Volunteers Needed for Bumbershoot 2010

VOLUNTEER CALL!

Theatre Puget Sound has a fantastic lineup of local theatre at the 2010 Bumbershoot Stage and we need your help wrangling it!  We need volunteers to help with seating, crowd management, talking up Arts Crush and being a great representative of the local theatre scene.  As a volunteer you’ll also have time to wander Bumbershoot as our stage is only open from 2-8pm and your pass is good for the whole day!

DATES: Saturday through Monday, September 4-6, 2010

If you’re available the whole day I love you but we will also have shifts of 1-5:30 and 5-9 for those who can only do a half-day.

TO APPLY: Send an email to shane@tpsonline.org with your availability as well as a contact # and email.  Priority will be given to Theatre Puget Sound members.  Thank you!

Washington Nonprofit Handbook

WAACO (Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations) has released their 2009 Washington Nonprofit Handbook “How to Form and Maintain a Nonprofit Organization in Washington State.”

This handbook, authored by Washington business and nonprofit attorneys, contains information about the various laws impacting

nonprofit organizations in Washington.

Chapter topics include How To Form a Nonprofit; Governance and Operations; Obtaining Recognition as a 501(c)(3) Organization; Maintaining Federal Tax-Exempt Status for Your 501(c)(3) Organization; International Activities and Grantmaking; Fundraising: The Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Pitfalls; Washington State Taxes and Nonprofit Corporations; Fiscal Sponsorships, Joint Ventures, and Other Collaborations; Employment Issues; Intellectual Property Considerations; Personal Information Security and Online Privacy Issues for Nonprofit Organizations; and Ceasing Operations.

The book is available for purchase or you can download it for free in PDF format:

Washington Nonprofit Handbook_2009.pdf

Seattle Performs Makeover Challenge

At long last, Theatre Puget Sound is investing in a complete overhaul and redesign of our performance calendar, SeattlePerforms.com.  The new website will be dynamic, easy to use, sophisticated, and interactive and it will promote our member organizations and artists like never before.

Modules include the core events calendar, organization and venue directories, individual artist directory, classifieds directory, local business directory and the following bells and whistles:

  • User review ratings
  • Event accessibility info
  • Event media galleries (images and video)
  • Location mapping
  • Social bookmarking (i.e. Facebook, MySpace)
  • Advanced search and result pages

TPS will be outsourcing the development and maintenance of the site to Artsopolis, a company whose main focus is creating and maintaining online solutions for arts service organizations across the country.  This partnership will also allow us to benefit from constant upgrades and maintenance that will keep the site’s technology current.

To see what another Artsopolis website looks like check out our friends at Arts Boston.
The work is already underway and the launch of the new website will coincide with Theatre Puget Sound’s Arts Crush festival, giving it an extra boost of promotion and visibility.

This upgrade is long overdue and the board and staff of Theatre Puget Sound are thrilled to be making this investment on behalf of our membership and the larger arts community.


Seattle Performs Makeover Challenge

WE NEED YOUR HELP. Theatre Puget Sound is in the process of raising $35,000 to cover the cost of this upgrade.  We are already over halfway towards that goal but we need the help of our members to push us towards the finish line. Join the challenge!

If every single TPS member gave a mere $10 in the next two weeks, we could easily reach our goal! Think about it, for the cost of a movie ticket you can make a significant contribution to the public face of our region’s theatre community.

Theatre Puget Sound is YOUR organization and Seattle Performs is your gateway to the larger community. You, our members, are the heart and soul of everything that we do.  Your support will have a tremendous impact on the visibility and accessibility of our collective performing arts community!

Will you make a donation of $10 or more to support our Seattle Performs Makeover? Your gift will go a long way to

ensuring the vitality and sustainability of Seattle Performs as an invaluable resource for our community.

Photo Credit: Village Theatre’s production of Meet Me in St. Louis.  Photo by Jay Koh.  Thermometer created at http://www.fundraiserinsight.org/thermometer/

Participants Needed For Arts Crush!

As you may have heard, this year brings some exciting new developments to our annual Live Theatre Week.  This October, Theatre Puget Sound will present Arts Crush, a month-long festival that connects artists and audiences with invigorating new experiences at hundreds of events across the region. Spotlighting a different discipline each week, the festival features opportunities to participate in theatre, music, literature, dance, visual art and more.

This expanded format presents many more opportunities for creativity and collaboration.  In previous years, Live Theatre Week has had flash mobs, backstage tours, special one-night-only performances and other unique ways for artists to interact with audience.  With 4 weeks and a different artistic emphasis each week of Arts Crush, the potential collaborations between music, dance, art and literary arts groups are endless.

I’m writing to you because I know how amazingly talented and inventive our membership is and I would love to see your participation this October.  We are open to both individuals and organizations, ideas big and small.  Our mission is to expand the awareness of Washington’s amazing art scene; the more artists involved the better!

For more information on the festival, visit the participation page at http://artscrush.org/participate.

If you have a project in mind please fill out our online form here: http://artscrush.org/participate/arts-crush-2010-participation-form

Still working on an idea?  No worries, we can help you complete your picture!  We can also help you find a space for your event or help connect you with other people who could use your existing space.

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.  Sam Read (sam@tpsonline.org) is heading up Arts Crush but please feel free to email me (shane@tpsonline.org) or Dana (dana@tpsonline.org) if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shane Regan
Programs/Membership Associate
Theatre Puget Sound

People’s Choice Nominations For Second Annual Gregory Awards

What: From August 1st 2010 until August 31st 2010, Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) will open nominations for the 2010 Gregory Awards for Theatrical Excellence. For the first time, in 2010, any Washington State resident will have the opportunity to nominate one candidate in each category.

How: To submit a candidate for nomination, the public must sign up at www.seattleperforms.com by July 31st, 2010 for the free Seattle Performs monthly e-newsletter subscription. All subscribers to the newsletter who have signed up by July 31, 2010 will be sent a unique link to an online form where they can write in their nomination(s). Current e-newsletter subscribers do not need to sign up again; they will receive a ballot automatically via email. The candidate receiving the most votes (in each category) will appear on the final ballot alongside the other nominees, and will be referred to as the People’s Choice nominee.

Why: The Gregory Awards are an opportunity to celebrate theatre in our region, honor the outstanding achievements of local artists, and to raise the visibility of the local theatre scene as a whole. Opening up nominations to the general public encourages audience participation with their local theaters, allows theater lovers to recognize their favorite theater artists, and ensures that the final list of nominees on the ballot is truly reflective of the outstanding work taking place throughout the region.

When: Nomination ballot links will be emailed the week of August 1st, 2010. Nominations will be open until August 31st, 2010.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

  • Theater companies are encouraged to generate audience enthusiasm and support for productions and artists in their season (productions taking place from August 1st, 2009 to July 31st 2010)
  • For ideas on how to promote your theater/production or help with any part of this process, please contact Rebecca Olson at GregoryPress@tpsonline.org.

The 2010 Award Categories open for nomination are:

Outstanding Actor

Outstanding Actress

Outstanding Director

Outstanding Production

Theater of the Year

Person to Watch

Outstanding Costume Designer (new!)

Outstanding Lighting Designer (new!)

Outstanding Music & Sound Designer (new!)

Outstanding Scenic Designer (new!)

Outstanding Playwright (new!)

For More Information:

Visit www.GregoryAwards.org for more details on the Gregory Awards.

For press inquiries, please contact Rebecca Olson at GregoryPress@tpsonline.org.

2010 Bumbershoot TPS Lineup Announced

Bumbershoot’s 2010 Regional Theatre Program is curated by Theatre Puget Sound, a consortium of theatres and individual artists in the Puget Sound region dedicated to nurturing a healthy and vibrant theatre and arts community. TPS has worked with Bumbershoot since 2003 to curate an exceptional program highlighting local theatre performers and exceptional productions. This year’s Theatre program features enchanting and unique works that will take you on a wild journey through laughter, introspection, frivolty, heartbreak and triumph.

This year’s Bumbershoot is September 4-6.


THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM SPELLING BEE

Contemporary Classics & RK Productions
SUN: 2-3:15
MON: 2-3:15

A hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Featuring a score by William Finn, the Tony Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

BJ: A MUSICAL ROMP

Seattle StageRight
SAT: 5:15-6:15
SUN: 5:15-6:15

Go Down…. a Different Road.

It’s the first day of the first week of the first year of college, and BJ is arriving in Collegetown, USA for the first time, having been home schooled by his mother for his entire life.  Despite Mom’s warnings, BJ finds himself on the brink of Manhood and completely uneducated about what he’s getting himself into.

Campy, dirty, packed with innuendos and a real message, BJ: A Musical Romp is not to be missed.


IMPROVOLUTION

Improvolution
SUN: 3:45-4:45

Improvolution is a nationally recognized ensemble of improvisers based in Seattle devoted to spontaneous, committed play. Improvolution shows are fast paced, fun, and use audience suggestions to create spectacular and fantastical comedies of epic proportions completely on the spot.


THE JAMMER

Balagan Theatre
SAT 3:30-4:45
SUN 6:45-8

The Jammer resurrects that greatest of American entertainments, the roller derby – half sport, half show, all action! In just over an hour, The Jammer packs multiple roller derby sequences, a riot, a roller coaster ride, vomit, spit, blood, sex, and love. In short, The Jammer is the King Lear of roller derby plays.

SONDHEIM, WEILL, & NEWMAN: A CABARET

Black Box Opera Theater
MON 5:15-6

Seattle’s “opera experimentalists” weave songs from these master story tellers into a funny and poignant evening of theater. Directed by Arne Zaslove with musical direction by Rhonda Kline.

THE TASTIEST BITES OF EAT MY SHORTS

Open Circle Theater
SAT 6:45-8
MON 6:30-7:45

A buffet of seven 10-minute plays selected by both the audience and celebrity judges from 24 plays presented as part of the festival in August 2010.  Plays will feature yummy local talent and offer something for every theater pallet.


THEATERSPORTS

Unexpected Productions
SUN 3:45-4:45
MON 3:45-4:45

Theatresports offers a  unique energy and humor that will both entertain and give the audience a chance to be part of something wild. it’s a comedy competition and social experience in which two teams of improvisers create scenes on the spot, inspired by audience suggestions and scored by a panel of judges! The audience has the power to change the scope of the show, allowing big magic to happen with talented and experienced performers.

Tickets for 2010 Bumbershoot are available for as low as $22 a day. We’ll have more details on our lineup soon; in the meantime, check out the official Bumbershoot page!

Unified General Auditions – Monologue Statistics

Here is a list of the most popular playwrights and plays in our 2010 Unified General Auditions.  Please note this is in no way an opinion of what’s overdone; this is just straight facts!  If you’re interested in what the auditors felt were overdone, I’d suggest checking out Karen’s summary of auditor comments on our forum.

I will say one thing – be clear with your introduction!  A large portion of the monologues could not be tracked because the volunteer didn’t hear what the actor identified the piece as (or I couldn’t read the volunteer’s handwriting.. we’re going digital next year, I swear..)

Logged 666 monologues
110 were unknown authors, plays, or not logged/heard properly (17%)

Playwrights/Composers done more than twice:

Shakespeare 86 Jerry Bock 4
Rodgers/Hammerstein 11 Steven Dietz 4
Sondheim 9 Mitch Leigh 3
Chekhov 9 Frederick Loewe 3
Richard Greenberg 8 Mary Rodgers 3
Kander/Ebb 8 David Auburn 3
Tennessee Williams 7 Duncan Sheik 3
Sarah Ruhl 6 Terrance McNally 3
Eurypides 6 Harvey Schmidt 3
Neil LaBute 6 Alan Menkin 3
Neil Simon 6 Craig Wright 3
George Bernard Shaw 6 William Finn 3
Lucy Simon 5 Adam Guettel 3
John Patrick Shanley 5 David Ives 3
Moliere 5 Eugene O’Neill 3
Jule Styne 5 Arthur Miller 3
Sam Shephard 5 Cole Porter 3
Andrew Lloyd Webber 5 David Mamet 3
Clark Gesner 4 Lee Blessing 3
Michael Weller 4 Shelagh Stephenson 3
Lanford Wilson 4 David Lindsay-Abaire 3
Edward Albee 4 Renee Taylor 3
Christopher Durang 4 Jason Robert Brown 3
Stephen Adly Guirgis 4 Stephen Schwartz 3

Plays used more than twice:

Play Author/Musician
King Lear 6 Shakespeare
Dead Man’s Cell Phone 5 Sarah Ruhl
Medea 5 Eurypides
The Secret Garden 5 Lucy Simon
King John 5 Shakespeare
Richard III 5 Shakespeare
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown 4 Clark Gesner
Chicago 4 Kander/Ebb
Funny Girl 4 Jule Styne
Julius Caesar 4 Shakespeare
Midsummer Night’s Dream 4 Shakespeare
Oklahoma 4 Rodgers/Hammerstein
Romeo & Juliet 4 Shakespeare
Taming of the Shrew 4 Shakespeare
Twelfth Night 4 Shakespeare
Two Gentlemen of Verona 4 Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream 3 Shakespeare
The American Plan 3 Richard Greenberg
Fat Pig 3 Neil LaBute
Danny & The Deep Blue Sea 3 John Patrick Shanley
At Home 3 Michael Weller
Man of La Mancha 3 Mitch Leigh
My Fair Lady 3 Frederick Loewe
Once Upon a Mattress 3 Mary Rodgers
Proof 3 David Auburn
Spring Awakening 3 Duncan Sheik
Fool For Love 3 Sam Shephard
Henry IV, Part I 3 Shakespeare
Henry V 3 Shakespeare
Merchant of Venice 3 Shakespeare
Reasons to be Pretty 3 Neil LaBute
Summer & Smoke 3 Tennessee Williams
Three Days of Rain 3 Richard Greenberg
Uncle Vanya 3 Chekhov
Play Character/Song Author/Musician
King Lear 6 Edmond Shakespeare
Dead Man’s Cell Phone 5 Jean Sarah Ruhl
Medea 5 Chorus Eurypides
The Secret Garden 5 “A Bit of Earth” Lucy Simon
King John 5 Constance Shakespeare
Richard III 5 Lady Anne Shakespeare
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown 4 “Philosophy” Clark Gesner
Chicago 4 “Mr. Cellophane” Kander/Ebb
Funny Girl 4 “Don’t Rain on My Parade” Jule Styne
Julius Caesar 4 Antony Shakespeare
Midsummer Night’s Dream 4 Helena Shakespeare
Oklahoma 4 “I Can’t Say No” Rodgers/Hammerstein
Romeo & Juliet 4 Juliet Shakespeare
Taming of the Shrew 4 Bianca Shakespeare
Twelfth Night 4 Olivia Shakespeare
Two Gentlemen of Verona 4 Julia Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream 3 Bottom Shakespeare
The American Plan 3 Gil Richard Greenberg
Fat Pig 3 Helena Neil LaBute
Danny & The Deep Blue Sea 3 Danny John Patrick Shanley
At Home 3 Carol Michael Weller
Man of La Mancha 3 “Impossible Dream” Mitch Leigh
My Fair Lady 3 “On the Street Where You Live” Frederick Loewe
Once Upon a Mattress 3 “Shy” Mary Rodgers
Proof 3 Catherine David Auburn
Spring Awakening 3 “Sadness” Duncan Sheik
Fool For Love 3 May Sam Shephard
Henry IV, Part I 3 Hotspur Shakespeare
Henry V 3 Chorus Shakespeare
Merchant of Venice 3 Portia Shakespeare
Reasons to be Pretty 3 Greg Neil LaBute
Summer & Smoke 3 Alma Tennessee Williams
Three Days of Rain 3 Pip Richard Greenberg
Uncle Vanya 3 Ashcroft Chekhov

2010 Unified General Auditions – Actor Statistics

I know a few of you are interested in the breakdown of our yearly General Auditions, so our volunteers took some extra notes in February and I’ve finally put them in spreadsheet form!  This post will detail the actors in terms of demographics and the choices they make.

OVERALL

This year we saw 359 actors over the course of 4 days.

  • 63% were female, which is almost directly in line with our overall membership.
  • 20% were equity or equity candidate (EMC.)
  • 8% were youth/under 18.
  • 43% sang a song in their 2-3 minute slot.
  • 25% performed a Shakespeare monologue.
  • 68% warmed up in the loud room rather than the quiet warm-up room.
  • 33% of actors had “time” called on them.

The last statistic is troubling – make sure to go over your monologues and be prepared for additional time that may happen in the real audition (through audience laughter, movement, etc.)

Other miscellaneous notes:

  • Only 15% of AEA/EMC went over time.
  • Males used the quiet warm-up room 49% of the time, a far greater percentage than any other demographic.
  • 82% of the youth group sang a song in their audition.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting the most frequently performed plays & playwrights from Unified Generals Auditions 2010 – stay tuned!

TPS Member Benefit: GlobalFit

Sure, being a member of Theatre Puget Sound is great.  You get an online profile with uploadable headshot and resume.  Access to an industry mailing list, our forums and our audition database.  Discount tickets to almost every theater in town.  Unified General Auditions, discounted headshots, and sponsored classes on marketing and more.  What more could one ask from a single membership?

“But Shane,” I hear you say, “this is all well and good, but how can I take advantage of these things if I don’t have the strength to open my laptop?  How can I audition if I can’t run a mile in under 6 minutes?”

Well friend, I’m not sure what the correlation is between auditioning and a 6 minute mile, but I have something you might be interested in: GlobalFit.

Membership with TPS includes access to GlobalFit, convenient and affordable access to a range of healthy living options.   Take it away, press release!

GlobalFit, a leading provider of healthy living benefits, is now our provider. GlobalFit lets you and your family enjoy convenient and affordable access to a range of healthy living options, including GlobalFit’s nationwide fitness center network.

  • Fitness Centers – 10,000+ gyms, from national chains to local favorites, all at the guaranteed lowest prices
  • GlobalFit Virtual Gym – online instruction and community support
  • GlobalFit Virtual Nutrition Coach – online meal planning for real results
  • Nutrisystem® – $30.00 off the best advertised price on the popular weight-loss program
  • Health Coaching – one-on-one programs to help you quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or reach any healthy living goal
  • Fitness Equipment – exclusive discounts on everything from mats to treadmills

Whether you choose to get fit at a gym or at home, alone or with customized assistance, GlobalFit can help create a Better You.

If you’re looking for affordable rates for local gyms (including discounted options to our local 24 Hour Fitness locations) I’d encourage you to check it out, and please let me know how it works for you!

Visit www.globalfit.com for details or call GlobalFit toll-free at 800-294-1500.

Book-It Repertory Theatre Receives Mayor’s Arts Award

Congratulations to Book-It Repertory Theatre, a recipient in the 2010 Mayor’s Arts Awards.  The applicants were reviewed by the Seattle Arts Commission and their recommendations were then forwarded to Mayor Mike McGinn.

Mayor Mike McGinn will honor recipients of the 2010 Mayor’s Arts Awards at a public ceremony on the eve of the Labor Day weekend Bumbershoot festival at Seattle Center, noon, Friday, Sept. 3. He will also open the Bumbershoot Visual Arts Exhibits, which will be free and open to the public that day.

Other recipients include Dennis Coleman from the Seattle Men’s Chorus, Sergei Tschernisch of Cornish College of the Arts, and Velocity Dance Center.  Read about all of the recipients at seattle.gov.