work at putting it together.
My next goal was to find out what funding I could get through the state, but my sister
who is a grant- writer for the arts in San Diego, advised me to streamline my idea first, and and
it going before I do too much research on grants.
"If you build it, they will come," she said.
She told me that lots of people are looking for grants because of the economy, and that funding
for the arts has been cut significantly and competition is fierce. Her advice was to focus my
idea more and see what I could actually do to get something started. She wanted me to see if
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there was some kind of community support behind me if I actually decided to go ahead and
start the theatre. She also directed me to "look local" for funding.
My next move was to hone my vision down to what I can reasonably do for a theatre
company at this moment and begin to look for a space in which to perform. I immediately
began to search for existing startup theatres in the area. I found the wonderful Brelby
Theatre in Glendale (Brelby Theatre). I have only seen one performance of a murder mystery,
but I Intend to see more of their work. They are exuberant and lively in their roles. They do
lack ensemble but they are new and young and I think their goal is simply to have fun. In my
opinion they are a valuable part of their community and the greater art community of Arizona.
Brelby just opened a new space in the center of the city, although I was told there was some
"glitch."Glendale seems open new arts groups coming in especially since Super Bowl XLIX will
be played there in 2015.
I made several trips to the Glendale City Hall and they were very helpful. They sent me
to City of Glendale website (City of Glendale) for information on the Glendale's Arts Commission
and a redevelopment grant that might be available to me. For information on the Glendale Arts
Commission please go to;
<http://www.glendaleaz.com/arts/glendaleartscommission.cfm>
For a sample copy of the Glendale Redevelopment Grant Application please see Appendix B.
So now I have a place in mind to perform; Glendale. I don't yet have a the desire for a
physical theatre and I don't know if the community can sustain it, but I do see a plan forming; I
want to do Shakespeare in the Park in Glendale town square. My first step will be to train a
Commedia dell' Arte troupe; four stock actors- two lovers, the servant, and the master.
Commedia is improvisation and improv teaches members of an acting company trust each
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other. With little rehearsal, actors wearing cutoffs and t-shirts and theatrical hats can stroll
about the lawns doing their skits and interacting with the people of Glendale. We can take tips
that can be divided up at the end of the day. Open air theatre will put my actors right into the
midst of the audience. The difference between my theatre and the murder mystery, is that the
actor's improvisation now has to go in the direction of the audience member; there cannot be a
preconceived script except in that first line.
We could perform every weekend and every festival day. We could also audition
quartets of a cappella carolers. We could rehearse them right in the park so people would see
us. Maybe other groups would come. As the summer progresses, we could begin to rehearse an
improv version of MacBeth or Titus Andronicus. I want people to see us in rehearsal. It might be
interesting to do a "stage" version of Vanya on 42nd Street (Malle 1994).
I also will look at the play festivals in the southwest, and what it would take for us to
enter. Once we get an ensemble group going regularly, we can enter some of our work and that
will give us a reputation. By doing it this way, I can see what kind of community support I can
get. I can even start a group this summer if I get all the paperwork done in time.
Looking back on my paper I can honestly say the only thing I would have done
differently is that I would have made it a lot longer. I would have liked to have told you about
other ideas for plays; gotten into writer's role, and more on possible play festivals. Maybe we
could even hostone annually, because I think Arizona can support one(more). I also like the
idea of artists collaborating. By this I mean actors, dancers, mimes, filmmakers, musicians,
photographers, painters.
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I do have a few reservations about forming a theatre company in Arizona. My first
reservation is that other theatres here will be concerned that any new company is more competition
than can be sustained. It is my hope that the opening of un£td & Company will bring a more theatre
savvy audience to all theatres and that every area theatre will benefit from it.
I am also concerned about the heat in the summer. The heat could be a plus though if
some area business owners invited us inside. There is also an amphitheatre in the square in
Glendale we might sneak into. If we have problems in Glendale, there are lots of area parks to
use.
Finally, I don't know if I want to stay in Arizona. I only came here temporarily after the
death of my husband. I have plans to go to Prague to finish a script on the inmates of Terezin. If I
have started un£td & Company already, I will leave someone to take it over. Theatre is a
contract between the performance artists and their audience. A community theatre is an
expression of the community's cultural values and cannot hinge upon one person's ego. If and
when I leave Arizona I would like to leave something that will continue. That something may be
un£td & Company.
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Works Cited
Brelby Theatre 20013 Season. 2009. Web. 22 February 2013. <http://brelby.com/>
Brown, Todd A Letter From Our Founder: Todd Brown. 20 December 2012. Web. 28 February
2013. < http://redpoppyarthouse.org/2012/12/20/a-letter-from-our-founder-todd-brown/ >.
City of Glendale. Glendale AZ. n.d. Web. 25 February 2013. < http://www.glendaleaz.com/ >.
Congo Square Theatre. Congo Square Theatre-Where the African Diaspora Lives. 2013. Web.
23 February 2013. <http://www.congosquaretheatre.org/>.
Crowded Fire Theater Company 2013 Season. n.d. Web. 28 February 2013.
<http://www.crowdedfire.org/ >.
Glendale, City of. Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms. 1 January 2013-2014.
Web. 22 February 2013. < Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms >.
—. Glendale AZ-All About Art!- Glendale Arts Commission. 2005. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.glendaleaz.com/arts/glendaleartscommission.cfm >.
LORT/League of Resident Theatres. 26 March 2012. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.lort.org/LORT_Member_Theatres.html >.
Malle, Louis; Andre Gregory. Vanya on 42nd Street. October 1994. Web. 28 February 2013.
< http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111590/ >.
Nelson, Reginald. How to Start Your Own Theater Company. Chicago: Chicago Review Press,
2010. I Book.
Novick, Rebecca. "Please Don't Start a Theatre Company!" Grantmakers in the Arts;GIA
Reader (2011). Web.
Phx Theatre/ History. n.d. Web. 27 February 2013. <http://www.phoenixtheatre.com/historyphoenix-theatre>.
Red Poppy Art House. 22 December 2012. Web. 26 February 2013.
< http://redpoppyarthouse.org/ >.
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—. Red Poppy Art House. A Letter From Our Founder: Todd Brown. 20 December 2012. Web.
28 February 2013. < http://redpoppyarthouse.org/2012/12/20/a-letter-from-our-foundertodd-brown/ >.
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References
Brelby Theatre 20013 Season. 2009. Web. 22 February 2013. <http://brelby.com/>
Brown, Todd A Letter From Our Founder: Todd Brown. 20 December 2012. Web. 28 February
2013. < http://redpoppyarthouse.org/2012/12/20/a-letter-from-our-founder-todd-brown/ >.
City of Glendale. Glendale AZ. n.d. Web. 25 February 2013. < http://www.glendaleaz.com/ >.
Congo Square Theatre. Congo Square Theatre-Where the African Diaspora Lives. 2013. Web.
23 February 2013. <http://www.congosquaretheatre.org/>.
Crowded Fire Theater Company 2013 Season. n.d. Web. 28 February 2013.
<http://www.crowdedfire.org/ >.
Glendale, City of. Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms. 1 January 2013-2014.
Web. 22 February 2013. < Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms >.
—. Glendale AZ-All About Art!- Glendale Arts Commission. 2005. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.glendaleaz.com/arts/glendaleartscommission.cfm >.
Havel, Vaclav. Project Syndicate-the World of Ideas. 18 December 2011. Web. 22 February
2013. <http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/politics-and-theatre-2012-12-1810-01-54>.
Lamama Theatre.. Lamama Celebrates its 52st year. 1 Januart 2013. Web. 22 Febraury 2013.
< http://lamama.org/ >.
LORT/League of Resident Theatres. 26 March 2012. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.lort.org/LORT_Member_Theatres.html >.
Malle, Louis; Andre Gregory. Vanya on 42nd Street. October 1994. Web. 28 February 2013.
< http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111590/ >.
Nelson, Reginald. How to Start Your Own Theater Company. Chicago: Chicago Review Press,
2010. I Book.
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Novick, Rebecca. "Please Don't Start a Theatre Company!" Grantmakers in the Arts;GIA
Reader (2011). Web.
Paratheatre. Parathatrical ReSearch. 1977. Web. 23 February 2013.
< http://www.paratheatrical.com/ >.
Phx Theatre/ History. n.d. Web. 27 February 2013. <http://www.phoenixtheatre.com/historyphoenix-theatre>.
Red Poppy Art House. 22 December 2012. Web. 26 February 2013.
< http://redpoppyarthouse.org/ >.
—. Red Poppy Art House. A Letter From Our Founder: Todd Brown. 20 December 2012. Web.
28 February 2013. < http://redpoppyarthouse.org/2012/12/20/a-letter-from-our-foundertodd-brown/ >.
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Research in the order used
Nelson, Reginald. How to Start Your Own Theater Company. Chicago: Chicago Review Press,
2010. I Book
Congo Square Theatre. Congo Square Theatre-Where the African Diaspora Lives. 2013. Web.
23 February 2013. <http://www.congosquaretheatre.org/>.
Novick, Rebecca. "Please Don't Start a Theatre Company!" Grantmakers in the Arts;GIA
Reader (2011). Web.
LORT/League of Resident Theatres. 26 March 2012. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.lort.org/LORT_Member_Theatres.html >.
Phx Theatre/ History. n.d. Web. 27 February 2013. <http://www.phoenixtheatre.com/historyphoenix-theatre>.
Crowded Fire Theater Company 2013 Season. n.d. Web. 28 February 2013.
<http://www.crowdedfire.org/ >.
Red Poppy Art House. 22 December 2012. Web. 26 February 2013.
< http://redpoppyarthouse.org/ >.
—. Red Poppy Art House. A Letter From Our Founder: Todd Brown. 20 December 2012. Web.
28 February 2013. < http://redpoppyarthouse.org/2012/12/20/a-letter-from-our-foundertodd-brown/ >.
Brelby Theatre 20013 Season. 2009. Web. 22 February 2013. <http://brelby.com/>
Glendale, City of. Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms. 1 January 2013-2014.
Web. 22 February 2013. < Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms >.
—. Glendale AZ-All About Art!- Glendale Arts Commission. 2005. Web. 22 February 2013.
< http://www.glendaleaz.com/arts/glendaleartscommission.cfm >.
Malle, Louis; Andre Gregory. Vanya on 42nd Street. October 1994. Web. 28 February 2013.
< http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111590/ >.
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Grant Application Forms
for City of Glendale
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG),
Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and
HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Programs
GRANT APPLICATION ORIENTATION MEETING
FOR NON-PROFIT AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
The City of Glendale will be accepting grant applications for its FY 2013-2014 CDBG, ESG, and
HOME program funds. Interested non-profit agencies and government entities are invited to
attend a grant application orientation meeting and workshop scheduled for:
DATE: Wednesday, September 12, 2012
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Glendale City Hall
Meeting Room B-3 (Basement Level)
5850 W. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, Arizona
The city will be using the online application system with Valley of the Sun United Way.
PLEASE NOTE: The online application has been REVISED and you are strongly
encouraged to attend the orientation session. PLEASE CONTACT the Community
Revitalization Division by Wednesday, September 5, 2012 to register for the FREE
Orientation/Workshop at (623) 930-3670, TDD (623) 930-2197, or AZ Relay Service Number
711. A Letter of Intent Form along with Application Guidelines will be available as well as
important program information that will assist applicants in developing their grant proposals.
Examples of eligible activities to benefit Glendale citizens include:
Housing programs, public facilities and public service programs that benefit low- and moderateincome persons;
Slum and blight elimination activities, such as the voluntary demolition program, in the city’s
Redevelopment Area.
FIRST STEP TO SUBMITTAL: WRITTEN NOTIFICATION - LETTER OF INTENT TO APPLY
IS REQUIRED NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012. Letter of
Intent forms will be available at the Orientation/Workshop, and must be submitted to the
Community Revitalization Division by scanning and/or emailing the signed form to
jdever@glendaleaz.com, or faxing: 623-435-8594.
PLEASE NOTE: Once the notification of Letter of Intent to Apply is received, a profile will be
created to allow input into the online application system. Once the Letter of Intent is received, it
will take approximately three-to-four days to review, transmit, and set up an individual password
for each agency for the online system. NOTE: If the Letter of Intent is not received by the
due date of Wednesday, September 19, 2012, we cannot guarantee access for submitting an
application online with Valley of the Sun United Way.
FINAL STEP TO SUBMITTAL: GRANT APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE NO
LATER THAN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012, BY 5:00 P.M.
For special accommodations, please contact the Community Revitalization Division Office
at (623) 930-3670, at least three business days prior to the meeting. TDD (623) 930-2197.
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EN ESPAÑOL: Para asistencia en español, llame al (623) 930-3670.
Publish: The Glendale Star
August 30, 2012 and September 6, 2012
TO BE PUBLISHED IN NONLEGAL SECTION WITH A BLACK LINE BORDER
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND CITY LOGOS IN BOTTO RIGHT CORNER
.