a thought about not thinking

THANKS TO DAILY CREATOR L.P. WHO SENDS US THIS REMINDER:

A . . . great distraction at times are so-called "running commentary" thoughts such as, "Now I am not thinking of anything," "Things are going very well now," "This is dreadful; my mind just won't stay still" and the like . . . . All such thoughts should simply be noted as "Thinking," and, as Huang Po says, just "dropped like a piece of rotten wood." "Dropped," notice, not thrown down.

A piece of rotten wood is not doing anything to irritate you, but is just of no use, so there is no point in hanging on to it. . . . Nor is there any need to try to retrace the links in a chain of associated thoughts, nor to try to ascertain what it was that first started the chain. Any such impulse should itself be noted simply as "Thinking," and the mind should revert to the breathing. However badly things have just been going, one should take up again at the only place one can--where one is--and go on from there.

- Bhikkhu Mangalo, The Practice of Recollection from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith

residency in canada

CEAD Announces New Playwrights' Residency in Montreal, Canada

Residency description: Studio or small apartment with phone and Internet access
Location: Plateau Mont-Royal / Downtown Montréal
Hosting periods: 3 periods (each period is a minimum of 3 weeks to a maximum of 1 month): January, February and March 2008.
Candidates: 1 author per period: 1 member of CEAD, 1 Canadian author and 1 author from abroad.
Financial help: transportation to Montreal (roundtrip), 400 $ contribution per week for subsistence.
Proposed services: access to the CEAD resource centre, services of playwriting consultants, access to plays, meetings with CEAD, playwrights and members of the local theatre community.

For applicant information: residences@cead.qc.c.
Deadline: October 30, 2007.

Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) 261, rue du Saint-Sacrement, bureau 200, Montreal (Quebec) H2Y 3V2

Phone : 514 288 3384.
Fax : 514 288 7043
cead@cead.qc.ca.
www.cead.qc.ca

biz of playwriting seminar in nyc

"The Business of Playwriting: Protecting Yourself and Your Work."

Led by Ralph Sevush, Executive Director of Business and Legal Affairs for the Dramatist's Guild.

Thursday, November 8th at 7pm
@ Lark Studio - 939 8th Avenue (be. 55th - 56th Streets)

RSVP - matt@larktheatre.org or call 212-246-2676 x24

fellowship for cuban artists

Cintas Fellowships to Support Creative Artists of Cuban Lineage
Deadline: January 14, 2008

The Cintas Foundation ( http://www.cintasfoundation.org/ ) awards fellowships annually to creative artists of Cuban lineage who are currently residing outside of Cuba. For 2008, fellowships will be awarded in the categories of visual arts, music composition, and creative writing. The category of "visual arts" may include painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video art, and filmmaking.

Eligibility is limited to artists of Cuban citizenship or direct descent (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Cintas Fellows are free to pursue their artistic activities as they wish. The fellowships are not awarded for academic study or research, or to performing artists. Fellowships are awarded annually in the amount of $15,000 each.

Visit the Cintas Foundation Web site for complete program guidelines. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009437/cintasfound

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

teaching the arts

* Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Florida Southern College (Florida) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528673-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor in Voice University of South Florida (Florida) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530432-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions Roosevelt University (Illinois) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529304-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor, Lighting Design/Theatre Technology Western Kentucky University (Kentucky) (date posted: 10/24/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000531426-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Northwestern State University (Louisiana) (date posted: 10/25/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000531495-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Clarinet/Music Education Winona State University (Minnesota) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530230-01&pg=e

* Vocal Coach/Accompanist University of Mississippi (Mississippi) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530472-01&pg=e

* Theater Studies Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530347-01&pg=e

* Associate Professor of Acting and Directing University of New Mexico (New Mexico) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529193-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor in Dance, Tenure-track Skidmore College (New York) (date posted: 10/24/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000531305-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions State University of New York at Buffalo (New York) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529084-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Dance Appalachian State University (North Carolina) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530463-01&pg=e

* Assistant Dean of Humanities and Performing Arts Roger Williams University (Rhode Island) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528272-01&pg=e

* Faculty - Voice Presbyterian College (South Carolina) (date posted: 10/23/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000531018-01&pg=e

* Speech and Theatre and Director of Choral Activities Tennessee Wesleyan College (Tennessee) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527945-01&pg=e

* Musical Theatre/Acting Faculty Shenandoah University (Virginia) (date posted: 10/19/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000530451-01&pg=e

* Faculty Vacancies 2008-2009 University of Wisconsin Colleges (Wisconsin) (date posted: 10/22/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527201-01&pg=e

feng shui your creative space

We've been talking about ways to separate the Artist Hustle from your actual Creativity in your creative space. For those of you who would like to take it to another level, how about trying the principles of Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese science of interior design developed to balance the energies in our living environment to assure health, love, wealth and good fortune.

TODAY'S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Visit Stephanie McWilliams' website http://evolvingarts.com/ and her site on HGTV.com http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hshui to learn more about Feng Shui and to determine if any of her tips or advice is applicable to your current creative space.

Thinking about painting your walls? Find the color that will bring financial success to your career. Need a boost of inspiration? Maybe the placement of your furniture is blocking the flow of energy through your space.

Open your mind, open up your room and see what happens.

your creative space

I've been thinking about the separation of creativity from the work it takes to be creative. By this I mean, we artists spend a tremendous amount of time filling out grant applications, hustling to get our work seen, sending out resumes or samples of our work, schmoozing at events so we can meet the "deciders" of our fate, going on auditions, trying to lock down an agent or manager, applying for residency programs, etc.

And then, add on top of that that a big percentage of us still have to have a "safety job" as I like to call them - a job that might be completely unrelated to our creative work and where do you find the time to actually CREATE???

TODAY'S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Look at your current creativity space. How much of the space is devoted to pure creativity and how much is devoted to "the hustle" of being an artist?

Do you have bills, applications, gym schedules, your "to-do" list, headshots, resumes, etc. stacked on top of that script you're trying to finish, that painting you just sketched out, that table that's supposed to be for collaging, designing, dreaming?

Do you have files of your past taxes, your car repair log, your press clippings hanging alongside your inspiration file, your notes on a character, your dream file? Do you even have a dream file???? A file that holds images of things you hope to one day do, see, be, own or create. Get one!

Is there a way to create a division between the two sides of your business as an artist?

Because we have two major goals: Create and Give The Creation To The World. That's it. That's all we're supposed to be doing.

Of course, we also have to eat and pay the rent so...we apply for grants, we fax press releases, we do the Artist Hustle.

Can we atleast use our physical surroundings to separate the two? Separate the Creative from the Hustle?

Look at your space. It can be a physical, visual, spiritual, mental separation - whatever works for you.

grants for artists

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation to Support Artists & Communities Partnerships

Deadline: December 3, 2007

A program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ( http://maaf.org ), Artists & Communities provides opportunities for professional artists to partner with nonprofit organizations in projects that result in the creation of new work and involve active cultural participation by members of the host community. The program supports one- to six-month residencies by visiting artists from the District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania at organizations located in the region served by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia).

Creative artists (choreographers, composers, poets, writers, filmmakers, media, and visual artists of all kinds) will be supported in collaborative partnerships with arts and community organizations. Host organizations must be a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, or a unit of government. College and university departments, school programs etc., are eligible to apply. However, Artists & Communities is not intended to be an arts-in- education program or intended to support existing, ongoing programs.

Complete program information is available at the foundation's Web site. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009346/midatlanticarts

-----------------------------<<>>--------------------------

National Endowment for the Humanities Invites Applications for We the People Bookshelf Program

Deadline: January 25, 2008

The National Endowment for the Humanities ( http://www.neh.gov/ ) in cooperation with the American Library Association Public Programs Office ( http://www.ala.org/ ) is accepting applications for the fifth We the People Bookshelf program. Each year, NEH identifies a theme important to the nation's her- itage and selects books that embody that theme to build the We the People Bookshelf. The theme for the 2007-08 Bookshelf is "Created Equal." The program will provide three thousand school (K-12) and public libraries across the United States with a set of classic books related to the "Created Equal" theme.

Any U.S. public library or K-12 school library in the United States and its territories is eligible to apply. School libraries include public, private, parochial, and charter schools. Librar- ies with collections that circulate to the general public and offer reading-based programs for the general public are eligible to apply. A library system or school district may apply on behalf of its member schools or branches. Each library will receive a collection of seventeen classic hard- cover books for young readers, all related to the Created Equal theme, and related resources and materials for programming.

Visit the NEH Web site for details about eligibility and instruc- tions for completing the online application. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009347/wethepeople

-----------------------------<<>>--------------------------

Shubert Foundation Offers Funding for U.S. Professional Theaters

Deadline: December 3, 2007

The Shubert Foundation ( http://www.shubertfoundation.org/ ) annually awards unrestricted grants for general operating support to not-for-profit, professional resident theaters in the United States. Shubert Foundation grants are awarded exclusively to U.S. organi- zations, which must have current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. The foundation provides grants only to organizations that have an established artistic and administrative track record, as well as a history of fiscal responsibility. Grants are awarded based on an assessment of each organization's operation and its contribution to the field. Artistic achieve- ment, administrative strength, and fiscal stability are factored into each evaluation, as is the company's development of new work and other significant contributions to the field of professional theater in the U.S. Criteria for children's theater correspond to those for theater companies.

The foundation does not make grants to individuals, nor does it provide funds for project support, audience development, direct subsidy of reduced-price admissions, conduit organizations, renovation projects, loans, or capital or endowment campaigns. Recent grants from the foundation range from $5,000 to $275,000 each; the larger grants are generally awarded to organizations that have been on the foundation roster for several years.

Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program information and application procedures. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009348/shubertfound

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

your creative space

Visually and energetically, what are the things in your creative space offering to you? Is your space cramped - is it dark - is it bright with light or is it overflowing with books? You've already taken a visual inventory of your space. Now it's time to make some changes.

TODAY'S CREATIVITY EXERCISE:

Clean up your work space. Clean the windows. Sweep the floors. Throw away the old piles of magazines or organize them for upcoming projects. Throw out pens that no longer write, books you never read and never wanted to, that basket of recycling that's just been sitting there.

Take one day to shake it up.

Change the photos that surround you. Change the art on the walls. Rearrange the furniture. Move the phone out of the room. Open the window or if you don't have a window, paint one on your wall.

Is there a way to separate your business work from your creative work? Can you do that visually or physically in your work space? Two different shelves? Two different filing cabinets? Split your bulletin board down the middle?

What do you really need? What can you let go?

teaching the arts

* Faculty Openings California State University at Northridge (California) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528288-01&pg=e

* Music and Theatre Faculty Positions Chapman University (California) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527022-01&pg=e

* Dean, Visual and Performing Arts Coast Community College District Administration Offices (California) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528152-01&pg=e

* Research Librarian for Performing Arts University of California at Irvine (California) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527232-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Theatre, Theatre Department University of La Verne (California) (date posted: 10/12/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528840-01&pg=e

* Ethnomusicologist University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (Michigan) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526763-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor in Theatre Missouri Southern State University (Missouri) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527026-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor, Ballet/Modern Dance University of New Mexico (New Mexico) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527814-01&pg=e

* Director: Arts For Children Program, Associate Professor State University of New York College at Brockport (New York) (date posted: 10/12/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529019-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Performing Arts (Sound and Lighting Design) Elon University (North Carolina) (date posted: 10/17/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529824-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Theatre History University of North Carolina at Greensboro (North Carolina) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527472-01&pg=e

* Multiple DeSales University (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527233-01&pg=e

* Theatre Faculty, January 2008 Montgomery County Community College (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527794-01&pg=e

* Faculty Theatre Director Mount Aloysius College (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/12/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000528776-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Theatre Texas Christian University (Texas) (date posted: 10/15/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527788-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Dance University of North Texas (Texas) (date posted: 10/17/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000529905-01&pg=e

puffin grants

Applications Available for Puffin Foundation Artist Grant Awards
Deadline: December 30, 2007

The Puffin Foundation ( http://www.puffinfoundation.org/ ) makes grants to emerging artists in the fields of art, music, theater, dance, photography, and literature whose works due to their genre and/or social philosophy might have difficulty being aired. Grants from the Puffin Foundation can only be awarded to permanent residents and citizens of the United States. U.S. citizens whose projects encompass work in other countries are still eligible to apply. The foundation does not have the means to fund large film/documentary proposals, grants for travel, continuing education, or the writing or publishing of books.

Average grant awards are $1,000 to $2,500 each.

Visit the foundation's Web site for information on requesting an application and for descriptions of funded projects. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009213/puffinfound

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

international conference for theatre

International Physical Theatre Laboratory
March 23 - 28, 2008
Malpils, Latvia

The Lab is open for performing artists from different countries inspired by Physical Theater as a bold, vibrant and multidimensional approach to contemporary theater performance. Accommodation and meals for participants are provided.

For registration, please send your CV and a brief letter of motivation to info@iugte.com

http://www.iugte.com/projects/PhysicalTheatre.php

today's creativity exercise

Think about the space where you create.

Is it full of books? Cramped and dark? Beautiful and well-organized? Inspiring? Draining? Quiet? Busy? Do you have a comfortable chair, adequate room to move, storage, supplies handy?

Maybe you prefer to work in public? Write in a cafe? Dance in a studio? Paint in a class or a residency program?

Maybe you don't have a designated area where you work.

Maybe it's time to create one.

TODAY'S CREATIVITY EXERCISE:

Look around the space where you create - what can you change about it to make it more conducive to your creative process? What would you like to change? What do you wish you had?

If you don't have a space, think about what your ideal space would be - write it down, sketch it out, start asking people for it.

You don't have to make the changes today - just observe and think about what you would like to do.

check out the mantra trailer

The Mantra Trailer

Created out of a 1950’s camper, the Mantra Trailer invites people to chant, their mantras, prayers, creeds, aspirations and petitions for the transformation of self and society.

The interior of the trailer is a traveling meditation space and recording studio. It is a trance inducing, contemplative space, oriented toward the internal. The exterior serves as a vehicle for mysterious aural broadcast and visual presentation of the people’s mantras. The sides of the trailer host a changeable marquis, reminiscent of the church signboard. Mundane, playful and even bizarre personal mantras may take on unforeseen spiritual, cultural or political content to those who witness them. The exterior is equipped with a holosonic speaker that continuously broadcasts a mix of recorded mantras, which can only be heard within the focused range of the speaker’s path.

By-passers drawn to the Mantra Trailer are invited inside one at a time to voice and record their mantras in privacy. Meanwhile face-to-face dialogue occurs outside the trailer as people wait their turn.

What is a mantra?

The Sanskrit word mantra consists of the root man, “to think" (also in manas "mind") and the suffix -tra meaning, "tool", hence a literal translation would be "instrument of thought" or “mind tool”.

In eastern spiritual traditions a mantra is a sacred word, chant or sound that is repeated during mediation to facilitate the transformation of consciousness. In mass media a mantra is an expression or idea that is repeated, often without thinking about it, as a way of defining, simplifying and controlling complex realities. Consider how the Bush administration’s three word mantra, WAR ON TERROR, has undermined America. In pop culture the role of the personal mantra has gained significantly as an effective tool for centering, managing and self-actualization in a perpetually transitional world.

Record a mantra for this project.

At the intersection of imagination, evangelism and propaganda...

Walter Brueggemann, a contemporary Christian theologian describes evangelism as “an activity of transformed consciousness that results in an altered perception of world, neighbor and self, and an authorization to live differently in that world.” In his book The Prophetic Imagination he postulates, "The task of the prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us."

This is also the task of community engagement projects such as Learning-To-Love-You-More. Likewise, the Mantra Trailer provides an interface for the human voice within the enculturation of consumerism and globalization. It achieves this through an indigenous path, rooted in southern, American, bible-belt culture and the “new age.” Peddling a homeopathic remedy for the mass media slogans of the day, the Mantra Trailer focuses attention on the personal and spiritual mantras people live by, one neighborhood and voice at a time.

The Mantra Trailer deals with the terrain of landscape, globalization and isolation through the scale of the body. The physical trailer mirrors the body’s process of manifestation. It has an interior space for recording, meditation and authorship and an exterior place of broadcast, presentation, and dialogue. As voice and language pass through the operation of the trailer, the private monologue surprisingly reveals itself as social discourse.

Sherri's Bio

Sherri Lynn Wood is an improvisational quilt maker with a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture from Bard College and a Master of Theological Studies from Emory University. Most of her creative projects spring from her daily life experiences and quest for personal growth. She often invites others into the art making process as a way of sharing interior realities and exploring civic relationships that can lead to personal and social change. She has a private practice working with people in her studio, who are grieving or in transition, to make functional improvisational quilts from the clothing of the deceased and the intimate materials of life. She is based in Durham, North Carolina.

VISIT THE WEBSITE: http://www.mantratrailer.com/

teaching the arts

* Communication Science and Disorders; Mathematics; Psychology; Finance; Education/Special Education; Literacy Education; Art/Music/Theatre and Social Work University of Montevallo (Alabama) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526309-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Dance and Director of the Dance Program Agnes Scott College (Georgia) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527695-01&pg=e

* Dance Faculty Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525797-01&pg=e

* Chair, Department of Performing Arts Emerson College (Massachusetts) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525836-01&pg=e

* Associate Professor Directing Narrative Fiction Emerson College (Massachusetts) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526664-01&pg=e

* Assistant Profesoor Ballet University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Massachusetts) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526561-01&pg=e

* Director of Bands/Trumpet University of Montana at Missoula (Montana) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527556-01&pg=e

* Theatre Chair Barnard College (New York) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525352-01&pg=e

* Multiple Faculty Positions St. Lawrence University (New York) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525888-01&pg=e

* Assistant or Associate Professor of Dramatic Literature and Dramaturgy State University of New York at Buffalo (New York) (date posted: 10/5/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527148-01&pg=e

* Chair, Artistic Leadership Appalachian State University (North Carolina) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527714-01&pg=e

* Dean College-Conservatory of Music at the U. of Cincinnati (Ohio) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526298-01&pg=e

* Accounting, Biology, Convergent Media and Arts Technology, Education (Reading Specialist), English, Communication, Chemistry, Equine Studies, Mathematics (Teacher Licensure), Organizational Behavior, Political Science, Sports Management, Theater Lake Erie College (Ohio) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525936-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor/Associate Director Arts Administration University of Cincinnati (Ohio) (date posted: 10/5/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527254-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Dance Wright State University (Ohio) (date posted: 10/5/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527357-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526040-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions Moravian College (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526539-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Theatre, Costuming Susquehanna University (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525375-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor, Department of Dance Temple University (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/11/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000527760-01&pg=e

* Drama Instructor and Economics Instructor Wharton County Junior College (Texas) (date posted: 10/8/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526282-01&pg=e

been sick - but i'm back now

Hello Creators -

Sorry about the massive postings today - I had lots to update on the site but I've been down with a bad case of food poisoning! Yuck.

Feeling much better - read below - lots of new information posted today.

SJ

International Conference

"Performing Arts Training Today"
April 14 - 17, 2008 Bovec, Slovenia

The conference is open to performers, performing arts educators and teachers from all over the world interested in the research of topical questions and processes in contemporary performing arts education and training.

At the moment the conference has been accepting applications for creative presentations.
Presentation format:• workshop/master class • work in progress• performance fragment (not requiring any special technical conditions) • reading/lecture• any other way of demonstration to the presenter's discretion.

Details: http://www.iugte.com/projects/Conference.php

play commissions

InterAct Theatre Company Celebrates 20 Years of Thought-Provoking Theatre
With 20 New Play Commissions

InterAct Theatre Company is pleased to announce the creation of the 20/20 Commissions, an ambitious initiative that will award twenty new play commissions over the next six seasons. Long established as one of the country’s most devoted producers of provocative, forward thinking new plays, InterAct seeks to use the commissions to explore the issues our society faces in the next twenty years through the eyes of the playwright.

About InterAct Theatre Company

InterAct Theatre Company, located in Philadelphia, PA, is a theatre for today’s world, producing new and contemporary plays that explore the social, political, and cultural issues of our time. In its first twenty seasons InterAct has introduced Philadelphia audiences to a canon of plays exploring the most important issues of the past two decades – from the fall of communism to the rise of terrorism, from religious fundamentalism to American consumerism, from shifts in the political landscape to major advancements in science, from AIDS to genocide, from race relations to war.
Since its founding in 1988, InterAct has produced 23 world-premiere plays by some of the United States, Canada, and Europe’s most provocative playwrights. Plays originating at InterAct have won numerous Barrymore Awards and nominations, and have gone on to receive productions at dozens of regional theatres across the country.

InterAct is a founding member of the National New Play Network, a nationwide organization of 21 theatre companies devoted to the development, production, and continued life of new plays.

About InterAct’s 20/20 Commissions

InterAct plans to award roughly 2-5 commissions per season over the next six seasons, for a total of twenty commissions. There are two types of awards associated with the program:
Development Awards, which may be given to works already in progress, and put toward further development with InterAct’s assistance. Plays receiving Development Awards cannot have had a professional production.
New Play Commissions, in which a new, previously (or substantially) unwritten play is commissioned and aided in the development process by InterAct.
Development Awards will be $2500, while New Play Commissions will range from $5000 - $10,000. InterAct will accept proposals on an annual basis, with application cycles in each of the next four years.

How to Apply for an InterAct Theatre Company 20/20 Commission

Round 1: 2007-2008 Season

The application consists of three parts, which must be received simultaneously by the application deadline of December 1, 2007:
Statement of Interest: The playwright is asked to provide a brief description of the proposed project, why the issues and themes of the project will be significant to society over the next twenty years, and why they wish to work with InterAct on its development. For Development Award applicants, you may additionally discuss the status of the current work and its development history. Statements of interest should not exceed 2 pages.
Up-to-Date Playwriting CV: PLEASE NOTE: for Development Award applicants, be sure to include the development history, if any, of the proposed work.
One copy of a previously completed full-length script: Submitted scripts need not have received previous productions for submission. If possible, playwrights should submit a script that fits within InterAct’s central mission. If the playwright does not feel that they have a script suitable enough for InterAct’s mission, they may send whatever script they feel best expresses their ability to balance complex themes and ideas in their playwriting. PLEASE NOTE: For Development Award applicants, a copy of a previously completed script is asked for in addition to the proposed script for development.
All parts of the application must be sent via regular mail. Submitted scripts will not be returned. Email applications will not be accepted. There is no fee for application.
For all 20/20 New Play Commissions awarded by InterAct, the company reserves the right of first production upon completion of the commission. Recipients of Development Awards are not required to give right of first production to InterAct, though they may choose to do so.

Playwrights not awarded commissions in Round 1 may apply again in future cycles, the next of which will begin in the summer of 2008.

The deadline for completed first cycle applications is December 1, 2007, and InterAct will notify all playwrights of its decision by February 1, 2008.

Applications may be sent to:
InterAct Theatre Company
New Play Commissions
2030 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19103

All inquiries related to the commissions may be directed via email to Peter Bonilla, Literary Manager, via email at pbonilla@interacttheatre.org.

To learn more about InterAct Theatre Company, visit our website at www.interacttheatre.org.

casting: a singing mom for east coast show

Moms the Word, a musical comedy about motherhood, is seeking an understudy.

She must be a mom, have a good singing voice, be able to sing harmony, be comfortable on stage, and have a good sense of comedic timing. No professional experience is necessary, but someone who has performed in the past (in high school, college, etc.) would be great.

Understudies are guaranteed a performance every few months, and must also be available to perform in the case that the performer they cover is sick (so last-minute babysitting availability is important!).

Performances are generally on weeknights, across the tri-state area (access to a car is very helpful!). Many shows are outside the city (NJ, LI, Westchester, etc.).

Performances are paid.

Read more about the show at: www.MomsTheWord.info

If this sounds of interest, please contact: danacovey@aol.com for more information.

$10k for a play competition

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES 3rd INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION WITH $10,000 PRIZE FOR PLAYS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Professional Artists Lab (http://www.proartslab.ucsb.edu) and the California NanoSystems Institute (http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu) at the University of California , Santa Barbara continue their collaboration with the third STAGE International Script Competition, open to plays about science and technology.

The winner of the Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration (STAGE) Competition will receive a $10,000 USD prize, along with opportunities for developing and promoting the winning script.Submitted plays must explore scientific and/or technological stories, themes, issues or events. Multi-media theatre pieces, non-traditional plays and new forms are encouraged. (Science fiction is not eligible.)

Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2007. The winning play will be announced in July, 2008. For complete submission guidelines and information about past winners, please visit our website at http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/stage.

Scripts will be judged by an esteemed panel of jurors from both the arts and sciences. Previous judges include:Nobel Laureates David Gross (2004 Physics) and Alan Heeger (2000 Chemistry); playwright and MacArthur Fellow Luis Alfaro; award-winning theatre, film and television director Arvin Brown; Dr. Polly Carl, Producing Artistic Director of the Minneapolis Playwrights' Center; Obie Award-winning playwright Lonnie Carter; award-winning playwright Constance Congdon; award-winning playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher; Morgan Jenness, dramaturge and literary agent at Abrams Artists Agency; Professional Artists Lab Playwright-in-Residence Barbara Lebow; Eduardo Machado, award-winning playwright and Artistic Director of New York's INTAR Theatre; and Tony and Olivier award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director Mark Medoff.

STAGE endeavors to:- foster new and imaginative voices and methods of storytelling;- catalyze the development of art that depicts the technological age in which we live;- cultivate appreciation and collaboration between the two cultures of science and art;- promote understanding of the sciences in the public arena;- accomplish all of the above within an international community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STAGE Script Competition
Professional Artists Lab
CNSI - MC 6105
3241 Elings Hall - Bldg. 266
University of California
Santa Barbara , CA 93106-6105
E-mail: stage@cnsi.ucsb.edu
URL: http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

teaching the arts

* Tenured Full Professor, Department Chair: Theatre Arts and Dance California State University at Los Angeles (California) (date posted: 9/28/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524510-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor in Acting Santa Clara University (California) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524756-01&pg=e

* Technical Director in the Technical Design and Production Department Yale University (Connecticut) (date posted: 9/29/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525456-01&pg=e

* ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSICAL THEATRE DANCE University of Miami (Florida) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000523988-01&pg=e

* Multiple Faculty Positions Georgia College & State University (Georgia) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524951-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions in the College of Arts and Science, College of Business, College of Education, Library Services, College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, and College of Technology Indiana State University (Indiana) (date posted: 10/2/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526373-01&pg=e

* Multiple Position Openings Grinnell College (Iowa) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524127-01&pg=e

* Educational Theatre New York University (New York) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524434-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor, Dance Education New York University (New York) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524407-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions State University of New York at Fredonia (New York) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524138-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professors of Mathematics, Theatre, and Psychology The Ohio State University at Lima (Ohio) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526088-01&pg=e

* Asst. Professor: Lighting Designer/ Stage Manager The University of Toledo (Ohio) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000523948-01&pg=e

* Head and Professor, Department of Theatre Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma) (date posted: 10/2/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000526178-01&pg=e

* Faculty Openings for Fall 2008 By Discipline and Campus Penn State Commonwealth College (Pennsylvania) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525173-01&pg=e

* Assistant/Associate Professor/Movement and Acting University of Tennessee at Knoxville (Tennessee) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000525314-01&pg=e

* Theatre History, Criticism and Theory - Assistant Professor Baylor University (Texas) (date posted: 10/1/2007) http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000524479-01&pg=e

a legal warning for actors - please read!!!

WE THANK OUR FRIEND, DAILY CREATOR NED MENOYO, WHO PASSES THIS FREE LEGAL ADVICE ON TO ACTORS WORKING UNDER SAG CONTRACTS WITH AGENTS - READ BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Hi all,

I was just reading up on the difference between a standard SAG contract for agency representation and another type of contract agents are supposedly trying to get talent to sign called a GSA (General Services Agreement). The SAG contract is governed by SAG rule 16(g). As a lawyer, the consequences of signing a GSA contract seems huge to me -- and actually I would argue that the GSA is unenforceable as being against good public policy -- but that would be a long shot argument.

After reading about this, I wanted to warn my friends about not signing a GSA - or at least make sure you have read it and understand it - that you really get it - and that it all sounds good to you. (One myth about contracts is that only lawyers should be able to understand them. That's not true. You should be able to understand and explain each and every provision of something you sign. If you don't, don't sign it. If you sign it, you may be bound to it!)

Also, you need to understand what the standard SAG contract gives you that the GSA takes away. Go to the SAG website for more info.

http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/Content/Public/AgentRelations_ImpMessage.htm#top

grants for artists in many fields

Effective Organizations Applications Sought From Alaskan Arts and Cultural Organizations
Deadline: November 1, 2007 (Letters of Interest)

The Rasmuson Foundation ( http://www.rasmuson.org/ ) has announced a call for applications for Effective Organizations, a grant and technical assistance program with a goal of strengthening the per- formance and impact of Alaska's arts and cultural organizations. The program, a three-step structured technical assistance and grant program, helps arts and cultural organizations address critical internal issues and, in the process, make them better equipped to fulfill their missions and improve their service to their communities.

The program targets organizations that are either anticipating a major transition, are in the middle of one, or just recovering from one. Organizations accepted into the program will be assigned a consul- tant, funded by the Rasmuson Foundation, to conduct an assessment and assist the organization in developing a transition plan. Upon completion of the plan, a grant of up to $60,000 may be awarded to help the organization implement its plan. Participation in the program requires a significant commitment of time by both the staff and board of applicant organizations.

To be eligible, applicant organizations must be Alaska-based non- profit 501(c)(3) or tribal organizations with a consistent record of arts and cultural programming. Organizations must have been in existence for at least three years and have at least one paid full-time staff person. Performing and visual arts organizations, arts councils, cultural centers, museums, libraries, and public broadcast stations are a few examples of eligible nonprofits.

Detailed application guidelines, instructions, and forms can be found at the Rasmuson Foundation Web site. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009133/rasmuson
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Meet the Composer Announces Guidelines for Global Connections Program
Deadline: November 1, 2007; May 1, 2008

A program of Meet the Composer ( http://meetthecomposer.org/ ), Global Connections seeks to help ensure that international au- diences see and hear the impressive and creative range of work offered by today's living composers, and also helps support the creative and professional development of living composers through the performance of their work worldwide. The Global Connections program provides support for U.S.-based composers to cover appearance/residency fee, travel, accommodation, and per-diem costs related to travel abroad for the live performance of their works or for research and development. Support is also available for performing and presenting organizations in the U.S. to sponsor short residencies for composers based outside the United States.

Composers, improvisers, singer/songwriters, and sound artists working professionally at all career stages and in any style or genre are eligible for this program. The program is open to non- profit arts or community organizations. This can include ensembles, presenters, festivals, museums, gallery spaces, or artists' residencies. Composers must have been invited by the hosting org- anization to appear at or participate in a performance of their work and other events or activities surrounding the performance. If traveling for research and development, composers must have been offered support by the hosting organization for research and development or creation of a new work. Priority will be given to proposals for the development of collaborative works that bring together artists of different nationalities.

The deadline for projects taking place July through December 2008 is November 1, 2007; the deadline for projects taking place January through July 2009 is May 1, 2008. Grants range from $500 to $5,000 each.

Visit the Meet the Composer Web site for guidelines and application. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009134/meetthecomposer

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VSA arts and MetLife Foundation Announce Arts Connect All Grant Opportunity
Deadline: December 7, 2007

VSA arts ( http://www.vsarts.org/ ) and the MetLife Foundation ( http://www.metlife.org/ ) have announced their 4th annual "Arts Connect All" grant opportunity for arts organizations to create or enhance inclusive educational programs through partnerships with local public schools. A maximum of ten grants of up to $15,000 each will be awarded through the program.

VSA arts and the MetLife Foundation invite proposals from arts institutions whose programs incorporate the following: inclusive teaching practices; access to students with all types of dis- abilities; development of social, cognitive, and artistic skills; involving people with disabilities in planning and implementation; building staff, teacher, and/or artist knowledge and skill of inclusive practices; and collaboration with public schools that engages students, parents, and school administrators.

Nonprofit performing and exhibiting arts institutions, including museums, theaters, and multidisciplinary arts presenters, who are creating or have established educational programs are encouraged to apply. Arts organizations in the following cities are eligible: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Providence, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa, and Tulsa.

For more information regarding eligibility and selection criteria and to download an application form, visit the VSA arts Web site. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009135/vsa/273

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VSA arts Seeks Entries for International Young Soloists Awards
Deadline: Various

The VSA arts ( http://www.vsarts.org/ ) International Young Soloists Program is designed to identify talented musicians who have a disability. The VSA arts International Young Soloists Award is given annually to four outstanding musicians, two from the U.S. and two from the international arena. The award provides an opportunity for these emerging musicians to each earn a $5,000 award and a performance in Washington, D.C. Any individual musician (instrumental or vocal) age 25 and under from the U.S. who has a disability is eligible to apply. Any individual musician (instrumental or vocal) age 30 and under from outside the United States who has a disability is eligible to apply.

Applications from musical ensembles (two to eight members) will be accepted for the International Young Soloists Award. This includes any type of ensemble from a rock band to a chamber ensemble to a drum corps. In order to be eligible, at least one member of the ensemble must have a disability. All members of the ensemble must fulfill the age requirements as stated above. All types of music will be accepted, including but not limited to rock/alt rock, pop, indie, classical, country/folk, jazz, R&B/blues, hip hop/rap, Latin, world, etc.

A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. (An impairment is a physiological disorder affecting one or more of a number of body systems, or a mental or psychological disorder). Many VSA arts United States affiliates implement their own International Young Soloists Award programs.

Entries received in the VSA arts headquarters from soloists residing in states where the affiliate is conducting a state-level review will be forwarded to that state affiliate for initial evaluation. The top two entries from that state are then forwarded to the VSA arts headquarters for consideration in the national adjudication. Application deadlines are November 15, 2007, for U.S. musicians, and December 1, 2007, for musicians outside the United States.

Visit the VSA arts Web site for complete program information. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10009136/vsa/22

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

fred hersch - new release

CONGRATS TO FRED ON THE RELEASE OF HIS NEW COLLECTION!!!

Naxos Records

announces the release of Fred Hersch: Concert Music 2001-2006

(Naxos American Classics 8.559 9336)

"This is my first recorded collection of through-composed concert works. It features the epic, virtuosic 24 Variations on a Bach Chorale and the romantic Lyric Piece for Trio. Also included are two sets of solo piano pieces and the poignant Tango Bittersweet for cello and piano."

Three Character Studies (2001)

1. Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone

2. Little Spinning Song3. Chorinho (Study in Thirds and Sixths)

Natasha Paremski, piano

24 Variations on a Bach Chorale (2002)

Blair McMillen, piano

Lyric Piece for Trio (2004)

The Gramercy Trio

Sharan Leventhal, violin

Jonathan Miller, cello

Randall Hodgkinson, piano

Tango Bittersweet (1990, revised 2006)

Dorothy Lawson, cello

Fred Hersch, piano

Saloon Songs (2005)

1. Four-Part Slow Drag

2. The "Last Call" Waltz

3. The Bowery Rag

Blair McMillen, piano

To hear clips: http://www.fredhersch.com/cfpeters.html

To order this CD: http://www.fredhersch.com/new_cds.html

Thank you for your support!

Fred

12 new chapters or scenes - in one hour

Okay, maybe that's overselling this idea a bit but I still believe you can create 12 new chapter ideas or scene moments in an hour and here's how.

DAILY CREATIVITY EXERCISE

Work with a character you know very well. Maybe it's a character from your new play, in a novel you're trying to finish or a short story - maybe it's a character that's been walking around in your brain and hasn't yet made it to the page. Just focus on that one character. Give yourself a few quiet minutes to think about the character in depth.

Write these prompts on slips of paper (or make up your own):

Name of your character...

...is standing in a doorway
...is involved in a ceremony
...is wounded
...finds out something he/she is not supposed to know
...writes a letter
...discovers the contents of someone's closet
...does a forbidden activity
...gets up in the morning
...kisses
...finds his/her way through a city
...deals with his/her hair
...sees a shooting star
...breaks a promise
...visits a fortune teller
...gets caught in the act
...in a grocery store
...falls from grace
...is injured
...gives someone a present
...attends a dinner party
...has an epiphany
...asks for mercy
...walks in the back yard

Put these slips in an envelope and shake them up. Get a timer. Give yourself five minutes for each scene/chapter. Pull a slip from the envelope and make your character take that action.

Write as quickly as you can explaining why that action was taken, how the character got there, why they did what they did, who was with them, what was around them, when it happened, where the event took place, etc.

Write for the full 5 minutes. Don't stop. As soon as the timer dings, pull a slip and do it again.

You can write for a full hour and that should give you 12 new scene/chapter beginnings or you can write until your hand cramps and get as many as you can stand.

PICK UP YOUR PEN AND GET STARTED!!