Re: RAT Annex writers event in May (obscurity?)

["Karen Cronacher" <kcron@ix.netcom.com>]

Ken,

i'm glad you posted, i've been meaning to contact you since i saw your
direction of erik ehn's play last season at the annex, and i thought i was
so brilliant.  i think you'd like my work, any chance i could send it to
you?  Thanks.

Karen
----------
>From: "Ken H. Judy" <ratso@judykat.com>
>To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
>Subject: RAT Annex writers event in May (obscurity?)
>Date: Wed, Feb 24, 1999, 12:17 PM
>

>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
>
>
>
>