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RAT Annex writers event in May (obscurity?)

So, ironically enough given the Obscurity thread and that Annex is
being passed around as an example of the best and worst in writer
relations/artistic integrity.

This is a call for writers from Annex Theatre...

Given the 'Obscurity' thread, I have to say something about the
unsolicited submission thing. What a horrible way to have to shop your
work around. It would be bad enough if it actually worked but I think
there is general acknowledgement that a manilla envelope in the mail
rarely produces results at any theater. I kind of weigh on the side
that every artistic discipline has its related mostly futile, labor
intensive, expensive and demoralizing convention: cattle call
auditions, expensive portfolios and thousands of resumes.

So as has already been conceded, reality is you are much more likely
to get writing produced at Annex if you have a working relationship or
friendship with directors or performers in our company.

As Chris has been arguing, this has more to do with the right reasons
why someone or some group would create and run a theater than it has
to do with mediocraty, lack of vision, laziness and the singular
failure to appreciate unsolicited submissions (though these play a
part in any human organization).

Annex is not a social club. We work our asses off to put up those
projects we feel the most passion for and passion has a personal
aspect to it.

To get a script or collaborative project produced at Annex someone
needs to champion it. Someone needs to convince a group of other
artists with divergent aesthetics and agendas that this one piece
merits their sacrificing their time, labor and artistic energy to
produce.

Are we about locating and producing the 'best' work available? What
the does that mean? We can talk about non-narrative structures and
theater of wonders all we want but does anyone honestly argue that
there is anything approximating an objective or even shared sense of
what is 'good' -- especially among the readers of this RAT list? Any
two talented generative artist reading this email may hate each others
work and both be making a significant contribution to theater.

Acknowledging all this, I _agree_ with an major point of the Obscurity
thread.

There is good work out there that is not acknowledged or produced and
a theater like Annex would immeasurably benefit from meeting and
working with more writers. The challenge, given how and why we select
work is meeting writers in a way that actually leads to work on our
stage.

For about a year we have been developing a writers event for this May.
All apologies to the Minn. Playwright's Center, its called
Hothouse. We've been working with a group of our writer's to come up
with an event that is focused on the promise of future collaboration
and future productions and not on workshopping existing work.  The
following is a call for writers.

So here's what we're doing in May...

Annex will invite six playwrights from around our area and across the
country to Seattle for two weeks.

While here, they work our company and other local artists to create or
begin to create a new piece of theater (i.e. the writers do not enter
the process with any pre-existing text).

We provide opportunities for the local community to meet and work with
these writers including script readings, social events and workshops.

The two weeks culminate in public presentations with opportunities for
the community at large to meet the artists and respond to the work in
process.

I realize this structure will not appeal to everyone. It will require
writing on the fly in a short time frame with the assistance of
performers they haven't met before hand. Seattle has many other venues
for showcasing or workshipping existing text. Again, this is not about
the immediate result -- it is about jump starting the kind of working
relationships and friendships that gets writers and their work
produced at Annex. We are convinced that this is the best way for
writers to be introduced to our particular theater and the artists who
work here.

For more information about the event browse to:
http://www.judykat.com/hothouse

If you're interested in submitting interest as a writer, browse to:
http://www..judykat.com/hothouse/call_for_writers.html

Questions: hothouse@judykat.com

--
Ken Judy
Hothouse '99 Coordinator
Annex Theater