NET Summit: Sunday, June 21st

Performance Response:
So I went to the Barber of East L.A. talk back sesh. Overall, I think it went pretty well. People had a lot of good things to say about the story. The main discussion was about the staging. They had used music stands and done a presentational style. I actually liked the staging for this play although I do agree with a couple of peeps who said they would have liked for physicality and for the transitions to be shaper and done with intention.


Catalyst Conversations: Mark Russell
Mark Russell talked about a bunch of different festivals and why they are so cool.
He mentioned Philedelphia Live Art Festival, Fuzebox in Austin, TX, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), and Under the Radar in NYC.

I didn’t take any notes (as I’m sure you guessed, I didn’t sleep much on this trip – so the note taking became less frequent.)

Morning Session: Cultural Exchange and Connections
This session had a panel which discussed their international exchanges and ways of getting grants/funding for cultural exchange programs. This session was a bit dry but there was some good information. Apparently one org applied for the Cultural Envoy grant and were told that there program didn’t promote “democratic ideals and free market principles.” So it looks like things can be a bit tricky when trying to apply for money when it comes to cultural exchange inititives. But it also ooks like there are many opportunities out there: TCG, International Theatre Initiative, Artists from Abroad, US Embasy- Cultural Envoy, NEA, APAP Travel Grant, Performing Arts Alliances, Resource Center for Cultural Engagement, DCA – Cultural Exchange.

Early Afternoon Session: Collisions
So the three Collisions groups performed. The first group had a physical based approach. It was pretty interesting. The best part was the end when the entire group created the intersecting blob that slowly made it’s way across the stage as they sang (can’t remember the song) it was visually stunning and one woman in the audience said she was nearly in tears. Next was my group. We went in with the mindset that we weren’t performing, just having fun. I think it went over well – the peeps seemed to enjoy it. Last was Matt’s group. Because Matt and I had talked about our groups process I was able to tell that the differing pieces that were cut and put together. During the discussion Matt’s group and the first group seemed to bicker back and forth (maybe Matt got a different impression than I did). It was clear that some people were product oriented – which is why I really liked my group. I think this program was more about process and having fun rather than making a product. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I was worried after the first day but I’m glad I stuck with it.


Artburst!
There were a couple of performances. I just realized that I didn’t write down either of the companies who performed. So I just will describe them. The first group is from Northridge – they did a piece that was about the viruses in the US: Mad Cow, Swine Flu, and Bird Flu. It was hilarious!
Next was a dance. It was probably most intense, moving, and breath taking break dances I have ever seen. The dancer had immense focus and tremendous strength. And he was also beautiful – I’m sure half the audience was drooling.


ABC’s Breakout Groups:
This was intended for people to speak out on what they want from NET. My group had a lot of needs and ideas. Such as: Info on developing a board, earned income, Legal 101, grant writing – strategies and resources, Audience development, Community exchange, Resource exchange, Teaching artist resource and training, Advocacy training, and much much more.


Closing Session:
Eric Ehn was the closing key-note speaker. He talked about how social justice theatre seems to make the most impact. That theatre is real when it’s creating new social purpose. Something that resonated with me is that he said we long to kill institutions while living parasitically in them.
After that we had a parade back to campus where we promised to make new connections and ended with a song.

After:
Bellamie, Farrah, Nicole (another fab interpreter, Matt and I had dinner at this amazing pizza place called water + flour. Then we went to the NET Cabaret. There were some tremendous performances. I had a few faves. First was from some Neo-Futurists: they used a blue puppet like the one in Beyond the Mirror (which was the best and most compelling part of the play) and basically made fun of it. I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard. Another fave was Bellamie’s ASL lesson. All the dirty stuff everyone wants to know. One word: Hilarious! (Afterwards someone asked her if that’s a skit she does and she said she had never done that before and just made it up on the spot!). Everyone had (an alcohol induced) great time. I wish I had performed. Oh well, maybe next year!
Afterwards we went to the local bar for Karaoke! We closed out the bar. Managed to grab a cab back to the dorms where we went to what we called the “secret garden for smokers” where we all chatted some more. Finally around 4am, I decided I couldn’t stay awake any longer and went to bed.


Monday, June 22, 2009.

Matt and I returned to LAlaland. I got home around 6pm and went straight to bed!


I loved this experience at the NET Summit. So much so, that I’m interested in becoming more involved with NET. I highly recommend that SOSE members go to future gatherings. There’s nothing like meeting artists across the nation who continue to do what they do purely because they can’t live without it. Ensemble theatre practitioners are a special breed and I think it’s amazing that we have a venue were we can meet equally ambitious artists with different talents and experiences. This way we can create connections outside of our communities and expand our impact across the nation, and even the world.