NET 2017 Past/Forward Pt 4

Welcome to Park Bench, theater simple's mobile interview outpost where we invite people to have a seat…and have a chat.   This is the fourth and final installment of our collaboration with The Network of Ensemble Theaters, focusing on Past/Forward: the June 2017 NET National Gathering and Symposium. If you haven’t heard Parts 1, 2 or 3, you can find them just down the podcast stream.

Founded in the mid-1990s by a small group of ensemble theaters, NET has grown into a vibrant national community of over 350 members, including theater simple.

The 2017 National Gathering brought together NET members, artists, educators, activists, funders, policy makers, and others with an interest in collaborative creation across disciplines.

They Gathered for four days, just after midsummer on the beautiful campus of The University of Washington. And Park Bench was there, talking with participants about the importance of Art and Ensemble Theatre practice, and The Gathering itself. We generated so much great sound, that we have spread it over 4 half hour podcasts.

And now we present Part Four of Past/Forward: The 2017 NET National Gathering and Syposium.

Contents

0:00 – 2:00: Intro

2:01 – 5:45: Jonathan Clark, The Carpetbag Theatre (Knoxville, TN)

5:51 – 9:45: Michelle Dahlenburg, Texas State University (San Marcos, TX)

9:49 – 10:27: Travis Coe, Double Edge Theatre (Ashfield, MA)

10:31 –11:13: Scarlet Rivera, Letter of Marque Theater Company (Brooklyn, NY)

11:15 – 12:55: Sally Ollove, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret (Philadelphia, PA)

13:00 – 16:30: Debórah Eliezer, foolsFURY Theater (San Francisco, CA)

16:37 -- 18:40: Godfrey Simmons, NET Board, Civic Ensemble & Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

18:47 -- 21:22: Heather L. Barfield, Ph.D, The VORTEX (Austin, TX)

21:28 – 24:13:  Shoshanna Bass, Sandglass Puppet Theater (Putney, VT)

24:17 -- 26:35: Gerard Stropnicky, NET Board & Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble Emeritus (Danville, PA)

26:47 -- 30:22: Claudia Alick, NET Board, Co-President & Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, OR)

31:19 -- 32:22: Outro

This is the third installment of our four episode collaboration with The Network of Ensemble Theaters, focusing on Past/Forward: the June 2017 NET National Gathering and Symposium

Founded in the mid-1990s by a small group of ensemble theaters, NET has grown into a vibrant national community of over 350 members, including theater simple.

The 2017 National Gathering brought together NET members, artists, educators, activists, funders, policy makers, and others with an interest in collaborative creation across disciplines.

Many thanks to everyone who stopped to chat with Simpletons Andrew Litzky and Llysa Holland.

0:00 - 1:53: Intro 1:54 - 5:55: Terry Greiss, Irondale Ensemble (Brooklyn, NY) 6:00 - 9:45: Robin Stamey, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre (Philadelphia, PA) 9:46 - 16:25: Brian Jones & Carrie J. Cole, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, PA)
16:30 - 19:30: Chris Bange, Independent Artist
19:35 - 22:17: Tara Khozein, Theater Grottesco (Santa Fe, NM) 22:28 - 26.34: Lucia Neare, Lucia Neare's Theatrical  Wonders (Seattle, WA)
26:36 - 28:56  Larry Bogad, Center for Tactical Performance & U.C. Davis (Berkeley, CA)
29:04 - 30:12: Sherrine Azab, A Host of People & Network of Ensemble Theaters (Detroit, MI) 30:21 - 34:46: Meena Natarajan, Pangea World Theater (Minneapolis, MN)  35:03 - 36:06: Outro

Welcome to Park Bench, theater simple's mobile interview outpost where we invite people to have a seat…and have a chat.   This is the second installment of our four episode collaboration with The Network of Ensemble Theaters, focusing on Past/Forward: the June 2017 NET National Gathering and Symposium

Founded in the mid-1990s by a small group of ensemble theaters, NET has grown into a vibrant national community of over 350 members, including theater simple. The 2017 National Gathering brought together NET members, artists, educators, activists, funders, policy makers, and others with an interest in collaborative creation across disciplines.

They Gathered for four days, just after midsummer on the beautiful campus of The University of Washington. And Park Bench was there, talking with participants about the importance of Art and Ensemble Theatre practice, and The Gathering itself. We generated so much great sound, that we have spread it over 4 half hour podcasts.

  0:00 - 1:50: Intro
1:53 - 8:00: Helen Stoltzfus, Black Swan Arts & Media (Oakland, CA) 8:05 - 10:38: Jake Hooker, A Host of People (Detroit, MI) 10:39 - 13:15: Diane Baas, In Good Company & University of New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) 13:24 - 17:09: Sam Kelley, Playwright & Educator, State University of New York at Cortland (Cortland, NY) 17:10 - 20:33: Jessica Massart, Dance and Theater Performance Lead, Kickstarter (New York, NY)
20:40 - 23:20: Scott Magelssen, Associate Professor of Theater History, University of Washington(Seattle, WA) 23:28 - 26:35: Maria Glanz, UMO Ensemble (Vashon, WA) 26:36 - 29:42: Gabriel Grilli, BrickaBrack Ensemble (New York, NY) 29:53 - 33:42: Fenner, Ragged Wing Ensemble, Agile Rascal Bicycle Touring Theatre, Naked Empire Bouffon (Oakland, CA) 33:48 - 36:56 John Flax, Theater Grottesco (Santa Fe, NM) 37:05 - 38:32: Outro

Welcome to Park Bench, theater simple's mobile interview outpost and podcast. This is the first installment of our four episode collaboration with The Network of Ensemble Theaters, focusing on Past/Forward: the June 2017 NET National Gathering and Symposium

Park Bench is a change of perspective that looks a little like a rolling hill and arrives into an urban environment (a mall, a parking space, or …. a National Gathering) and asks passersby to share their thoughts while sitting and observing their present situation.

Founded in the mid-1990s by a small group of ensemble theaters, NET has grown into a vibrant national community of over 350 members, including theater simple.

The 2017 National Gathering brought together NET members, artists, educators, activists, funders, policy makers, and others with an interest in collaborative creation across disciplines.

They Gathered for four days, just after midsummer on the beautiful campus of The University of Washington. And Park Bench was there, talking with participants about the importance of Art and Ensemble Theatre practice, and The Gathering itself.

Many thanks to the Network of Ensemble Theatres, and particularly Alisha Tonsic and Park Cofield, without whom this iteration of Park Bench would not have been possible. Thanks also to the University of Washington School of Drama.

TIMESTAMP INFO & ARTIST CREDITS

0:00 – 1:59:    Intro
2:00 – 5:50:    Laurie McCants, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (Bloomsburg, PA)
5:55 – 10:40:  Kennedy Kabasares and traci kato-kiriyama, PULLproject (Los Angeles, CA)
10:41 – 11:35: Sal Mannino, Independent Creative Producer (New Orleans, LA)
11:34 – 14:48: Megan Weaver, Ensemble Theater Director/Teaching Artist (Austin, TX)
14:50 – 19:47: Thomas Pasculli, Walkabout Theater (Chicago, IL) and Michael Brown, Columbia College (Chicago, IL)
19:52 – 23:19: Brianna Smith, TAPROOT (Charlotte, NC & Austin, TX)
23:23 – 25:34: Kevin Griffith, Scenic Designer, University of New Orleans & Mondo Bizarro (New Orleans, LA)
25:38 – 32:52: Busi Peters-Maughan, WHEW, Women Healing & Empowering Women (Austin, TX)
33:00 – 34:26: Outro

Welcome to a special edition of Park Bench.

For the past 7 years and 31 episodes, Park Bench has been a whimsical mobile interview outpost with a serious agenda.  We ask folks to have a seat, consider a big idea from a different perspective and then digitally record those conversations and podcast it to the world.  But, with Episode #32, we leave the Park Bench at home and turn our attention, and the microphone on ourselves, our art, and some people who have inspired us for years.  

This Spring theater simple’s co-founders, Llysa Holland and Andrew Litzky, traveled to Devon, England, about 4 hours West of London, to do intensive work with the ensemble Multi Story and it’s founders, Gill Nathanson and Bill Buffery, who we first met and toured alongside in Canada 15 years ago.  Also, in London, we interviewed and observed Kath Burlinson and her ensemble, the Authentic Artists Collective, another mate from our Canadian and Australian touring days. 

Over 3 very busy days in Devon, and one in London, we shared philosophy and tactics, plotted future work together, met with Beaford Arts Rural Touring Director, Mark Wallace, and soaked up the impossibly rustic landscape that has been Bill and Gill’s working home for 30 years. 

We hope you enjoy the lilting accents, and that you will forgive the serious sound quality issues, (the result of conversations in cars, barns, cafes and rehearsal halls), and that through it all, we give you a little window into into the passion and artistic sensibility that has kept us going in the theater for the past 23 years.  MANY, MANY THANKS to the Network of Ensemble Theaters, who helped make this happen with an Ensemble Travel Grant, and to the several donors who also helped us get there and back again.

PODCAST (10.7.13)

With our 31st episode, we set up shop in the Theater District of Downtown Tacoma, WA, an arts corridor anchored by the Broadway Center for the Arts and it’s three bustling Venues. During the Center’s 2 day, Fall Free For All Festival , we asked residents, participants and David Fischer, BCA's Executive Director about their city, their publicly-owned Theaters, and the importance of the arts in Tacoma. Many thanks to everyone who stopped to talk with us!

From these chats we have done our best to sketch a community: it’s pride, it’s passion and the place that the Arts hold in their cultural landscape.
Hope you enjoy. And now we present TACOMA, WA.

PODCAST  3.14.2013

theater simple’s Park Bench, WICKENBURG, ARIZONA

Welcome to Wickenburg, Arizona, and the latest episode of park Bench.

Park Bench is theater simple’s, mobile interview outpost; a whimsical project with a serious agenda. We set up our 7ft tall rolling hill, then we ask folks to have a seat and consider a big idea, from a different perspective. Literally.

The week of january 28th, 2013, we set up shop in the high desert town of Wickenburg, Arizona, about 40 miles Northwest of Phoenix on [...]

PODCAST 10/5/2012

theater simple’s Park Bench: University of Nevada, Reno, Pt 2

The week of September 17th, 2011, we set up shop at the University of Nevada in Reno and asked students about their lives, their plans, their school, and in these challenging times……their hopes for the future. Thanks to everyone who stopped to talk.

During three very hot September days in Reno we logged over 70 interviews, and from these chats we have done our best to sketch the community of a Universi [...]

NEW PODCAST 11/28/2011

theater simple’s Park Bench: University of Nevada, Reno, Pt 1

 

The week of September 17th, 2011, we set up shop at the University of Nevada in Reno and asked students about their lives, their plans, their school, and in these challenging times……their hopes for the future. Thanks to everyone who stopped to talk.

 

During three very hot September days in Reno we logged over 70 interviews, and from these c [...]

theater simple’s Park Bench: The Redmond Central Connector, Pt.2

This podcast completes our look at  the City of Redmond’s Central Connector Project Visioning Event during which residents and city users were encouraged to share their ideas, hopes and dreams for their city and the development of the newly purchased Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Line.  On Sept 15th, at 5:30 the rains came…and so did the people…over 100.  The simpletons logged over 4 hrs of comments and conversations and have been busily editing them into two 30 minutes programs.  And so, please enjoy theater simple’s Park Bench: The Redmond Central Connector, Pt 2.