PROJECT KNOWLEDGE Day 67

Day 67: Our FINAL Project Knowledge Interview on the road!!!! Arlene Goldbard... San Francisco, California

It is crazy to even be typing this, but today was our 42nd and FINAL meeting for Project Knowledge. Although we will be scheduling various meetings in the Los Angeles area upon our return, today marked our last discussion on the road. And wow... it was a memorable one.

We met up with Arlene Goldbard at her home in Richmond, California right outside of San Francisco. "A provocative independent voice for our times, Arlene Goldbard is a writer, social activist, and consultant who works for justice, compassion and honor in every sphere, from the interpersonal to the transnational.

Arlene’s essays have appeared in such journals as Art in America, The Independent, Theatre, High Performance and Tikkun. Her books include Crossroads: Reflections on the Politics of Culture; New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development; and Community, Culture and Globalization. Arlene has helped dozens of organizations to make plans and solve problems.

Amy first was blown away by Arlene's work after reading her keynote talk “Reframing the Role of the Arts in California” at The California Arts Advocates’ Visioning Retreat in January 2010. The entire speech was very moving, but this part really hit home with all of us in regards to reframing the role of arts and the funding that supports the arts in America.

"But the big frame we need now is this: that art is the secret of survival, that if our resilience,
creativity and future sustainability are riding on the stories that shape us, we had better invest in
our collective capacity to create and share stories."

It was an honor to have a chance to sit down and speak with Arlene. We learned so much from her unique insights and incredible wisdom. We enjoyed discussing the need to "reframe" the context in which we speak about art and the role it plays within the cultural development of a community. We were very intrigued and passionate about her mission to create a new WPA in America. You can learn more about the WPA by reading one of Arlene's most recent blog entries. However, here is a bit of information regarding this exciting period in the history of the arts in America.

"Seventy-five years ago, Congress passed legislation for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federally funded jobs program that helped bring about the type of national recovery the USA needs today. The largest WPA program was "Federal One," which employed artists to paint murals, make theater, document history, teach music, and much, much more. The first programs for artists began as part of general job creation, in response to skyrocketing unemployment in the Great Depression." The Federal Theatre Project, led by the legendary Hallie Flanagan, was part of FDR's WPA program.

Arlene feels that the time is upon us for a new WPA and she is working persistently, passionately, and patiently towards the achievement of this goal. We commend her for this incredible pursuit and we know that just like Hallie she will pave the way for great advancements in the cultural development of American society.

We thoroughly enjoyed discussing cultural policy & sustainability with Arlene as well as the unlimited possibilities that exist for the arts to advance the cultural development of communities during these changing times. We are very excited to read her book New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development upon our return to Los Angeles. Hopefully in the future we will be able to collaborate with this wise and forward-thinking mind. Our meeting with Arlene was the perfect way to end Project Knowledge! And she was ready to take her thinker pose photo!!!!! Thanks Arlene for an inspiring, intriguing, and delightful conversation. We are excited to see the evolution of all of your new ideas! What an exciting time it is to be a leader in the arts world during this critical and important period of history. The future is SO bright!



I think that the legendary Group Theatre of the 1930's would be proud of all of the "thinking" that has been going on across America as we traveled from one great theatre mind to another. This journey has undoubtedly changed all of our lives. The education we have received has been unique and invaluable. We look forward to assessing the information we've gathered and then create plans for a very exciting, theatrical, and healthy future for Transcendence Theatre! Tomorrow we will be driving half way to Los Angeles. We cannot believe we will be home in 2 days!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE Day 65

Day 65: Our visit to Dell'Arte in Blue Lake, California

Well, after 65 days on the road... we are headed into our home stretch! It was crazy and awesome to see the "Welcome To California" sign as we left Oregon and headed on our trip down the coast.





Our drive was astonishing as we passed by some of the most gorgeous blue waters. We were also blown away by the redwood forests. I mean... look at the massive trunk of this redwood tree! AMAZING!





We arrived in Blue Lake (which recently celebrated its 100th birthday as a city!) and headed straight to our meeting with Joan Schirle at the historic Dell'Arte International. Joan was one of the founding artistic directors over 30 years ago, so we were honored to get a chance to speak with her along our travels. Besides being an actor, director, playwright, teacher, and member of the Dell'Arte Resident Company, she also is The Director of The School of Theatre.

Dell’Arte International is the work of an extraordinary community of artists located amidst the majestic redwoods and rugged beauty of California’s North Coast. The uniqueness of this company makes them a destination unlike any other on the American theatre map. Dell'Arte specializes in physical theatre and has a training school that grants students an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre. Physical theatre is more movement based verses text based theatre, although the majority of works still have texts. Students study mime, clowning, Alexander technique, puppetry, commedia and so much more during their time at the school. Dell'Arte is also the only full time physical theatre school in the world with a professional company in residence that has deep roots in a local and regional community. The company has been touring original shows regionally and internationally since the 1970's. The are an acclaimed ensemble whose unique physical style reflects more than 30 years of collaborative creation.

Joan gave us a very cool tour of the school and we were able to say hi to a number of students who were busy working on their MFA thesis projects. She sat down with us to tell us the rich history of the organization as well as share with us the evolution of their training program. We were very interested in hearing about Dell'Arte's unique programming since they are the only physical theatre in the world offering an MFA where the degree is conferred by the school itself. We had a very interesting conversation regarding the challenges of running such a unique and community based company, but were also truly inspired by the growth of such a company since its humble beginnings.




We joined up with Michael Fields; founding member, producing director, and master teacher of the company. It was wonderful to sit down with him and Joan to learn more about the work of ensemble based theatre companies. We also discussed funding issues and trends during these changing times in American Theatre. We were thinking really hard about the great future for American Theatre... gotta love this awesome thinker photo!!!!



Joan then took us on a walking tour down the street to see more of the Dell'Arte studios and afterwards we kept talking at the local watering hole where we shared many more stories!!!! A good time was had by all!!!!



Thanks Joan for sharing your work and passions with all of us! Our time in Blue Lake was exceptional and we look forward to visiting Dell'Arte again someday!

Tomorrow is a travel day down the coast and we are then gearing up for our FINAL interview for Project Knowledge! WOW!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 62

Day 62: Bill Rauch & Claudia Alick at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon

Today was an exceptional one! Ashland, Oregon is a beautiful and special town in southern Oregon which is the home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). In addition to employing over 100 artists every year, OSF is currently one of the largest regional theatres in America. To say that the festival resides in the town of Ashland is an understatement, the festival practically fuels the town and permeates the entire culture and sensibility of the area.

OSF was begun in 1935 by a man named Angus Bowmer. The story of it's inception is a remarkable one... involving a Chautauqua building, boxing matches, and a steady growth (check it out). From a beginning budget of $400 in 1935, today the festival now runs on a budget of over $26 million, and this year alone will have an attendance of approximately 400,000 people.

Our first meeting was with the Artistic Director of OSF, Bill Rauch. Bill took over the Artistic Director position in 2006, and has since shepherded gigantic strides in the success of the company. We were particularly excited to meet with him, because not only has he had a big impact on OSF, but he is also one of the founding members of the Cornerstone Theatre in Los Angeles, a groundbreaking theatre that has profoundly inspired us and which has come up in many of our discussions across the country.

In our research we discovered that one of the reasons that Bill and his friends began the Cornerstone Theatre Company was because in the 1980's they came across a stat that said that only 2% of the American public attended theatre. After graduating college Bill and his friends got into a van, traveled to different communities around the US, and made it their mission to reach out to the 98% of the population who were not attending theatre. Cornerstone has an unbelievable history and it was a true honor to be able to sit down and learn first hand from one of its founders.

We had an amazing meeting with Bill where he spoke with us about a lot of the successes and challenges he's experienced at OSF, as well as about his discoveries in founding, building, and growing Cornerstone to where he left it in 2006. Perhaps one of the most inspiring things about Bill is that even though he's running this giant organization with major money, esteem, and artistic merit, his focus still resides in reaching out to the minorities, the unheard, and the underprivileged.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most visible changes at OSF since Bill arrived has been the Green Show which is the free show that takes place each night before the shows on the festival outdoor stage. When he came into the festival, he changed the Green Show from a static show that remained the same all summer, into a performance opportunity for people in the community and around the world to show their work and be heard (which has brought performers from far and wide, and has greatly increased the attendence of the local community to the festival). Bill inspired us greatly as he passed on words of wisdom and advice to us as we found our own company. We will never forget this inspiring conversation for the rest of our lives! Thanks, Bill!

After our meeting with Bill, we went outdoors to meet Claudia Alick and sit on the stage where the Green Show is performed. Claudia is the Associate Producer/Community and is also the Curator/Producer for The Green Show. With her passion and dedication to diverse programming, she has been responsible for the success of the changes to The Green Show in recent years. These changes have been enthusiastically embraced by the community and it is also awesome that they are drawing more diverse audiences to OSF.

We first came across Claudia when she was named by TCG Magazine as one of the 25 theatre artists who will shape American Theatre in the next 25 years. Claudia has a brilliant and creative mind. We were enthralled listening to her speak about the future of American Theatre and how all of us can push the boundaries in how theatre integrates, involves, and inspires communities. We are incredibly excited to see her artistic and producing work evolve. She is also the Hip Hop Dramturg for OSF's Hamlet which is probably one of the coolest things we have ever heard! Thanks Claudia for philosophizing about theatre with us and challenging us to imagine new and exciting avenues for programming! We can't wait to come back and visit again someday soon!



After our two phenomenal meetings, we spent the day exploring the town of Ashland and learning more about the impact Oregon Shakespeare Festival has had on this beautiful community. Ashland is GORGEOUS. Walking through Lithia Park was one of the highlights of our stay! (Junior loved exploring the town!) And for dinner, we were lucky to meet up with Jay & Trish Dworsky who are 2 of our biggest supporters and friends from Punta Banda, Mexico! (We LOVE them!) Jay's sister Rona and her husband Herb retired in Ashland and are big fans of OSF. So it worked out perfectly that Jay could visit his sister and us on their vacation! We had an exceptional dinner at Thai Pepper. And of course, we had the best day ever and are looking forward to learning more about OSF during our stay tomorrow!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 60

Day 60: PICA, Portland Center Stage, and The Chosen, Portland, OR

We arrived in beautiful downtown Portland for our 10:30 a.m. meeting with Victoria Frey, executive director of PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art). Their offices are housed free of rent, in a beautiful building that is home to an advertising agency, Wieden and Kennedy. But as to where the art is produced, they have an interesting approach. Dedicated to the development of contemporary art, they aid artists in multiple disciplines to produce, develop, and share their art with audiences in a wide variety of spaces all over the city. What is wonderful about this approach is that all resources go directly to the art, and the possibilities are seemingly endless.

The bulk of the company's resources go into the production of their annual TBA festival which occurs over a 10-day span in September. The festival is a cross-pollination of dance, music, visual art and theatre with programming that ranges from discussion groups to interactive performance art. It has been a great success in the past and continues to grow in community support due largely to the fact that the festival is so inclusive and accessible. What's great about PICA is that they seek to be "instigators" of new work and interesting dialogues rather than claiming to be "experts". Their ability to continually ask questions is one of the many keys to their success. Thank you Victoria for sharing with us your experience, insights, and fabulous work!!!

After our meeting with PICA we had a couple hours before our next meeting, so we were able to walk around Portland... a few of us bought great books at Powell's Books, a really neat bookstore (used & new) downtown, check it out.

Next we headed over to Portland Center Stage to meet with Greg Phillips (Executive Director) and Creon Thorne (General Manager). Portland Center Stage (PCS) is a thriving theatre in the heart of Portland. In 2006, the company moved from it's former space to the Armory Theater downtown and has since seen remarkable growth. During the last couple of years where many theaters have had major difficulties in finding audiences, PCS has seen it's audiences expand substantially.

We had a wonderful talk with Greg and Creon where we learned a lot about the theater's successes and challenges. Several companies during our travels have mentioned their buildings as being their biggest burden, so it was very interesting for us to hear about how PCS's space is one of their biggest assets. They realized early on that people love spending time in The Armory Theatre space, so they made it their goal to open up the space as much as possible to the community. They credit a lot of their recent success and growth to the efforts they've made in opening their doors to the community in as many ways as possible.

The Armory Theatre is remarkable in itself. In addition to being on the National Historic Register, the building holds the distinction of being the first performing arts venue to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum Rating. As we are very interested in the idea of an environmentally conscious theatre (check out our Eco-Show from our project in Baja, Mexico), it was fantastic visiting a theatre where the environment was a consideration and a priority.

We were very inspired by our meeting, and as we were finishing up Greg and Creon gave us the opportunity to see their production of "The Chosen". We were astounded with the life and vitality of the audience at the show. The Armory was thriving with people, the show was practically sold out, and we all walked out from the night in the theater with tears in our eyes. It was quite a magical experience for us, if you're ever in Portland check them out, it's a special place!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 57

Day 57: ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Seattle

Seattle here we come!

We woke today to the calm of fresh and crisp Washington air. About a week ago or so we solidified plans to meet with ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Seattle. When we met with Mike Daisey in Dallas, (which feels like forever ago at this point!) he recommended us checking out ACT because he was excited about the work that was going on there. We also read a bit about a model they were using for "subscriptions" that was an alternative to the traditional season subscriber model, so we were excited to see what was going on there.

We pulled into Seattle a little early to grab a bite to eat and brainstorm questions for the meeting. We had a bit of time to wander down Pike Street and around the water and while there, we stocked up on some incredible vegetables from local farms. In short, we fell in love with Seattle and the more we explored, the more the sun poked out from behind dark clouds. Seattle is vastly green- with life everywhere- and at the same time, it has a sort of San Francisco meets Maine type of feel. What a town!




Before the meeting we also met up with Sonia Michaels, a specialist from The Transcendence Artist Project in Punta Banda, Mexico. Sonia came down to Mexico back in 2009 to talk to us a bit about creative writing, and during the beginning phases of the development of the company, she helped Amy a lot in website verbage, sponsorship writing, and press releases. She gave us a quick tour of Seattle and it was great to catch up. Thanks Sonia!



After our introduction to Seattle, we headed down the street to ACT, centrally located in downtown Seattle. We were quickly greeted by Nicole Boyer Cochran, the Artistic Manager and Executive Assistant and Harlie Rees, Audience Services Director (isn't that a great title...you don't see that too often!). The two of them gave us a remarkable tour of the historic building, which formerly served as a gentlemen's club for the Eagles. The building was built in the 1920s and was historically preserved by ACT when it was restored in the late 1990s.



The history of this building made for a thrilling experience in just walking through the space. Pictures and sculptures of eagles littered the walls and floors and protruded from every corner, and the stories of a lost tradition seemed to leak from every hidden corner of the building.

Four theatres are housed by the building:

1. The Falls Theatre- a more traditional proscenium-like stage, with audiences on three sides, seating roughly 400 people.

2. The Bullitt Cabaret, a "modest" and vastly interesting space with a small stage, cabaret tables and chairs, and an upstairs balcony that circles the room with a master staircase that luciously swirls down toward the first floor. The room used to be a speakeasy during prohibition and there is an exit/entrance that leads to the street and 15 other exits that allowed for a fast evacuation in the event of a raid or similar obtrusion.

3. Buster's, a similar proscenium-like stage with a smaller house.

AND

4. The Allen Theatre, possibly the most fascinating theatrical space in the United States. Describing the space here will most likely fail to give the space the full appreciation it deserves but nevertheless: The space was a master ballroom with many entrances, a second floor wrapping balcony, and even a modest traditional proscenium stage. Rather than take the expected route and keep the proscenium structure, ACT did something quite remarkable. Inspired by a visit to a meteor landing site, they dug a hole into the central space of the ballroom, preserving everything else around it. There they created a "theatre-in-the-round" that's built right into the floor and seats 400 people. They then rigged a state of the art sound and lighting grid and suspended it from the ceiling. The "theatre in the round" however is more like a polygon of sorts with many sides, all unequal in length. The result is breathtaking and makes for an absolute must-see.

If you are ever in the area, stop by to check out the place. I'm sure they would be equally as warm and welcoming as they were with us. The building houses a bunch of treasures beyond just the space (including a preserved vault in the basement of the building!) and is a landmark in itself.

Following our tour we headed to a conference room where we were joined by ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattle and Managing Director Carlo Scandiuzzi. We talked for more than two hours with them about the history of their company, the "rebirth" of ACT a few years ago, and the introduction of a Netflix-like subscription model that offers an alternative to the standard season subscriber model. For only $25 (or $20 if you are under 30) you can get access to the entire year round-programming that ACT has to offer.

While the economy slowed and most companies cut the amount of programming they offered, ACT actually increased it from just 5 mainstage shows, to around 45 different events that are entirely "free" to a monthly subscriber. We talked at great length with them about the logistics of this and how it has helped them as a company solidify their artistic goals and ambitions and bring play back into the process of making theatre. We were all quite literally on the edge of our seats.

Kurt and Carlo are beyond inspiring. Sitting across a table from them is a very unique experience. Their passion for theatre and their captivating ability to articulate that into words and action left us all thrilled for the future of our own company. They offered a great deal of business advice, but more importantly, some wonderful principles regarding the moral sustainability of a theatre company and the purpose of cultivating fine art that serves the current world. If you get a chance, check out the ACT Manifesto, written by Kurt.

Today was, just like so many, the best day ever.

Thank you immensely to ACT for your unprecedented hospitality: Nicole for your enthusiasm, Harley for your warmth and ingenuity, and Kurt and Carlo for your inspiration!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 56

Day 56: Missoula Children's Theatre and on the road to Seattle

Today we had an inspiring visit with Jim Caron, the CEO and founder of Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) at his beautiful theatre in Missoula, Montana. Jim has an amazing story about how his theatre began… he was traveling from Chicago to Oregon for a wedding when his car broke down just short of Missoula. While he was getting his car fixed by a local mechanic he happened to see an audition posting for a local production of "Man of La Mancha", so while waiting for his car he auditioned. He ended up getting cast as Sancho in the production, becoming close friends with Don Collins who was playing Don Quixote, and when the show closed the two of them decided to start a theatre of their own in town (you can read about it here on their website).

What started as a children’s theatre company, evolved into a company that goes to towns and casts local kids in their show, rehearses for a week, and then puts on a performance for the local community. It took them a while to grow in size (after doing 1 town the first year, and 3 the second, they gradually began to build), but since they have a staggering rate of retention (98% of their towns ask them back), this year they are performing in over 1,500 towns in the US and around the world (which will be putting over 70,000 kids on stage!). One of the most amazing things about MCT is that they are able to derive 90% of their yearly operating budget from their initiatives, so that only around 10% of their budget comes from donations, foundations, and grants (which is an astonishing accomplishment in the non-profit theatre world).

Along with their children's shows MTC also hosts 3 summer camps (for 3 different age groups), produces community theatre productions every year, and in the last couple years they launched Next Step Prep which is a summer training school for high school musical theatre actors. Last year was the first year for Next Step and they managed to bring some respectable musical theatre names in to teach classes and workshops (including Jason Robert Brown, Alan Campbell, & Alex Gemignani). It will be fun to follow how their programs continue to grow and succeed.

It just so happens that today was Jim's birthday! We had a fantastic conversation with Jim about the challenges and experiences he's had in his years with MCT, we met a bunch of the staff, and he gave us a tour of their beautiful theatre and office spaces. He also gave us some great advice as we start building the infrastructure of our company and he was very excited to throw out quite a number of potential cities for us! He's excited to see where we will end up... and so are we!!!!

After grabbing a bite to eat, we hopped back in the RVs and got on the road out of Montana, through Idaho, and into Washington to get close for our meeting tomorrow with ACT in Seattle.

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 53

Day 53- Our meeting with Anthony Radich of WESTAF in snowy Colorado

We saw our first snowstorm today as the endless rainstorms in Denver morphed into beautiful white flakes. Somehow in all our traveling during these primarily winter months, it's taken 53 days to see snow. I guess we were lucky enough to escape any sort of terrible winter weather!

Check out the snow capped mountains! SO cool!



We left the Denver RV park this morning and convened at Water Course Foods to have a brainstorming session in preparation for our meeting with Anthony Radich of Westaf. Westaf (an acronym for Western States Arts Federation) is a non-profit supported by the NEA that is "dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts." Westaf serves thirteen states in the western region and has a variety of programs and grants that help artists and arts institutions thrive. Check out their website to see all of the unique and creative offerings they have.

Stephan discovered Westaf during our initial searches via an interview with Anthony on Barry's Arts Blog. In this interview (which was a round table with some Western states art agencies) Anthony talked a lot about the tides of change in the structure of the theatre model and mentioned that the challenges of the 501 (c )(3) were present long before the financial recession. Naturally our interests were peaked and after contacting him, Anthony graciously agreed to meet with us.



This was, undoubtedly, an incredible and inspiring meeting. We met Anthony at the Westaf offices and walked to a coffee house around the corner. Anthony shared the history of Westaf and he articulated, in greater detail, many of the points he mentioned in the Barry's Blog interview. He validated a lot of our concerns and showed enthusiasm for our ideas, challenging us to think deeper about a more self-supportive and income-earning theatre. He also offered some advice and collectively we came up with a few ideas for creating a more community-based business-aware theatre company.

Thanks Anthony for the insight, the enthusiasm, and for the tea!

After the interview, we fueled up, retreated to the warmth of the RVs and hit the road. We have a few days of traveling ahead of us to get to Missoula, Montana, where we have a meeting with Missoula Children's Theatre on Monday. We will be doing our very best to avoid the snow and brutal winds! Wish us luck!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE- Day 52

Day 52: Our meeting with Lee Worley at Naropa University

We were put to sleep last night by the calming sound of rain on the roof of the RV. (Maybe you caught that on Amy's status update on facebook!) We seemed to have entered Denver, CO in the midst of some serious rainstorms. It was a nice way to end the night, but the sounds of rain this morning was a little less exciting. Fortunately it cleared up halfway through the day!

Today we took a trip into Boulder to meet with Lee Worley of Naropa University.



We were introduced to Lee and her book "Coming From Nothing, the sacred art of acting" through one of Amy's dear friends Meghan Fahey. Meghan and Amy were heavily and ecstatically involved in high school drama together and in recent years Meghan has been a student at Naropa University. Amy had read part of Lee's book in 2007 and her ideas were some of the initial inspirations that sparked the idea of for our company. So it was wonderful for us to finally be able to meet Lee in person.



Boulder is a wonderful city with some great vibes. It's relatively intimate and serene while maintaining the sort of energy and briskness of a typical Colorado ski town. I think we all fed a bit off that energy when we pulled up to Naropa's campus.



We arrived at Lee's office and, unable to all fit inside, we moved to a classroom around the corner that she had reserved for us. We talked a great deal about the history of Naropa, which started in the early 70's as an institution providing a really unique liberal arts education inspired by Buddhism. How interesting is that?

She also shared her journey from New York (where she was born) to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Apparently Lee also felt a disheartening incompleteness as an actress in the Big Apple. Even though she got much of what she wanted out of a career in the arts, she likened the experience of getting these things to "banging your head against the wall." We couldn't have agreed more. Inspired by the notion that art can be anywhere and by a desire to have a life that could be financially stable and include a family, she moved to Santa Fe and got involved in some local theatre.

She described to us the contemplative education programs she helped to create at Naropa and also gave us a history of the development of her approach to theatre and performance. We also talked about the students that find success at Naropa versus the ones that don't. Lee stressed that the ones who are looking to see only how the program can serve them, tend to lack harmony within the program.

This was, of course, very interesting to us. We often mention the challenges of mindset among actors. Our industry seems to promote a strive toward only fame and fortune as a measure of success. This conversation with Lee was very similar to the conversation with the faculty of Wichita State two days ago. The teachers there also mentioned that students in this generation tend to see their theatre education as a means to an end. In other words..."I am here to learn what I need to learn to become very successful in my career." We all understood to varying degrees this mentality and the challenges of where it leads you.

Check out a link to Lee's article, The Contemplating Teacher: Taking the Long View

Inspired by our wonderful conversation with Lee, we headed out to explore Boulder and we first ended up stopping at a "fast food" vegan restaurant down the street called VG Burgers. They had an array of vegan burgers, salads, wraps and the like and it was a delicious experience!





Then we walked the streets of Boulder, enjoying the eclectic and peaceful nature of it all. Brad and Amy grabbed a quick haircut (RV hair is a challenge) and we headed back just in time as the rain clouds followed us back to Denver.

Tomorrow we meet with Anthony Radich of Westaf! Looking forward to that one!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE Day 50

Day 50: Faculty and Student Talks at Wichita State University

Our first meeting of the day was with Amy Baker Schwiethale and the wonderful faculty of the Performing Arts Department at Wichita State University. We had a very enlightening conversation about the challenges that arts programming faces at the University level. It was interesting to hear their projections about where the programming will be in the next 10 years as well as their own department's goals for the future. We also discussed the mindset of the younger generation and their attitudes and expectations regarding education. This meeting gave us a lot of great insights that we will take into consideration as we continue defining our holistic technique for artists. Thanks to all the faculty for participating in the discussion! It is incredibly helpful for us to hear the perspective of the educational leaders who are training the future of American Theatre.

We then met with a collection of students in various disciplines (dance, musical theatre, tech). We had a conversation that centered on why they love what they do and what their goals are for the future. It was wonderful to share our experiences with them as well, and to impart some words of advice as they get ready to begin their exciting professional careers!

Thanks, Amy, for organizing such a special couple of days. We gained so many incredible insights during our time in Wichita and we'll miss you!

So off we hopped into our RVs with Junior. It's time for us to head off to our meetings in Denver, Colorado!!!

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE Day 49

Day 49: Music Theatre of Wichita & talking theatre with The Schwiethale's

In our exploration of different theatrical models, we knew it was important to take a look at the structure of the traditional summerstock theatre. Thus, on our way through Kansas, it made perfect sense for us to make a stop at Music Theatre of Wichita, one of the best theatres of its kind. We had a great meeting with producing artistic director, Wayne Bryan, who gave us a full tour of their incredible space, as well as invaluable insight into how they succeed at producing five shows with overlapping rehearsal schedules summer after summer. The theatre is a well-oiled machine in the churning out of successful quality productions that employ close to 200 technical staff over the summer and about 10 salaried employees year-round...a pretty incredible feat! Another thing that Music Theatre of Wichita prides itself on is its apprentice program, which provides the opportunity for young people in the region to take a first step into the world of professional theatre. Many alumni go on to have hugely successful careers in the field that may not have been possible without such an opportunity.

MTW, however, is not without it's challenges. The summerstock formula creates an inability to take risks in programming because of the short show runs. Longer runs provide lesser-known shows or new works with the opportunity to spread and sell through word of mouth. The challenge for summerstock then becomes to produce old classics in a fresh way. MTW is doing an exceptional job of that. We had an incredible time discussing the future of musical theatre with Wayne. It is so exciting to discuss new ways of engaging young people and communities with this powerful art form. We all agreed that the years ahead will be a very vibrant time for the creation and production of musicals.

Many thanks to Wayne for sharing his wonderful work and passion for musical theatre with us!

This is a photo from our tour of the facilities! Musical Theatre Wichita can paint very large back drops in their paint shop. So cool!



After our lovely meeting with Wayne, we headed to see Amy Baker Schweitahle who will be choreographing Music Theatre of Witchita's performance of Gypsy this summer. She is also the Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at Wichita State University. And to top it off, Amy danced together with our Amy on The First National Tour of 42nd Street in 2003-2004.



It was wonderful to meet up with Amy and her AWESOME husband Nate. We had the most amazing time visiting with this incredible couple.



We were also happy to have another 42nd Street reunion when Tom Frye suprised Randi at Amy's home. Tom is a native of Wichita, an actor, and a theatre professor. Randi and Tom played Anytime Annie and Bert Barry on the 42nd Street tour!



After the most perfect evening, we returned to our RV camp to get ready for our meetings at Wichita State University in the morning. We are very excited to speak to the theatre faculty as well as Amy's students. It was another best day ever on Project Knowledge. We are learning so much!