We say “theater.” You might say “theatre,” You might say “performance art” or “clown act” or “spoken word” or “cabaret” or “stand-up.” You might not even say it (or do it) in English. Or on a stage. We don’t care. We love it all and we want you to consider doing what you love as part of the 2011 Student Theater Festival.
What it is:
Next semester, the Theater Program will produce a set of plays, monologues, performances, acts, whatever–directed and acted by YOU (the students). We supply the space (we have two new theaters and access to other spaces, too), the funding, the PR, the technical support and as much guidance as you’d like. You supply the vision, the ideas, and the determination to get it done. Some participants will be eligible to receive academic credit for their work.
How it works:
Individuals or groups of students make proposals to a committee who will evaluate the proposals and who will choose a set of projects that we think we can handle and which will be a good mix of opportunities. Proposals are due December 1 and the projects will be chosen by the end of this semester. Proposals should include as much as you know about the project: What play (if you know, if it is a play); who else is committed to working on it with you (as actors, designers, technicians—whatever you know, but it’s NOT required that you have a full staff in place besides yourself); why you want to do this thing and what ideas you have for how you want to do it. In particular we’d like to know what technical requirements you think the piece has and how long it will run. We understand that you may not have full answers to all those questions. If you think you’re interested, be in touch with Mark Lord (mlord@brynmawr.edu) for advice on how to put together a proposal. (We can even help you if you have a vague idea but no specific project in mind.) We will interview a set of finalists before making decisions about which projects can be included in the festival.
After we choose projects, you’ll meet with our guest designers and production managers and the producer of the festival will talk with you about your process. We can help with auditions, casting, ideas for rehearsal activities, etc. The focus of the festival is to let you create the art (or entertainment or whatever) in a supportive environment. Projects will rehearse second semester and will be performed in early April in Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr.
What kind of work is eligible?
Whatever. Really. Plays, new plays, radio plays, performance art, monologues, vaudeville bits, puppetry, toy theater, clowning, circus, opera, stand-up comedy, magic, baton twirling, adaptations, cabaret, political theater, hip-hop theater, theater in rhymed couplets, queer theater, dance theater, musical theater-even theater in languages other than English. If there’s an aesthetic idea that’s driving the festival, it’s that there are lots of kinds of theater and performance that people in our communities are interested in and we want to share and support them.
OK, what isn’t eligible? Be honest.
Because we want to be able to support several projects, we will be somewhat predisposed in favor of shorter pieces. We are unlikely to be able to have the resources to support anything longer than an hour. Given our resources, it’s hard to imagine we could choose a full-length play or musical. We can’t stage anything that would involve committing a crime (which includes presenting work for which we can’t secure the author’s permission). And we’d have to say no to anything that defamed a member or members of the community. (But that leaves a pretty wide-open field.)
What if I have questions?
Email Mark Lord (mlord@brynmawr.edu).
What do I do to apply?
You can email Mark Lord (mlord@brynmawr.edu) and he’ll send you a form. Just fill it out as best you can and turn it in by December 1. If you have questions about what info we need, you can ask. And if we have questions about any aspect of your proposal, we’ll ask you.