fbpx Producing | HowlRound Theatre Commons

Producing

The Latest

Thinking Outside the Black Box
Essay
Thinking Outside the Black Box
by Rex Daugherty
7 December 2023
Queering Film
Podcast
Queering Film
by Marina Johnson, Nabra Nelson, Mike Mosallam, Amin El Gamal
22 November 2023
Information Session on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant Application
Video
Information Session on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant Application
Reviewing Criteria and Changes to the Application and Answering Questions About This Year's Application Process
Thursday 3 August 2023
United States
A performer stands on a block surrounded by dancers in a large tent.
Thinking Outside the Black Box
Essay

Thinking Outside the Black Box

7 December 2023

Rex Daugherty offers a guide for theatremakers who want to produce theatre in nontraditional spaces, sharing the experiences of Washington, DC’s Solas Nua. 

A promotional graphic for the Kunafa and Shay podcast
Queering Film
Podcast

Queering Film

22 November 2023

Film reaches a larger public than theatre due to the way it is produced and disseminated. In this way, it has a large and lasting cultural impact. In this episode with Mike Mossalem and Amin El Gamal, we discuss the ways the film and theatre fields influence each other as they both contribute to culture change and performance methodologies.

event poster for people planet performance conversation: Performance and Climate Finance/Sustainability, Capital and Planetary Justice.
Performance and Climate Finance/Sustainability, Capital and Planetary Justice
Video

Performance and Climate Finance/Sustainability, Capital and Planetary Justice

Addressing the Elephant in the Room

Wednesday 9 August 2023
Nigeria, Kenya

The concept of climate finance refers to monies provided by those responsible for climate change to ease the burden of the crises on those who bear the brunt. This is a situation whereby the polluter pays as much as they pollute. The attention placed on climate finance dominates the narrative of climate change mitigation since polluters are able to pay monies allocated to them as climate finance. Climate finance has not fully addressed the issue of the elephant in the room.

Two actors on stage in a horse stance
Information Session on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant Application
Video

Information Session on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant Application

Reviewing Criteria and Changes to the Application and Answering Questions About This Year's Application Process

Thursday 3 August 2023
United States

For the first time in its more than ten-year history, New England Foundation for the Arts' (NEFA) National Theater Project (NTP) has moved its flagship Creation and Touring Grant application to a summer cycle. This information session with NTP staff will break down what the National Theater Project is; review the criteria and eligibility requirements for the Creation and Touring Grant; explain changes to the timeline, criteria, and process that have arisen from NTP's ten-year evaluation process; and discuss what makes for a competitive application.

A group of people surrounds a table serving food in a festive setting.
On Producing an International Tour During a Global Pandemic
Essay

On Producing an International Tour During a Global Pandemic

24 July 2023

Amelia Parenteau chronicles the process of translating Eva Doumbia’s Autophagies from French to English and producing its tour in the United States, a project that unfolded across four years.

An actor on stage in performance of Evelyn Brown.
Conversation with the Original María Irene Fornés Design Team
Video

Conversation with the Original María Irene Fornés Design Team

Reuniting for the first ever revival of Evelyn Brown: (A Diary), Scenic Designer Donald Eastman, Costume Designer Gabriel Berry and Stage Manager Peter Littlefield discuss their long time collaboration with Fornés

Wednesday 7 June 2023
New York City

Dramaturg Gwendolyn Alker engages in a post-show conversation with Donald Eastman and Gabriel Berry—two members of María Irene Fornés’s design team—about the various shows they designed for Fornés, as well as their current work on the first-ever revival of Evelyn Brown (A Diary). Peter Littlefield, the stage manager for the original 1980 production, will also join.

A woman sitting outside on a scooter in front of a flowering tree.
Taking Care: Supporting Delegates with Invisible Disabilities at Festivals and Showcases
Essay

Taking Care: Supporting Delegates with Invisible Disabilities at Festivals and Showcases

15 May 2023

Second Hand Dance embarked upon research on support for artists with access needs after artistic director Rosie Heafford had to pull out of a festival that did not provide sufficient accommodations for her invisible disability. She shares takeaways from that research in the form of actionable steps that festivals, showcases, and industry events can implement.

A woman stands and gives a speech on a round stage as the audience watches on.
Values-Led, Commons-Based Creative Producing
Essay

Values-Led, Commons-Based Creative Producing

A Conversation with Abigail Vega

20 April 2023

Communications manager Ramona Rose King chats with Abigail Vega on her last day as HowlRound’s creative producer to reflect on her work with HowlRound and the Latinx Theatre Commons, producing using commons-based practices, and advice she’d give to aspiring producers.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring Miranda Wright.
Ensemble as Contemporary Commentary
Podcast

Ensemble as Contemporary Commentary

19 April 2023

Miranda Wright, producer and executive director at Los Angeles Performance Practice, and Jeffrey Mosser discuss how Miranda has developed a presenting organization for sharing ambitious, collaboratively created work over the last ten years, as well as what she’s learned from some major arts funding research.

A performer standing under spotlights on a stage in front of an audience.
The Closing of San Francisco’s “Anti-Theatre” Theater Venue
Essay

The Closing of San Francisco’s “Anti-Theatre” Theater Venue

18 April 2023

Artist and producer Rose Oser interviews Rob Ready and Duncan Wold about the closing of PianoFight, the San Francisco company and venue they co-founded that shuttered in March 2023.

Illustration of several different pairs of people holding hands with each other.
Our Trauma Twin Siblings: Building Creative Spaces for Queer and Trans Tamil Community as Teardrop Collective
Essay

Our Trauma Twin Siblings: Building Creative Spaces for Queer and Trans Tamil Community as Teardrop Collective

31 March 2023

Hari Somaskantha and Gitanjali exchange letters discussing their work with Teardrop Collective, a Toronto-based group that centers stories of queer, trans, Deaf, and hearing people of Tamil, Sri Lankan, and South Asian descent.

Illustration of several different hands all holding needles and working on a sewing project together.
Intentional, Relational, Consensual: A New Framework for Performing Arts Contracts
Essay

Intentional, Relational, Consensual: A New Framework for Performing Arts Contracts

30 March 2023

This dynamic summary of a panel co-curated by Rachel Penny and Nikki Shaffeeullah as part of Parallel Tracks 2.0 brings together several artists, producers, and lawyers in a discussion about contracting, how it has been impacted by COVID-19, and interrogating power dynamics within the contracting process.

A performer sits at a desk and draws while a screen to the right broadcasts a video of the drawing.
Community Engagement, Anti-Oppression, and Digital Space
Essay

Community Engagement, Anti-Oppression, and Digital Space

27 March 2023

Artist, facilitator, and cultural innovator Nikki Shaffeeullah kicks off this series by sharing her journey to creating Undercurrent Creations, a Toronto-based arts organization, and Parallel Tracks, a gathering of BIPOC artists that offers training in visioning, producing, and facilitating community arts projects.

A performer in front of a virtual background with trees and bright sunlight.
Digital Theatre Is Here To Stay: Paula Vogel’s Bard at the Gate
Essay

Digital Theatre Is Here To Stay: Paula Vogel’s Bard at the Gate

13 March 2023

Theatre critic Jonathan Mandell discusses virtual playwriting series Bard at the Gate and looks at the impact and future of digital theatre.

Four people stand side by side for a photo.
The International Presenting Commons Convenes at Last
Essay

The International Presenting Commons Convenes at Last

6 February 2023

The International Presenting Now convening brought a collective of US-based presenters of international work together in physical space in January 2023, following almost three years of virtual conversations and events. Janice Paran details the conversations that arose around the convening’s key question: how might international presenters want to work differently?

Two people sitting at a table watching someone gesture at the board on the wall.
Every Production Is a Moonshot: Research on Improving Repertoire Selection
Essay

Every Production Is a Moonshot: Research on Improving Repertoire Selection

19 January 2023

For three years, Kristin Patton and Nick Rabkin worked with five case study theatre companies to study the often fraught, high risk, and complex decision-making process of theatrical repertoire selection. The result of their research project, the Moonshot Report, offers insights into their process and practical recommendations for strategic approaches to season planning.

Under the Radar Symposium banner.
A Symposium Focusing on the Future of Producing and Presenting Independent Theatre
Video

A Symposium Focusing on the Future of Producing and Presenting Independent Theatre

The Under the Radar Professional Symposium

Friday 13 January 2023
New York City

The UTR Professional Symposium—one of the core activities of the Under the Radar Festival—will focus on the future of producing and presenting independent theater as we transition fitfully to a post-Covid world. The many challenges facing performance programs now are amplified in the section of the field made of independent companies, often emerging artists, or those not fitting into a regular category.

PUHA Podcast Teaser.
Climate Crisis
Podcast

Climate Crisis

21 October 2022

In this episode, co-hosts Bíborka and Zsófi are joined by visual and performance artist and environmental activist, Éva Bubla; dancer, choreographer, researcher, and founder of the performance research group SVUNG, Kinga Szemessy; and culture manager, event organizer, curator, founder of the PLACCC Festival, and the Hungarian liaison for the IN SITU Network, Fanni Nánay. Drawing from their individual experiences, they discuss the current climate crisis and how different artists engage with this complex issue.

Audio file for a podcast.
How to Produce a Podcast Series: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to the Art of Podcasting
Essay

How to Produce a Podcast Series: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to the Art of Podcasting

7 June 2022

Tatiana Hernandez-Mitchell, a podcast consultant for HowlRound, offers a guide to the technical side of producing podcasts. This guide focuses on equipment, software, and best practices.

3 Actors pose on stage.
Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season
Essay

Step One, Collaborate: Emerson Stage Plans a Season

1 March 2022

Annie G. Levy shares how Emerson Stage works to make their season selection process as open, collaborative, and student-driven as possible.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring Mara Isaacs.
Connecting Collaborative Passion to a National Network
Podcast

Connecting Collaborative Passion to a National Network

15 February 2022

Tony Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs discusses how she puts collaboratively creative work in front of national audiences through her producing organization, Octopus Theatricals. This final episode of season two holds hot takes on boards, theatricality, and the connective tissue around artist-centered producing.

A smiling woman and a woman speaking with a microphone.
Committing to a Community
Essay

Committing to a Community

Ronee Penoi and Shanta Thake in Conversation

4 January 2022

Ronee Penoi and Shanta Thake discuss their transitions into new leadership roles as Director of Artistic Programming at ArtsEmerson and Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center, respectively—including their work to shift narratives on stage, see institutions as community resources, and keep deep listening at the core of their leadership practices.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring Olga Garay-English
Funding the Regional-Ensemble Producing Model
Podcast

Funding the Regional-Ensemble Producing Model

8 December 2021

Founding Program Director for the Arts at Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Olga Garay-English and Jeffrey Mosser discuss the revolutionary process of getting ensemble work in regional theatre spaces including her unprecedented partnership with Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Other topics include touring models, festival culture, and her experience as an international arts consultant.

Three men on stage in front of a projection of someone's eyes.
The Future Requires Faith: A Conversation on Trust, Transparency, and Transformation
Essay

The Future Requires Faith: A Conversation on Trust, Transparency, and Transformation

8 October 2021

Rika Iino and Marc Bamuthi Joseph talk about the way trust and transparency have shown up in their work, both individually and as a duo, and how theatre practitioners and organizations can use those elements to work towards a more equitable future.

Seven people sitting on a lit-up rooftop.
Centering Artists and The Development of New Work
Essay

Centering Artists and The Development of New Work

7 October 2021

Miranda Wright discusses the vitality of supporting new work development in the field and shares learnings from her experiences doing so as the founder of Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) and the Live Arts Exchange (LAX) Festival.