Pioneer Valley Theatre News April 2, 2020

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser April 2 - 22, 2020 Are you looking for new ways to connect to the Performing Arts Community? Consider joining the Performing Artist Network, created by Seth Lepore. There are plenty of great resources and opportunities for networking with other performing artists there - check it out! This week's Howlround article includes a call for submissions for your lost works - you can send them in here. Read the full article linked below. I'll continue posting a weekly newsletter and will share up to the minute information on the Facebook page. Please feel free to add that page as a host for any online events you may be hosting.  The next issue will include events through April 29. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround Lost Works by Kristin Idaszak and Kristen Osborn From the article:  In March, Broadway shuttered its doors, theatres across the world canceled productions, and theatre training programs hastily moved online. In the midst of panicked cancelations, of hearing from friends about lost artistry and income, and of dealing with our own theatres postponing their spring programming, we had a meeting about an upcoming workshop of ours (we are director/playwright collaborators). Our impromptu agenda was to try to salvage it and brainstorm how to move forward virtually. But we were unsettled and unfocused. We were preoccupied by the field-wide disruption to our work. We wanted to support our global community of theatremakers, but all we had were questions: How do we use this moment to meet in the liminal space of the imagination? If no one sees what has been lost, how will anyone know what is gone? And finally, faced with the magnitude of this crisis, we asked: What do we make of the scraps of lost works? Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet COVID-19 RESOURCES From TimeOut.com As numerous theatrical institutions have admirably opened up their archives in response to increasing lockdown restrictions, all eyes have remained on one organisation: the National Theatre, which has the greatest archive of cinema-quality recordings of stage plays of any theatre in the world, thanks to its formidable NT Live programme. It’s designed to beam productions from the NT into cinemas across the country, but there are of course no cinemas in operation at present. So the NT is switching to its YouTube channel. From April 2, under the banner of National Theatre at Home, every Thursday (7pm) will see a new National Theatre play released – free to watch for one week – along with bonus content including cast and creative Q&As and post-stream talks. There’s a definite emphasis on family-friendly good cheer for the line-up so far, which kicks off with a big hitter: Richard Bean’s beloved farce ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, starring a pre-chat-show-days James Corden. Over the next few weeks you can expect a string of family-friendly titles, though naturally there will be those hoping for some of the real NT Live blockbusters, notably ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Frankenstein’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and ‘Coriolanus’ starring Tom Hiddleston. The initial programme is: April 2 ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ by Richard Bean, starring James Corden. Read our review. April 9 ‘Jane Eyre’, adapted by Sally Cookson. Read our review.  April 16 ‘Treasure Island’, adapted by Bryony Lavery. Read our review. April 23 ‘Twelfth Night’ by William Shakespeare, starring Tamsin Greig. Read our review. Additionally, the National Theatre will be rolling out National Theatre Collection study resources to pupils now learning at home. The NT has also confirmed that live performances won’t restart until at least July.  For more information on National Theatre at Home, click here. Happier Valley Comedy Virtual Mini Shows! At your local improv comedy nonprofit, we've been getting creative about ways to bring the laughter, joy, and ease directly into your homes. Check out our Virtual Mini Shows! Over the next few weeks, we'll be getting each of our casts to create online shows to keep you entertained during this challenging time. Our shows run between 2 and 25 minutes and feature games, scenes, stories, and standup comedy, all from local performers looking to connect with each other and keep you entertained. See it all at www.HappierValley.com! Western-Mass Low Income Freelancer Relief CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR WESTERN-MASS LOW-INCOME ARTIST/FREELANCER RELIEF FUND APPLICATION LINK UMass Arts Extension Services List of Resources Live Puppet Theatre Online - from the Jim Henson Foundation Chris Rohmann's article in the Valley Advocate about theatre closures and how organizations are coping. A message from Amy Rist: Good afternoon my friends from area non-profit arts facilities (dance/music/acting is etc.). I am an experienced grant writer, primary investigator and researcher. I have helped non-profits successfully obtain grants up to 500K federal and state and can help anyone interested in obtaining a grant at this site below or many other funding opportunities. This includes other funding available for nonprofit arts organizations etc. Please message me if interested. I’m happy to forward you proof and examples of my work. I am also a political consultant and able to obtain local political support is wherever necessary. Grant and Political references available upon request.  EMERGENCY FUNDING AVAILABLE FROM MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL: ATTENTION MUSICIANS ACTORS DANCERS FACULTY ETC. https://artsake.massculturalcouncil.org/covid-19-funding-for-artists/ Please contact me at amymrist@gmail.com. Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts We understand the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting nonprofits in many ways, including increased demand for their services, lost revenue due to closures and cancellations, as well as other challenges. We are happy to announce the COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley. With local businesses partnering to help raise over $1 million, this fund will provide flexible resources to organizations that are working with communities at the intersection of being most vulnerable to the virus and most impacted by inequity. http://bit.ly/C19RFund Links from last week: More excellent resources for freelance artists This article has links to great free online trainings for theatre technology More Digital Arts and Culture Resources List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak Stay At Home Fest: Online Entertainment Calendar Join the New Performing Artists Network, created by Seth Lepore AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Eggtooth Production Art Commission In these uncertain times we offer opportunities for artists in the form of 8 mini-grants for new work. Eggtooth Productions offers a Request for Proposals to local artists from Franklin and Hampshire Counties. Eight grants of $250 curated by the board of directors of Eggtooth Productions will be offered. Works chosen will be presented online via Facebook, Instagram and eggtooth.org with the possibility of wider distribution. We anticipate this being the first commission in a series. All proposals are due on Monday, April 6th by 5 pm. Choices will be made the following week.  We seek new artwork that may be shared online and that responds to the pandemic in which we find ourselves.  This includes theater, dance, visual art, audio art, multimedia, animation, video, or any other forms you may imagine.  In this unprecedented time, we encourage experimentation and innovation. Priority will be given to work that might be shared with a wider audience.  Formats accepted: Visual art: jpgs of 300 dpi or greater Video art: maximum length of ten minutes presented via Vimeo or Youtube Spoken word, literary arts: poetry and short stories, no longer than 1,000 words Questions, contact Linda McInerney at lmciner@gmail.com Go to www.localaccess.org  Click on the link when it goes live tomorrow and enjoy! Or go to the Silverthorne or LAVA Center Facebook pages for the link. AND...  Get in touch with LAVA to reserve your spot for the next ONLINE OPEN MICs -- Tuesday nights: April 14 and April 28   The Northampton Arts Council is now accepting performer applications for First Night Northampton 2021. On Thursday December 31, 2020 the Northampton Arts Council will present the 36th annual community New Year’s Eve celebration and festival of performing arts. Since 1985, First Night Northampton has filled the Paradise City with a 12-hour family-friendly festival of the arts, culminating in a traditional ball-raising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. Proceeds from First Night Northampton will benefit local artists and community arts activities.  We look forward to receiving many proposals and to creating a diverse, exciting, family-friendly event. Complete and submit the application no later than August 31, 2020. Proposals are reviewed as they are received, so early applications are recommended. Please submit separate applications for each proposal. Proposals without support materials will not be reviewed. We will be notifying applicants at the end of September. To apply to perform at First Night Northampton please complete the online application which can be found here: http://firstnightnorthampton.org/performances/ Contact: Steve Sanderson, Events Producer, 413-587-1247, arts@northamptonma.gov Photo Credit: Steven E Nanton The Play Reading Co-op is currently seeking submissions of full length plays from New England writers for a monthly, ongoing reading series. The mission of the co-op is simply for local theater makers to have a chance to get in a room together to work on high quality material for our own learning, enjoyment, and camaraderie. It's also a great way to learn about new works and writers. The reading is intended to be informal and without an audience other than other co-op “members” and potentially a friend or colleague(s) of the writer. If the writer is looking for a discussion or feedback afterward, we are happy to make space for that as well. We are ideally looking for plays with at least 2 female identifying roles.  http://www.rachelfhirsch.com/play-reading-co-op WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Completely Ridiculous Classes for Completely Ridiculous Times The Fun of Failure This one's just about having fun, getting our bodies moving and taking a big ol' laugh bath. Because we need to remind ourselves that it's OK TO LAUGH UPROARIOUSLY IN SUCH CHAOTIC TIMES. That's why. (Also, the super serious people say that this work keeps us healthy and strengthens the immune system, so there's that too.) ​ If you want the more academic sounding pre-corona description, here it is: Through games, original song writing, improvisation and a couple of fundamental clown exercises, Completely Ridiculous students will strengthen their ability to listen; to play without shame; to be generous with others and themselves; to be courageous and vulnerable enough to fail, fail again and then fail better. We're also going to have fun, like a lot of fun, maybe too much and then a little more. And laughter, lots and lots of laughter - all in pursuit of unfettered joy, radical acceptance and Empathic Vulnerability*. Acting as Play A Clown-based Scene Study class?? You got that right bucko!! Harness your little idiot's relentless pursuit of fun in order to take big risks before feeling “ready”; put logic aside to make way for a highly imaginative physical appetite/objective; embrace the precarious pleasure of not needing to know what’s coming next; find fun in whatever given circumstances the character has no choice but to endure; and always lead with hope, regardless of the inevitable disasters laid out in the text.  ​ While working via Zoom the focus of this class will shift to fit the needs and interests of the group. However, as a way to begin, we will focus on group games, scenes and solo material - prewritten monologues and/or original work - all while continuing to explore and strengthen each individuals capacity for Empathic Vulnerability*.  Each of these ongoing drop-in classes are open to anyone 16 and up. No experience necessary.  Drop-in Class Schedule The Fun of Failure: Tuesdays from 2-4pm EST. Acting as Play: Thursdays 2-4pm EST.  Class times and frequency are subject to change based on participants availability and interest. Class Details ​At the moment, each class is happening online using Zoom, and are both pay what you can. The Fun of Failure ​is limited to 6 people per session. More days/times will be added as needed. For now, sign up will restart every Wednesday and is first come first served. Login information for the Zoom meeting will be shared after signing up. ​To sign up email gabe.levey@gmail.com Acting as Play is limited to 12 people a session. 4 people will have the opportunity to work each session. Priority will be given to people who have not worked before and once the group is more or less established an order will be put in place. More days/times will be added as needed. For now, sign up will restart every Friday and is first come first served. Login information for the Zoom meeting will be shared after signing up. To sign up email gabe.levey@gmail.com If you are interested in more information, questions or concerns please email gabe.levey@gmail.com. Submit your workshop or class or audition or performance or job or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Is your theatre company missing? Email me! Academy of Music Theatre Arena Civic Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Franklin County Youth Theater Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater New Century Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Strident Theatre TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Valley Light Opera Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat Radio and News Column Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*