yes, you do know us. · megan opperman program & marketing coordinator ..... meagan harris...

ENGAGING AUDIENCESINCREASING RETURNS

www.onstageresults.comYes, you do know us.

You’re holding up our work.Reading it now.Totally oblivious to the factthat we’ll pay you to do your work for you.Sounds like Tom Sawyer painting the fence, doesn’t it?Find us and find out.

Our MissionUsing Shakespeare’s works as a cornerstone, Shakespeare Dallas serves the Southwest region with fun and accessible indoor and outdoor theatre, integrated school programs, and cultural enrichment for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Our VisionShakespeare Dallas aspires to be a nationally-recognized “peoples theater” that creates and develops audiences and artists, provides an essential and beloved experience, and is a company poised for future growth.

Our ProgramsShakespeare in the Park, Shakespeare on the Go!, Shakespeare Unplugged, Winter Season

StaffExecutive & Artistic Director ................................. Raphael ParryAssociate Artistic Director.......................................Jenni StewartEducation Director ........................................Julie Osborne WattsProduction Manager ............................................. Adrian ChurchillCompany Manager ..........................................................Korey Kent Membership & Marketing Associate ..........Megan OppermanProgram & Marketing Coordinator .....................Meagan HarrisArtistic Associate/Director of Educational Tours .........................................Marco E. SalinasArtistic Associate ............................................................ Linda BlaseDirector of Training .................................................... Gregory Lush

Shakespeare Dallas is a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association and the

Theatre Communications Group.

Board of DirectorsLori BardleyPari DanianDarren Dittrich Marcus FullerRob GluskinJohn Hall Geoff Demander (Treasurer)Greg RogersSharon Seal

Chris Stanton (Chair)Sarah-Michelle Stearns

(Secretary)John & Bonnie StraussJayne Suhler (ex officio)Lauren York (Vice Chair)Dr. Connie TateMaeghan Whitehead

Advisory BoardDonald StoneDolores BarzuneDiane BrierleyDavid Brown

Travis CarterHoward HallamRoy G. Turner III

shakespearedallas.org/sta-conference | JAN 26 – FEB 1, 2020 1

Phew. You made it. You’re here at the 2020 Shakespeare Theatre Association Conference. It’s not always easy to get here. The travel arrangements are maybe the least of it. Juggling schedules, allocating budgeted funds, organizing your obligations at home while you’re attending the conference—none of it is easy.

But you’re here now.

Since 1991, Shakespeare theater leadership have been attending the annual Shakespeare Theatre Association Conference (then called the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America). What started with a few dozen engaged leaders representing 37 companies has evolved into a conference with attendance from nearly a hundred companies from all around the world. Leadership from companies both big and small come here to engage in conversations about the production of Shakespeare’s plays, artistic, management and education programming.

Many of us find it enormously re-invigorating, re-energizing. It is the place where we are reminded why we care about the work that we do. It is the place where we collect great ideas from our colleagues from around the globe. It is where we share our thoughts and ask questions of each other that we continue to struggle with and continue to ask over STA’s 29 year history.

It’s our peer-to-peer network and it’s one of the few places where many of us feel free enough to tell the truth about what is happening in our organizations, about what it is that we are feeling and about our hopes and fears about the future. It is a place where we should, and can, ask tough questions of ourselves.

I consider myself fortunate to have attended many conferences over the years, my first being in 1997. I have met mentors and colleagues and friends. Many of us hear the echoes of founders like Doug Cook and Sydney Berger as they, along with others, have left a legacy of an organization with a culture of openness and access. If you’ve been attending STA conferences for years, you’ll know what I mean. If this is your first, I hope you will let us know when you need help accessing this powerful network. This is a place where you may feel like we are truly “all in this together.”

We’re so glad you’re here.

Ian GallanarPresidentShakespeare Theatre AssociationFounder and Artistic DirectorChesapeake Shakespeare Company

2 SHAKESPEARE THEATRE ASSOCIATION | CONFERENCE 2020

Welcome to All,

On behalf of our team at Shakespeare Dallas, I extend a heartfelt welcome to Big D. We are thrilled to be hosting the STA Conference this year. We are hosting the conference in the Dallas Arts District, one of the largest contiguous urban arts districts in the nation. I am sure you will find engaging and exciting activities both during the conference and after hours.

On a personal note, I have been attending STA Conferences for over fifteen years, and I never imagined we would host one in Dallas. But thanks to the encouragement of STA members, we are here to celebrate the diversity and genius of our colleagues.

I am grateful to have so many talented friends and colleagues gather together with us. As our theme is Be Bold and Resolute, Y’all, I encourage you to embrace new ideas and share with each other the best of all of our worlds. We are ready to create a great experience for you. Thank you for joining us.

With gratitude,

Raphael ParryExecutive & Artistic DirectorShakespeare Dallas


Jan 26 – 29, 2020Practicon Schedule

Shakespeare as DirectorSunday, January 26th:

3:00pm – 5:00pm: Practicon Registration (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

5:00pm – 6:30pm: Dinner on your Own

6:30pm – 7:00pm: Welcome & Opening Exercises (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

7:00pm – 10:00pm: Uptown Pub Crawl (Trolley ride to Uptown)

Monday, January 27th:9:00am – 9:30am: Coffee (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

9:30am – 12:30pm: Intimacy in Original Practices (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Intimacy Direction has made a huge impact on rehearsal rooms across the country, but how can the principles and positive lessons learned be applied to non-traditional rooms, original practice, or unrehearsed Shakespeare environments? How can tools and principles of intimacy direction create a safer and more inclusive approach to audience interaction through direct address or immersive theater? Through discussion and exercises, Intimacy Director Ashley White (Shakespeare Dallas) and actor-manager Montgomery Sutton (Rude Grooms) will lead explorations designed to give you practical tools to take into your rehearsal or classroom.

12:30pm – 2:00pm: Lunch on your Own

2:00pm – 6:30pm: Shakespeare’s Breath and Fitzmaurice Voicework (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Certified Fitzmaurice teachers Gregory Lush (Shakespeare Dallas) and Krista Scott (Shakespeare Dallas) will introduce the basic principles of Destructuring in the Fitzmaurice Voicework (which includes freeing the body and reorganizing the pathways between thought and breath). The process of Restructuring serves as a means of matching the impulse to speak with Shakespeare’s Verse Rhythms.


9:00pm – 12:00am: Conversations (Fairmont Hotel, Pyramid Bar)


Tuesday, January 28th:9:00am – 9:30am: Coffee (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

9:30am – 12:30pm: Tools not Rules (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

A condensed version of the core curriculum for Shakespeare Dallas’ professional development intensives, this workshop uses Shakespeare’s own words to illuminate the acting clues and direction baked in to the text. These tools inspired clear, specific, and spontaneous play in the very little rehearsal time that his actors were given. Tools Not Rules introduces First Folio text work and Cue Scripts. The focus will be on implementing these tools in the way Shakespeare’s actors would have learned them: by playing scenes rather than dictating technique. Shakespeare himself guides us through character, stagecraft, and blocking towards a new level of active listening which inspires a bold and playful approach to performance.


2:00pm – 5:00pm: Direct Address: Audience as a Scene Partner (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Building on the previous sessions, we’ll explore how truly removing the fourth wall between actor and audience ignites the plays and how principles of consent and intimacy can inform and enrich spontaneous play with audience members. How can actors tell a consistent story from night to night while being fully open and responsive to the reactions of that night’s audience? How can we invite audience members to be more vocal and interactive without fear of being pulled into an experience or spotlight they don’t want to have? What can we learn from stand-up comedy, improv, and athletics to use these principles to make the plays more accessible and exciting to students?


6:30pm – 9:00pm: Dramaturgy as a Classroom Tool (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Sarah Enloe, Director of Education at American Shakespeare Center will guide participants through using dramaturgy as a tool for the classroom.



Jan 26 – 29, 2020Practicon Schedule

Wednesday, January 29th:9:00am – 9:30am: Coffee (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

9:30am – 12:00pm: Cue Script Play Through (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Combining all the principles of the Practicon into one event, participants will draw characters from a hat and explore a 90-minute cut of The Tempest on their feet in an unrehearsed cue script run. How much can the play take care of itself and jump start a rehearsal process? What happens when our first experience of the play as an ensemble isn’t sitting around a table but actively living through the story?

12:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch on your Own, Conference Registration opens

3:30pm – 5:00pm: Shakespeare Unlocked performance with Q&A (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

STA Education Directors will enjoy a production of our middle and high school touring production Shakespeare Unlocked with local students. After the performance will be a Q&A with teachers and students.

Shakespeare Unlocked is a fast-paced 50-minute crash course in Shakespeare that takes students through a veritable Shakespeare 101. During this performance two professional actors perform scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and The Taming of the Shrew in period costumes. In addition to watching these scenes, students are given modern instruction on how to decode Shakespeare’s special brand of poetry. Students will learn about Rhymed Verse, Prose, and Iambic Pentameter in addition to learning about Shakespeare’s life and times. This production is highly interactive with audience participation and student volunteer opportunities throughout that can be tailored to various levels, and outfitted for classes that are just beginning or highly advanced.

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Moderator Training Session* (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

*note, all moderators must attend one of the two moderator sessions

7:00pm: Conference registration closes


Jan 29 – Feb 1, 2020Conference Schedule

Be Bold and Resolute, Y’all!7:00pm – 9:30pm: Opening Reception (Sixth Floor Museum)

The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicles the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. All guests are invited to enjoy the main exhibit, John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation, on the sixth floor. The Opening Reception will be held on the seventh floor.


Thursday, January 30th:8:30am – 9:30am: Coffee and Registration

(Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom Foyer)

8:45am – 9:30am: New Member Orientation (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

9:30am – 10:00am: Warm ups (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

10:00am – 12:00pm: STA Kickoff 2020 and Roll Call (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

12:00pm – 1:30pm: Table Topics Lunch (Fairmont Hotel, Venetian Room)

12:00pm – 1:00pm: Moderator Training Session* (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

*note, all moderators must attend one of the two moderator sessions

1:30pm – 2:45pm: Plenary: Teresa Eyring on the State of the Field (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

Teresa Eyring is Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, and publisher of American Theatre. Prior to arriving at TCG in March 2007, Eyring spent more than twenty years as an executive in theatres around the U.S. Under her leadership, TCG adopted a new strategic plan with a major focus on diversity and inclusion, as well as audience and community engagement. With this plan, TCG has articulated a new, unifying vision statement. In summary it is: “A better world for theatre. A better world because of theatre.”

Moderated by Kevin Moriarty (Dallas Theater Center).

2:45pm – 3:00pm: Break



3:00pm – 4:15pm: Breakout Sessions

ARTISTIC: Public Works (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

PUBLIC WORKS, a major program of the Public Theater, aims to restore and build community by connecting people through theater—both performing it and experiencing it—reminding us that we’re all in this together. Public Works invites community members to take classes, attend performances and join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater. The Public Works model continues to be adopted by theaters across the country, and around the world. Led by Founder Lear deBessonet and Director Laurie Woolery, Public Works deliberately blurs the line between professional artists and community members, creating theater that is not only for the people, but by and of the people as well.

The Founding Public Works National Partners are:

• Dallas Theater Center (Dallas, TX)

• The National Theatre’s Public Acts programme (London and nationally, England)

• Seattle Repertory Theatre (Seattle, WA)

In 2019, Public Works welcomed seven new Public Works National Affiliates: Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT), Pittsburgh Public Theater (Pittsburgh, PA), Theatre Under The Stars (Houston, TX), Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI), Tulsa Performing Arts Center and Trust (Tulsa, OK), Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk, VA), and Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA).

This network of theaters gathers to share practices and help build momentum around community-based theater nationwide. Collectively, we are seeking to put theater at the heart of every community, and community at the heart of every theater. Featuring Emily Knapp (The Public Theater) and Kevin Moriarty (Dallas Theater Center).

EDUCATION: Using Shakespeare with English Language Learners (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

One in five people living in America speaks a language other than English at home and 15% of students in our public schools are participating in English Language Learning programs. As the English as a Second Language population increases in communities across the United States, how can we use Shakespeare to aide in the acquisition of the English Language? This panel will consist of 4 theatre makers who have used Shakespeare as a means to connect with populations who are learning English. Most people coming from every corner of the globe—have heard of Hamlet and are aware that his soliloquy contains some of the most


famous words in the English language. Many people have even studied the soliloquy in their own native languages. Being written as poetry, Shakespeare’s language is often more memorable than ordinary, spoken English. The rhymes and the rhythm can root four lines of verse in our brains more quickly than a paragraph in prose. Using Shakespeare as a tool is also a way to show English Language Learners—who’ve been toiling away at the basics- just how inventive and beautiful English can be as well as help familiarize them with popular idioms still in use today that Shakespeare invented. Featuring Greta Brasgalla (Folger Shakespeare Library).

MANAGEMENT: Collaborative Partners and Fundraising (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

The idea of collaboration isn’t new—it’s what led the industry to the idea of “collective impact” where nonprofits convene and align around a topic. There’s an appetite for collaboration, however it’s not easy or free, it takes outside expertise, it requires a coalition of the willing, and it moves at the speed of trust. Most importantly, it needs a shared passion for driving big change in your community. What is new in Texas is pooling funder and nonprofit resources to accelerate change and deepen impact with an emphasis on FORMAL collaboration. This session will explore the Better Together Fund, which launched in June 2017 as a pilot program to drive large-scale social change by supporting nonprofits that come together in a formal collaboration, for a common purpose, as a way to maximize impact. Featuring Margaret Black (Lyda Hill Foundation) and Raphael Parry (Shakespeare Dallas).



ARTISTIC: Collaboration between Artistic Director and a non-company member Director (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

This session will explore the “collaboration” or “cooperation” that has to happen between an Artistic Director and a hired-in, non-company-member director. How much agency/autonomy should be given to an outside director? How much should a director be expected to adhere to a company’s aesthetic/style? How much should outside directors be expected to bring something new and different to a company (in other words, what is the purpose of bringing in artists from outside a company)? How/how much should a director and artistic director communicate and/or share responsibilities? Where do we draw the line between artistic input and micro-managing?

Moderated by Jemma Levy (Washington and Lee University)



EDUCATION: Best Practices and Show and Tell (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

Education Directors from different companies will lead fellow directors in activities and exercises that they use in the classroom. This workshop will be a great way to share ideas and return home with new tools for your classroom toolbox. Featuring Michael Bahr (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Sarah Enloe (American Shakespeare Center), and Kirsten Giroux (Oregon Shakespeare Festival).

MANAGEMENT: The Future of Arts Criticism (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

Arts coverage in the daily newspapers and mainstream media has decreased in the past decade—with an accelerating decline in the past two years largely due to the new realities of digital metrics, advertising revenue imperatives and click quotas. With that in mind, how are communities addressing this issue and ensuring promotion, growth and development of their arts community both as individual artists and arts organizations. How do you ensure your community and its artists are brought into the national and international arts conversation? Metropolitan Arts Media will share their perspectives on what they are doing for the Dallas–Fort Worth Metropolitan Area as well as other unique models happening across other markets. Moderated by Mark Lowry (Metropolitan Arts Media).

BOARD: How Can Board Members and Leadership Work Together to Address Challenges? (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

Zenetta Drew, Executive Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, leads a discussion about finding the right Board members for your organization. If your nonprofit could consistently attract and recruit board members who could make your dreams come true, wouldn’t you do it?

As organizations grow and mature from the early beginnings and dream stage of the founder to a more developed institutional structure and status, the support needs and types of engagement may change but the attributes of the perfect board member remain constant.

Considerations in finding them are similar to those in choosing a dance partner: the person’s style may be different, but they must have the same level of expertise, synergy, and passion for the art form. Likewise, selecting the right partner for a nonprofit board requires finding someone whose attributes create mutual respect, enable you to move in tandem and lead to a standing ovation for your performance together.

6:30pm – 8:30pm: Dine Around (Deep Ellum)


9:00pm: Performance of The Tempest by Shakespeare Everywhere (Deep Ellum Art Co)*

Come out to Deep Ellum Art Co to see a fun, interactive, boozy production of The Tempest presented by Shakespeare Everywhere.

*Please note, this performance requires advanced registration and a $10.00 ticket fee.


Friday, January 31st:9:15am – 10:00am: STA Planning Session

(Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

*by invitation only

9:30am – 10:00am: Warm ups/Coffee (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

10:00am – 11:00am: Leadership Convenings

ARTISTIC: (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

EDUCATION: (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

MANAGEMENT: (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

BOARD: (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

EQUITY, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY: (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

11:00am – 11:15am: Break

11:15am – 12:30pm: Plenary: Scholars and Practitioners (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

What is the relationship between scholars and practitioners of Shakespeare? How do we link scholarly investigation, public performance, and literary study? This plenary will explore this relationship and how knowledge of primary source material and historical context enrich the understanding of textual analysis and performance, enhancing both the performance and study of Shakespeare’s plays. Featuring Ethan McSweeny (American Shakespeare Center), Ralph Cohen (American Shakespeare Center), and Katherine Steele Brokaw (Shakespeare in Yosemite).





ARTISTIC: Shakespeare Across Cultures (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

Shakespeare is the most translated, staged, filmed and studied author in world literature. He is adapted, localized, domesticated and appropriated on the page, stage, and other media in many languages and cultures across the world. This session will explore how Shakespeare influences and is influenced by the languages and cultures of the world.

Moderated by Maryam Baig (Shakespeare Dallas).

EDUCATION: How to Build a Successful Tour (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

Ever considered touring a production or program or expanding an existing tour? This workshop will give you practical advice for how to structure and build a tour for companies that have not yet done so and how to grow your touring department for companies that have existing tours. Whether your goals are to create a local, state-wide, regional, national, or even international tour, this session will provide insight in how to successfully expand the reach of your programs. Featuring Karen Ann Daniels (The Public Theater), Kirsten Giroux (Oregan Shakespeare Festival), Amanda Giguere (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), Heidi Schmidt (Colorado Shakespeare Festival) and Michael Bahr (Utah Shakespeare Festival).

MANAGEMENT: Moving from Peer to Supervisor: How to Navigate Changing Professional Relationships (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

Many of us move up the ladders of our organizations and find ourselves suddenly in charge of people we were peers with just a few months before. How do we set appropriate new boundaries as well as maintain valuable friendships when a promotion changes the rules of the game? Featuring Brian Isaac Phillips (Cincinnati Shakespeare Co) and Jenni Stewart (Shakespeare Dallas).

BOARD: Navigating Non- Profit Life Cycles (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

Join Katherine Wagner, CEO of the Dallas Business Council for the Arts, as she presents practical tips for locating your organization on the life cycle so you can determine what the next steps should be. While every day might seem like business-as-usual, a higher-view perspective can be beneficial for nonprofit leaders and Board members who are looking ahead. Just as individuals have life stages, so do organizations. While these are not always clear cut, knowledge of organizational life stages is a helpful tool in identifying possible obstacles and solutions.



3:30pm – 5:15pm: Tour of the AT&T Performing Arts Center (AT&T Performing Arts Center)

“Staging the Amazing” is what the AT&T Performing Arts Center has done for 10 years in the Dallas Arts District, on a beautiful campus which includes the Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre, Strauss Square and Sammons Park. Audiences are brought to their feet every day by the newest shows from Broadway, the best dance from all over the world, the coolest new work by Dallas-based groups through the Elevator Project, cutting-edge speakers from the #hearhere series, as well as concerts and free community events. A nonprofit arts foundation, the Center’s mission is to provide a public gathering place that strengthens community and fosters creativity through the presentation of performing arts and arts education program.


5:30pm: Performance of Stuff As Dreams Are Made On* (Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts)

Internationally acclaimed artist Fred Curchack performs Shakespeare’s The Tempest changed into something rich and strange. Fred has created seventy-eight original theatre pieces (fifty-one ensemble works and twenty-seven solos). Stuff As Dreams Are Made On was featured at dozens of international theatre festivals (Next Wave-BAM, Theatre of Nations, Theater der Welt, Theatre des Ameriques…). It received the Gold Medal at the International Festival of Solo Theatre, the American Theatre Wing Award, and it has been “Best of the week” in the L.A. Times, “Top ten of the year” in The New York Times, “Top ten of the decade” in the Austin Chronicle, and “Top ten of all-time” in The Dallas Morning News.

*Please note, this performance requires advanced registration. Admission is free.

6:30pm – 8:00pm: Dinner on Your Own

8:00pm: Performance of Quarto v. Folio* (Studio Theatre, 6th Floor of the Wyly Theater)

Award-winning actor and director John S. Davies will lead a group of actors in a side by side comparison of the different printed versions of Shakespeare’s plays. From the printing of the First Folio by Heminges and Condell in 1623, most scholars believed that the nineteen Quarto versions of Shakespeare’s plays that were printed while he was actively writing and producing his plays were all corrupt or stolen by others to make a profit by selling them unauthorized versions. Beginning in the late 19th century scholars began to investigate the Quarto texts and it is now thought that of the 19 Quartos, 9 of them were corrupt and pirated material. The remaining 10 Quartos are thought to be acting editions or early drafts of the plays as they continued to be modified through continued performance. John S. Davies will give



historical context on the origin of the Quartos and the First Folio. He will explore why scholars have deemed some Quartos “good” and some “bad”. And he will investigate the similarities and differences between the Quartos and Folio with side by side comparisons of scenes from some of Shakespeare’s greatest work. The actors will bring the texts to life with rehearsed performances of selected scenes. These comparisons will be examined for textual and contextual changes as the plays evolved.

*Please note, this performance requires advanced registration. Admission is free.

9:30pm – 10:30pm: Question Salad


Saturday February 1st:9:30am – 10:00am: Warm ups/Coffee

(Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

10:00am – 11:15am: Plenary: Adapting Shakespeare (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

This plenary will explore the various ways in which we adapt Shakespeare—as part of engaging communities in participatory theater, using Shakespeare to tell culturally specific stories, changing the works to geographically specific settings, translating and/or modernizing Shakespeare’s words, and using Shakespeare’s themes, plots, and characters in adaptive settings. This panel will explore lifting classical Shakespearean characters out of their original contexts and intertwining them with regional culture, creating rich interactions born out of the community psyche. Additionally, we will take an imaginative look at Shakespearean characters and the vernacular and speech patterns typically associated with Shakespeare’s works. As a group, we will discover the possibilities of expanding the boundaries of dramaturgy and allowing for new ideas and voices to be presented in our communities. Featuring Erik Ehn (Playwright), Migdalia Cruz (Playwright), and Irwin Appel (Naked Shakes)

11:15am – 11:30am: Break

11:30am – 1:00pm: STA Business Meeting (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)




ARTISTIC: Adapting Shakespeare (Fairmont Hotel, Fountain Room)

*Hands-on practical follow-up to the Plenary

Erik Ehn, an American playwright and director known for proposing the Regional Alternative Theatre movement, will lead participants through a hands-on exercise in adapting Shakespeare. Erik is the former dean of theater at CalArts, the California Institute of Arts and former head of playwriting and professor of theatre and performance studies at Brown University.

EDUCATION: Shakespeare and Contemporary Social Issues (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

This workshop will offer practical activities and advice for how we can tackle contemporary social issues in the classroom and on tour. Topics that will be addressed include violence prevention, gender equality, sensory friendly, amongst others. Featuring Laura Cole (Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse), Amanda Giguere (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), and Sarah Enloe (American Shakespeare Center).

MANAGEMENT: Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now (Fairmont Hotel, Terrace Room)

It’s a major achievement for a company to open a new space. It requires years of fundraising and meticulous planning. If you are in the process of opening your new space or are interested in doing so, this session is for you. Panelists will explore what they wish they had known during the planning phase of opening a new space and what has now come to light after producing the first few seasons in their new home. Featuring Brain Isaac Phillips (Cincinnati Shakespeare Co), Melissa Nicholson (Gamut Theatre), Clark Nicholson (Gamut Theatre), Ian Gallanar (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company). Moderated by Robert McVay.



ARTISTIC: BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl’s Journey (Fairmont Hotel, International Ballroom)

BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl’s Journey is a 90 minute, 5-Act, living memoir, written and performed by Debra Ann Byrd and directed by celebrated director Tina Packer, explores a young woman’s acting journey on the road to becoming Othello, her trials and triumphs with race and the classics, her fun-loving and tumultuous youth along with some memorable experiences on her gender flipped journey to becoming Shakespeare’s noble flawed general; complete with moving multimedia images, lyrical language from Black women playwrights, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and the King James Bible, coupled with soulful songs and the music that shaped her life in her beloved Harlem.



EDUCATION: Cross-sectional Community Engagement: Preparing Your Institution (Fairmont Hotel, Patio Room)

Community building is both an outward practice and an inward practice of deep listening, mutually beneficial relationships, and the capacity to continue learning. How can your institution support this kind of programming no matter the size, structure or region and create a sustainable and deep practice of community-based work.

This session will be led by Karen Ann Daniels (Public Theater), Alejandra Cisneros (Public Theater), and Laura Zablit (The Old Globe).

MANAGEMENT/BOARD: The Five Easy W’s of Succession Planning (Fairmont Hotel, Garden Room)

How does your organization view succession planning? Is it simply calling a personnel search firm—or is there more to it? Why should you bother and what are the benefits? Is it something you’ll get to . . . eventually, when there aren’t as many pressing matters to attend to?

This fast-paced session will examine the five easy W’s of succession planning . . . the why, what, who, when & where. You’ll assess your organization’s current level of risk, discuss how to ensure stability and minimize risk when a leader departs and understand the conditions that create a smooth leadership transition. In addition, we’ll consider a range of options by which long-time or founding executives can step out of leadership roles, but remain involved for the benefit of their organizations.

Presented by Carol Rylander of Rylander and Associates, a Dallas based consultant with over 30 years of experience in nonprofit service. Carole inspires and engages nonprofit leadership to maximize mission impact by strengthening fund development, planning and governance practices.


7:00pm – 10:00pm: Closing Banquet (Fairmont Hotel, Venetian Room)

Break out your best cowboy boots and jeans and join us for a party to celebrate the immortal bard William Shakespeare in a Texas-sized way! Raise a glass to friendships old and new, celebrate the 2020 recipient of the Sidney Berger Award, and cheer on our 2021 conference hosts at Gamut Theatre. Dinner and dancing will ensue, we will even provide a Two-Stepping lesson or two!*

*Don’t be scared. As we say in Texas, “two-stepping is just walking to a beat!”



TERESA EYRING is executive director of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, and publisher of American Theatre. Prior to arriving at TCG in March 2007, Eyring spent more than twenty years as an executive in theatres around the U.S. Positions included managing director of the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis from 1999 to 2007; managing director of the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia from 1994 to 1999; and assistant executive director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis from 1989 to 1993. She began her theatre career as director of development for the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and an MFA in Theatre Administration from Yale School of Drama. She is a member of the boards of the Performing Arts Alliance, and The Actors Fund. Under her leadership, TCG adopted a new strategic plan with a major focus on diversity and inclusion, as well as audience and community engagement. With this plan, TCG has articulated a new, unifying vision statement. In summary it is: “A better world for theatre. A better world because of theatre.”ERIK EHN is an American playwright and director known for proposing the Regional Alternative Theatre movement. The former dean of theater at CalArts, the California Institute of Arts, he is the former head of playwriting and professor of theatre and performance studies at Brown University. His published works include The Saint Plays, Beginner, and 13 Christs. Ehn is a playwright, educator and theorist of contemporary theater. Nearly a decade ago, he collaborated with Janie Geiser on Invisible Glass, which is itself inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “William Wilson.” It premiered at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) in April 2005. His play Maria Kizito is based on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and is the result of his research in that Central African country. Its premiere launched Atlanta’s 7 Stages 2004-05 season. Ehn’s work includes The Saint Plays, an ongoing cycle of plays loosely based on the lives of the saints and biblical characters. Other plays include Book of Tink, Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling, No Time Like the Present, Wolf at the Door, Tailings, Beginner, Ideas of Good and Evil, 13 Christs and an adaptation of William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Additionally, he co-wrote the musical Shiner with Octavio Solis. His dramas have been produced in San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, New York City, San Diego, Baltimore, and Chicago. In 2004, he served as dramaturge on Peach Blossom Fan—the inaugural production by CalArts Center for New Theater at REDCAT. Ehn’s Soulographie: Our Genocides, a series of 17 plays, was presented as a two-day marathon at La MaMa in 2012. Together the plays examine the relationship of 20th century America to genocide in the United States, Central America, and East Africa. About half of the plays in the


cycle incorporated puppetry. Although most of the plays in the cycle had previously been performed individually, the production presented them together for the first time. Ehn is co-founder and co-artistic director, alongside Lisa Bielawa, of the Tenderloin Opera Company in San Francisco and also an artistic associate of San Francisco’s Theatre of Yugen. He is a co-founder of the RAT movement, an international network of alternative theaters. He was a recipient of the Alpert Award in the Arts in 2002 and a Whiting Award in 1997. Ehn is the founder of an annual conference called “Arts in the One World,” which brings together performing artists, scholars, and human rights activists to investigate theater on the subject of genocide and reconciliation. Ehn also travels to Rwanda and Uganda annually with students and other professionals, to explore the role of art in recovery from violence.MIGDALIA CRUZ is an award-winning playwright who has written more than sixty plays, operas, screenplays, and musicals. Her work has been produced across the U.S. and abroad at various venues. Her plays include: Salt, Fur, Miriam’s Flowers, Lucy Loves Me, Dreams of Home, Telling Tales, ¡CHE-CHE-CHE!, Latins In La-La Land, Cigarettes and Moby-Dick, Lolita de Lares, Yellow Eyes, and Running For Blood: No. 3 (a radio play). She wrote book and lyrics for the musicals Rushing Waters, Welcome Back To Salamanca and When Galaxy Six and The Bronx Collide; the libretto for an opera, Street Sense; and lyrics and monologues for Frida: The Story of Frida Kahlo. Her plays and monologues are published by NoPassport Press, Theatre Communications Group, U. of Arizona Press, Routledge Press, Penguin Books, Arte Publico Press, Applause Books, Smith & Kraus Publishers, and Third Woman Press. She taught playwriting at U. of Iowa/Playwrights’ Workshop, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Princeton University, and at Amherst College, and guest lectured at Yale University, Wesleyan University, Mount Holyoke College, and Columbia University. She received commissions from Mabou Mines, NYSF’s Public Theater, Crossroads Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Latino Chicago Theater Company, Arena Stage, WNYC-radio, Ballet Hispanico, DUO and INTAR. Migdalia was awarded the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright Award (NYCommTrust), and is a 1996 recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Fund for New American Plays award for Another Part Of The House. Her play, The Have-little was the runner-up for the 1991 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and SALT was a 1997 runner-up. She participated in Obsidian Theatre of Toronto’s International Playwrights Festival in 2009, won a 2016 NYFA grant, 2005 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, and a 1994 Connecticut Commission on The Arts grant for playwriting. At Classic Stage Company, she was a 1994 PEW/TCG National Artist in Residence. Migdalia was a 1997-98 Sackler Fellow at


Connecticut Rep/UConn, a 1991 & 1995 NEA Playwriting Fellow, a 1988 McKnight Fellow, and received her MFA degree from Columbia University. She is an alumna of New Dramatists. She was born and raised in the Bronx.IRWIN APPEL is Professor of Theater and Director of the BFA Actor Training Program at UCSB. He is also a professional director, Equity actor and composer/sound designer, and has worked with Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Shakespeare Festival/LA, the New York, Oregon, Utah, New Jersey and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, The Acting Company, Theatre For a New Audience, Hartford Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, PCPA, both the National Theatre Conservatory and Colorado New Play Summit at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts, the Bread Load Acting Ensemble, and other prominent regional theaters. Since arriving in Santa Barbara, he has directed, designed and acted for Ensemble Theatre, SBCC Theatre Group and Speaking of Stories.ETHAN McSWEENY was named Artistic Director of ASC in June 2018. His internationally acclaimed work over the past two decades has been distinguished by both its remarkable diversity and breadth of achievement. In New York, his direction includes the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards) and the premiere of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill; the off-Broadway premieres of John Logan’s Never the Sinner (Outer Critics and Drama Desk awards) and Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation of Aeschylus’ The Persians, as well as world premieres by Kate Fodor, Jason Grote, and Thomas Bradshaw, among others.Nationally, his work on new plays, musicals, and revivals has been seen at most of the major institutional theatres in the country including the Guthrie, the Goodman, the Old Globe, the Denver Center, the Alley, Dallas Theater Center, South Coast Rep, Center Stage, the Wilma, the Pittsburgh Public, Westport Playhouse, the Arena Stage, and the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, DC, where his string of acclaimed classics includes: The Tempest, Much Ado about Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Ion, and Major Barbara.Internationally, he has spent two seasons at the celebrated Stratford Festival in Canada, staged multiple productions for The Gate in Dublin, and recently toured his production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Macao Arts Festival in China. His productions have been nominated for more than 75 awards and claimed 30 wins, including four for Best Director: Twelfth Night (Helen Hayes Award, 2017), A Streetcar Named Desire (Irish Times Award, 2013), A Body of Water (San Diego Critics Circle, 2006) and Six Degrees of Separation (Star-Tribune Award, 2003).


Ethan served as the Artistic Director of the Chautauqua Theatre Company from 2004- 2011; as a Trustee of SDC, the national labor union representing directors and choreographers, from 2005-2017; and as Treasurer on the inaugural board of the SDC Foundation since 2018. He received the first-ever undergraduate degree in Theatre and Dramatic Arts from Columbia University.RALPH ALAN COHEN is Co-Founder and Director of Mission of the ASC, Emeritus Professor of English at James Madison University, and currently Gonder Professor of Shakespeare at Mary Baldwin University, where he founded the graduate program in Shakespeare and Performance.He was project director for the building of the Blackfriars Playhouse and has directed 30 productions of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. He founded the Studies Abroad program at James Madison University, where he won Virginia’s award for outstanding faculty. He has directed four scholar summer institutes on Shakespeare and staging sponsored by the National Endowment forthe Humanities. He is the author of ShakesFear and How to Cure It: The Complete Handbook for Teaching Shakespeare.In 2001, he established the Blackfriars Conference. He has received numerous awards and fellowships including the Governor’s Arts Award with ASC Co- founder Jim Warren (2008), the Theo Crosby Fellowship at Shakespeare’s Globe in London (2009), the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Shakespeare Steward Award (2013), and the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker award—the first American to receive this honor (2014). He earned his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College and his doctorate at Duke University, where he received the outstanding alumni award in 2016.KATHERINE STEELE BROKAW researches and teaches Shakespearean performance, medieval and early modern drama, and eco-theatre. Brokaw is co-founder, co-producer, and co-director of Shakespeare and Yosemite, which debuted in April 2017. The now annual festival is supported by several grants from UC Merced and the University of Warwick (UK) as well as the National Parks Service, and features a combination of student, professional, and community actors. She also co-produces UC Merced’s annual children’s opera, which brings 3500 area schoolchildren to campus every May to experience live opera. For her service to the Merced-area community, she was awarded the 2017 UC Merced distinguished scholarly public service award, and was also recognized by the Merced Sun Star as a “20 Under 40” winner. She acts, directs, and dramaturges in California’s Central Valley and, increasingly, around the world, and her scholarship engages in collaborative Practice as Research methodologies based on these performance projects.


Organizations

Actors’ Shakespeare ProjectJen [email protected] Managing DirectorMara [email protected] Managing Director

Advice To The PlayersRebecca [email protected] GuruJessie [email protected] DirectorCaroline [email protected] Artist

Alley TheatreRob [email protected] Director

American Shakespeare CenterSarah Enloesarahe@

americanshakespearecenter.comDirector of EducationJim [email protected] Artistic Director

Arabian Shakespeare FestivalWilliam [email protected] Director/FounderSarah [email protected] DriectorJennifer Le [email protected] Artist

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

Rebekah [email protected] Artistic Director

Arts Midwest - Shakespeare in American CommunitiesChristy [email protected] Program Director

Associate STA MemberJoanne [email protected] Director, Dramaturg,

Teacher, Actor

Atlanta Shakespeare Co.Laura [email protected] of Education and TrainingKati Grace [email protected] Director of

Education SalesJay [email protected] DirectorJeffrey [email protected] & Artistic Director

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

Mary [email protected] of EducationKatie [email protected] Coordinator

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Ian Gallanarigallanar@

chesapeakeshakespeare.comFounding Artistic DirectorLesley [email protected] Director

Children’s Shakespeare Theatre

Annmarie [email protected] Director

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Brian [email protected] Artistic Director


Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Wendy [email protected] DirectorAmanda [email protected] of OutreachTim [email protected] Artistic DirectorHeidi [email protected] Dramaturg &

Outreach Specialist

DE-CRUITDawn [email protected] [email protected] President

Delaware ShakespeareCassie [email protected] AssociateNancy [email protected] PresidentDavid [email protected] Artistic Director

Elm Shakespeare CompanySarah [email protected] Director

Elsewhere ShakespeareHilary [email protected] Artistic DirectorMac [email protected] Director

Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival

Dawn [email protected] Director

Flatwater Shakespeare Company

Summer [email protected] Artistic Director

FreelanceAili [email protected]

Gamut TheatreRoss [email protected] Director Melissa [email protected] DirectorClark [email protected] Director Karen [email protected] 2021 Conference CoordinatorErin [email protected] Manager

Good Tickle BrainMya [email protected] & Author

Great River Shakespeare Festival

Doug [email protected] Director

Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival

Karen Lee [email protected] Director

Harlem Shakespeare FestivalDebra Ann Byrddebraann@

harlemshakespearefest.orgProducing Artistic Director

Hawaii Shakespeare FestivalTony [email protected] Director

Hidden Room TheatreBeth [email protected] Director

Hoosier Shakes Inc.Duana [email protected] DirectorGreg [email protected] Director

Illinois Shakespeare FestivalJohn [email protected] Director

Kentucky ShakespeareAmy [email protected] Artistic DirectorHannah [email protected] Programs ManagerKyle [email protected] of Education

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company

Brett [email protected] Artistic Director

Livermore Shakespeare Festival

Laura [email protected] ChairEllen [email protected] MemberKatie [email protected] DirectorLisa [email protected] Artistic DirectorElizabeth [email protected] Member


Organizations

Midsommer FlightKanome [email protected] ProducerBeth [email protected] Artistic Director

Naked ShakespeareIrwin [email protected] Director

New York Classical TheatreNick [email protected] Member and

Artisitic AssociateClay [email protected] AssociateStephen [email protected] Director

Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Inc.

Kathryn [email protected]/Artistic Director

Old Globe TheatreLisel [email protected] Teaching Artist

OrangeMite StudiosMegan [email protected] DirectorMelisa [email protected] [email protected] Director

Oregon Shakespeare FestivalKirsten [email protected] Director of EducationRaphael [email protected] Associate

Play On ShakespeareTaylor [email protected] [email protected] DirectorSummer [email protected] ManagerCorey [email protected] Manager

Prague Shakespeare CompanyBailey [email protected] and

Design Specialist

Reduced Shakespeare Company

Austin [email protected] Director

Richmond Shakespeare Festival

Sharon [email protected] [email protected] President

San Francisco Shakespeare Festival

Edmund [email protected] SpecialistRob [email protected] Member, CFORebecca [email protected] DirectorToby [email protected] DirectorPhil [email protected] DirectorCraig [email protected] [email protected] Artist


Santa Cruz ShakespeareChris [email protected] Vice PresidentLarry [email protected] DirectorMike [email protected] DirectorJean [email protected]

Saratoga Shakespear Company

Marcus [email protected] DirectorWesley [email protected] Director Julie [email protected] Chair

Shakespeare at Notre DameGrant [email protected] Producing Artistic Director

Shakespeare Behind Bars,Inc.Curt [email protected] & Producing Director

Shakespeare by the Sea Festival

Suzanne [email protected] Artistic &

Development DirectorPaul [email protected] Director

Shakespeare in Paradise/Ringplay Productions

Delores [email protected] [email protected] Director

Shakespeare on the SoundLorah [email protected] DirectorClaire [email protected] DirectorNicholas [email protected] of Educational Outreach

Shakespeare@Sean [email protected] Director

ShakespearEDMelissa [email protected] Associate

Skidmore CollegeBarbara [email protected] MemberLary [email protected]

South Carolina Shakespeare Company

Linda [email protected] DirectorKatie [email protected]

Speech of FireLauren [email protected] Co-Artistic DirectorMichael [email protected] Co-Artistic Director

Stratford FestivalDavid [email protected] and Editorial Director

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

Stephanie [email protected] Director/General Manager

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company

Matt [email protected] Secretary

The Children’s Shakespeare Theatre

Diana [email protected] Director

The Nashville Shakespeare Festival

Laramie [email protected] and Production AssociateDenice [email protected] Artistic Director

The Old GlobeVietca [email protected] Manager, Department

of Arts EngagementLaura [email protected] Engagement Programs Manager

The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company

Katherine [email protected] Director

The Public TheaterAlejandra [email protected] Unit National

Program ManagerKaren Ann [email protected] of Mobile UnitEmily [email protected] Director - Public WorksPraycious [email protected] Unit Community Coordinator

The Redeeming Time ProjectKate [email protected] Director


Organizations

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

William [email protected]. student

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

Brian [email protected] of Education

The Sonnet ManDevon [email protected] Artist / Writer

UC Merced/Shakespeare in Yosemite

Katherine [email protected] Professor/Co-Artistic Director

University of Nebraska OmahaCindy [email protected] of Theater

Utah Shakespeare FestivalFred [email protected] [email protected] DirectorEmily [email protected] AssociateFrank [email protected] producerScott [email protected] (retired)

Washington and Lee University

Jemma [email protected]. Prof. of Theater/

Freelance Director

World Shakespeare ProjectShiela [email protected] of the World

Shakespeare Project


Donors

Thank you to all of the 2020 Donors!

Guarantor Circle:

Presenting Sponsor:

Annual Fund Donors: Thomas BradacStephen BurdmanRebecca BoydenRalph CohenCheryl DavisLinda DeanDavid DreyfoosPatrick FlickCasey GallagherIan GallanarLin HawkinsJim HelsingerScott JacksonClaire KellyGrant MudgeMelissa NicholsonCharles PalmerGuy RobertsJay RoodJoe RossidivitoCharlene SmithJenni StewartJim VolzJeffrey WatkinsDouglas West


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