My thanks to Philip Horn who was nice enough to send me the spreadsheets I referred to in my last entry.
As I mentioned in my earlier entry, the spreadsheets are a type of evaluation and planning tool that allows artists/agents/presenters look at where they are in their professional lives and where they want to be. I imagine the forms also would help the National Arts Leadership Institute decide what types of classes need to be offered, what regions they need to be offered in and perhaps, who they might tap to be future instructors.
Take a look at this Professional Development for Presenters sheet (Downloadable File in Adobe pdf format).They have the subject areas coded (artistic, business, leadership, etc) and allow the presenter to assess what their knowledge level is in each area and then presumably make plans for filling in those knowledge gaps.
They have a second spreadsheet which can help in making those plans. The Professional Development for Touring Artists (Also downloadable pdf) sheet is formatted slightly differently giving people a tool for planning when over the next few years they plan on acquiring new knowledge and skills, sharpening existing ones and taking action.
Certainly, these sheets are nothing you can't find in any self-help book these days. However, as I mentioned, if NALI collects copies, they can be useful in planning courses and tapping into those individuals who claim they can teach the subject in their sleep. It is also of value to read the sheets if only to be aware of how much one didn't know they didn't know was probably worth knowing.
The Professional Development for Presenters sheet really struck a chord with me because there are a lot of similarities between it and evaluation instruments my college is developing in the course of its reaccreditation and assessment efforts. The big push these days is student learning outcomings which encompasses measuring and assessing beyond grading.
I don't know how NALI intends to use these sheets, but in classrooms today a student would fill out the form before the start of the course showing where they felt their knowledge in the subject was, then at the end of the course they would get the sheet back and indicate where they felt their knowledge was. At this point, the teacher would also indicate on the sheet where they felt the student's knowledge was. (In many cases, the teacher also marks the sheet at the beginning of the semester for later comparison. This wouldn't be viable during a weekend conference though.)
This reveals all sorts of dimensions in a class. A person may get a C but feel satisfied with the class because they acquired the knowledge they sought. (Often my experience as an undergrad) Another may get an A but might be dissatisfied because they didn't learn anything new having mastered the material earlier.
The process can also help a school, or in this case NALI, realize that what they are teaching and perhaps how they are teaching it isn't effective if people are leaving with little more confidence in what they know than they arrived. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If people think they need to sign up for the "basics" course but turn out to be fairly familiar with the material, NALI can plan future offerings accordingly and rejoice at having a knowledgable constituency.
As Andrew Taylor says in his comments on the previous post it will be interesting to see how well NALI develops.
Well, as promised long ago, I have finally started to update my links section to list helpful arts related blogs and web resources. I have only gotten as far last March in my search for valuable links I have mentioned so there are more resource links, if not blog links, to come.
We have been cleaning out the technical director's office these past two weeks because the clutter was threatening to consume students. We managed to free up about 400 cubic feet of space in the back of the office thus far. Since the piles of...valued possessions (*cough*) started migrating across the scene shop, the secretary started boxing books up to free up some maneuvering space.
It wasn't until 2 days later I found out that the TD had told a student he would lend her his stage management book if he could find it at home. His book, of course, was not at home but in his office and I had been holding said book reminiscing about my stint as a stage manager years ago.
As I started searching through the boxes to find it, it occurred to me that it might be worth mentioning the book as a resource on the old blog here.
The book I was searching for was an old copy of Lawrence Stern's Stage Management. It is the bible of stage management and was actually the first text on the subject.
Since it was first written, two other texts have come in to wide use, Thomas Kelly's The Backstage Guide to Stage Management, and Daniel A. Ionazzi's The Stage Management Handbook.
Now I haven't read or used the Ionazzi or Kelly book, but about as many people swear by Kelly as they do for Stern. I know size doesn't matter. But I have to ask--why the heck is the Stern book $60.00+ and the Kelly book with only 50 fewer pages is ~$20.00? I suspect it is because of the resources and forms in the Stern appendices, but still, geez.
All that aside, for those of you who don't know, the stage manager is the linchpin of any performance. The director, designers, technicians, actors, etc create the product and the stage manager serves as quality control.
After rehearsals are through, the director and designers leave. The stage manager, having taken copious notes on everything that occurred during rehearsals, is in charge. The SM makes sure everything and everybody is where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to be doing at the exact time it is supposed to happen night after night. If things get sloppy, they must take steps to tighten things up.
If the performance is happening in a union house, they make sure things are being run according to union rules. (Though there is often another member of the cast who monitors the sitation from a different perspective.)
Essentially stage management is one of the toughest, most thankless jobs in the performing arts. If anyone is going to be the target of pent up frustrations, it is often the stage manager. I have done the job so I know.
Some times the person can be a power seeking jerk and deserves the ire directed her way. Other times, the person seems so unperturbable it is a little weird. I fell somewhere in between.
I never did find that book tonight. I will have to go back tomorrow and root around some more. I want this woman to do well as stage manager because she has dreams of getting outta here and working on the Mainland. She has really set herself apart from other students with her willingness to commit to doing thing well. We will all be proud to have her claim she learned her craft here.
About a month ago I made brief mention in an entry of NYFA article that discusses how a hospital in Brooklyn is offering low cost health services to artists in NYC.
I actually made Laura Colby's (agent mention in article) acquaintance a year ago and emailed her with praise for her efforts. She told me there are similar efforts being made all over the country and I should keep my eye open for them.
I forgot that suggestion until today when I came across a section on the Folk Alliance website listing all sorts of health resources for artists.
Along with a listing of insurance companies, the website has links to pages dealing with industry hazards like tinnitus, performance anxiety and hand care of musicians. One of the most amusingly titled links is The Accordian: A Back Breaker. The webpage includes a 7 part series of articles on the best way to enjoy playing and how to choose the instrument that is right for you.
Much to my surprise, there was also a link to a Performing Arts Medicine program at Ithaca College. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. There are sports medicine programs, why not performing arts medicine? I mean, except for the fact that athletic programs in schools and professional sports organizations have more money to toss around than their arts counterparts.
But wouldn't you know it, a Google search on the subject turned up a number of such programs, including a Performing Arts Medicine Association.
Taking up Laura's challenge, I also did a Google Search for non-union entities that offer help with artist health care.
Washington State, Rhode Island and Texas have a mixture of resources and advocacy efforts for artist coverage going on right now.
The Artists Foundation in Boston directs people to some insurance sources. They also make people aware of the hazardous materials they may be coming in contact with depending on the type of art they are pursuing.
Out in LA, the Center for Cultural Innovation offers medical and dental coverage for $19.95 a year. I saw some implication that it is an introductory rate. Still, pretty dang good unless it just covers bandaids and dental floss.
The Actor's Fund provides healthcare and support for all entertainment industry professionals. (I actually didn't know they were a separate entity from Actors' Equity until today.) They even have their own nursing home.
Fractured Atlas seems to offer the largest listing of resources as it contains a database of health insurance providers for their members listed by state.
It is no surprise health coverage is a big issue for artists--heck it is a big issue for most people. Hopefully as time progresses, similar programs will emerge as more and more people realize this is an issue that needs attention.
Programs like the one in Brooklyn is actually win-win. In exchange for the low rates, some artists promise to perform in the various wards. For some people, there may not be any more potent an encounter with the arts than when they are feeling their most weak and vulnerable.
I usually spend my Saturday mornings watching cartoons. But, you know, they are into repeats now so the last few weekends, I have been flipping through the channels. On one of the local public access channels, I have come across a series of programs put together by Annenberg/CPB about teaching the arts to elementary school children.
The programs for Arts in Every Classroom are really fantastic. But let me first promote the above link to those readers who may not read to the end of the entry. You can watch all the 8 one hour programs over a high speed connection by video on demand for free.
So off with you if you have to go or want to watch the shows immediately. Everyone else, let me tell you why I liked watching the shows. (Keeping in mind, I haven't watched them all.)
What I liked was that the programs alternate showing the teachers discussing and executing the activities in the workshop and then working with the students back in the classroom. And really, while it is fun to see how silly adults look doing some of these things, the rewarding part is realizing the kids really get it!
One of my favorite activities is watching the students make hats that express an idea, integrate that idea into movement while wearing the hat and then discuss how the construction of the hat dictated the way they moved (they moved carefully so that pieces didn't fall off or perhaps wiggle too much indicating more joy than they intended, etc).
Leading up to the hat construction, the students were shown period costumes and were asked what sort of person would wear those clothes. The students responded with observations about everything from social class to the climate of the place in which the person lived.
This is what I thought was so fantastic about the program--it was crossing so many subject areas. In just one or two episodes, the classes were touching upon dance, visual arts, history, physics, acting, teamwork, etc.
Even though the observation about climate was based on the fact that the costume had layers upon layers dictated more by fashion than weather, the students did show some good critical thinking skills. Another example that pops to mind was that the students attributed a costume as belonging to either a poet or a prince. When asked why they felt the clothing would be worn by people of two distinctly separate classes, the students' answer showed that they had a sense that a person would want to dress to the level of the company they hoped to keep. (The old adage of dressing for the job you want, not the one you have.)
The other thing I liked was the fact you couldn't dismiss these activities as ones only a school with money and resources could afford to engage in. In many of the in-school segments, you can clearly see the classes are occuring on the floor of the cafeteria with the tables pushed up against the walls.
These are schools that don't have the resources for an arts room of any size and have to squeeze classes in around lunch. I have taken programs into a number of these schools. In some, the transformation from classroom to lunchroom and back is pulled off with astounding coordination in the course of 3-5 minutes.
Anyway, it looks as if the program may have run its course on the cable access channel so I may have to watch the show on the 'Net if I want to see more. I will let you know if I am impressed further.
Stumbling through the 1s and 0s of the internet as I often do, I came across an interesting arts resource-- CANuniversity. A program of the Community Arts Network, the university exists "a resource for people involved or interested in community arts training. CANu looks at college and university programs and courses and at the university-community partnerships and faculty- and student-led projects that enhance that training and put it into practice."
The "Why CANu" section of the web page kinda creates a scrappy atmosphere for the project
The field of community arts is growing rapidly, attracting practitioners, thinkers and participants around the world. And when the arts intersect with education, community development, healthcare, environmental concerns, religion, politics — in fact in any sensitive area of community activity — skills are required that have never been a part of a traditional arts education.Training in these skills is not yet the field norm. Certainly many practitioners have no formal training whatsoever, relying primarily on peer advice and lessons learned "on the job." Only now as the field matures are formal training opportunities becoming available, often taught by those pioneers whose wisdom comes from years of practice.
Universities are beginning to offer degree programs in community arts, usually as a minor or a concentration within an art degree. But even as this kind of education proliferates, it is still flying below the radar, tucked into arts departments like theater, dance, performance studies or public art, under rubrics like "applied theater" and "art for development." But it's also showing up in programs like public administration, business management, social work, social justice, education, community development, public dialogue, social sculpture, architecture, citizenship, public policy, even tourism. This diffusion is partly because its proponents have to use every trick in the book to squeeze this work into the severely protected fiefdoms of academia. But it's also happening for a healthy reason: As artists collaborate with – and even become part of – other fields, the professionals in those fields are demanding adapted training programs too.
This actually sounds like a reflection of Daniel Pink's new book coming out called a Whole New Mind which argues that right brained folks who currently don't get paid very well will be the element that allows the US to maintain a competitive edge in the world market of tomorrow. He suggests that creative people will be in demand in those fields mentioned in the last CANu paragraph I quoted.
I haven't really had a chance to read the essays and syllabi listed on the website at this point, but I will obviously report anything interesting I come across.
But given that my interests and yours certainly will differ--give it a look-see yourself!
I am not usually star struck or more impressed by celebrities I meet than I am of people I meet in the general course of my life, but for about 10-15 years now, I have sincerely admired one person-- Danica McKellar. Most people know her as Winnie from The Wonder Years, though she has been in quite a number of shows and movies since then.
What earned my admiration was the fact that she did not define herself as a person by her celebrity and has earned laurels in other areas upon which she can rest her reputation. In addition to her on screen involvement, she has a BA in Math from UCLA and has a math proof named after her. For a long time now, she has devoted time on her website to helping kids with math problems and has been the spokesperson for Figure This!, a website that provides math challenges for families to work on together.
Given that I was so awful at math in school, her involvement helping other people in this field of study has been enough to make her my hero for a long time now.
I found a very interesting Studio 360 session with her as a guest that discusses the right brain/left brain connection between the Arts and Math. Her segment begins about 11 minutes into the show, but her comments intertwine with other interviews. The first is Eve Beglarian, a composer who explores the use of math in music. There is also a story on David Galenson, an economist who is using quantitative measures like regression analysis and statistics to figure out what artists are trying to say and at what time in artists lives do they produce the most creative works.
There are some interesting commentary by Danica and Eve about how their math lives/mindset and artistic lives/mindset were almost violently in conflict with each other socially and internally. In some cases, they say their right brain and left brain activities are often mutually exclusive. At the same time, they discuss the aesthetic beauty inherent to pure math and the fact that the solutions to right brain activities lay in left and vice versa.
The third story on Studio 360 addresses the right/left conflict pointing out that usually those skilled in math are usually portrayed in movies and television as abnormal- they are borderline insane or anti-social or idiot-savants. McKellar acknowledges that mathematicians can tend to become absorbed in their work and seem a little flighty at times, but in general, the characterization is more of a caricature than reality.
A pretty interesting series of stories all in all. The program is rather long to listen to in its entirety, but fortunately the individual interview segments are broken out as separate links so one can return to the webpage to listen to each section separately without having to scroll through to the appropriate time stamp.
As promised, I am going to tackle the idea of arts groups doing inservice days for teachers. I could have sworn I wrote on this topic before, but a search of the site using different terminology says no.
The idea is pretty simple really. Arts organizations should leverage their expertise and create inservice day programs for teachers. Every so many days a year, teachers usually have days where they have to go to work and the students don't. Usually there are sessions about how they can sharpen their teaching skills.
One place I worked, in cooperation with the local school districts, helped bring artists and teachers together to teach them new skills and activities for their students. The teachers loved it because instead of trying to learn from handouts, they were engaged in practical activities squishing clay between their fingers and doing other fun stuff.
Usually high school visual art teachers have a degree or a number of classes in their field so they know what they are doing to some extent. High School drama teachers on the other hand tend to be English or History teachers who are drafted into running the drama club so they need a lot of help! (I think this practice diminished the value of the arts in schools because it perpetuates the idea that anyone can fake their way through the creation of art. Of course, the lackluster results just convince people there isn't much worth to it.)
Anyway, these poor part time drama teachers can always use a quick basic class in lighting design theory, use of a light/sound board, costuming, acting exercises, cheap, but impressive looking set construction techniques, etc.
It is stuff like that I hope to offer teachers under the next phase of the strategic plan. Of course, I will also be looking to have the sessions resonate with the Dept of Ed. Fine Arts Curriculum.
I thought I would do a quick run through of common terminology, features and expectations of the presenting business for those folks who aren't familiar with them. I had done an article some time ago on how misunderstanding about common expectations can lead to uncomfortable cancelation situations. I thought it might be good to talk about some contractual features as well.
Deposit It is common for performers to require you to send a 50% deposit to them or their agent about a month or so before they are set to perform as a security. They usually require the balance in their hands right before or right after the performance.
Force Majeure-Better definition than I can give found here. Pretty much every contract has them. They are about as ubiquitous as a Miranda warning on a police/lawyer show. It doesn't take long before you can recite the clause in your sleep.
Insurance- One thing I see quite a bit is the expectation that the presenter carries about $1 million in insurance to protect performers and crew from any mishaps. If you are renting a space, it will most certainly be included as a requirement for space use. In many cases, it is included in the performers contract as well to protect them.
Advancing the Show - Usually the road manager or the artist does this a few weeks to a month before a performance to discuss details of the technical rider, transportation, sound check times, food, accomodations--basically anything they are concerned about.
Backline - Essentially any sound equipment and instruments that the performers aren't bringing with them that they expect the presenting venue to supply. It makes a tour a lot cheaper if they don't have to haul pianos, extra guitars, amps, drum kits, etc across the country. Pay very close attention to this because many performers are very particular about the name brand of the equipment that they use.
Tech Rider- List of technical equipment and services that a performer requires. It includes the backline, but will also encompass lighting, special effects, stage layout, power requirements for tour buses (as well as places to park said buses and trailers), size and composition of running crews.
Hospitality- Essentially what people want to eat and when they want to eat it. It can be very simple or very complicated. They say an army travels on its stomach and so does a tour so this is very important. I recently had a guy tell me he crosses catering off contracts immediately. I have no idea how he gets away with it.
I always double check this section when advancing a show. Many times vegetarians or people with food allergies join a group and they don't change the rider. I also order more than I need--girlfriends, best friends, surprise visitors, etc tend to show up in the dressing room unannounced and are invited to chow down. If you do your checking and pad the order in advance, it saves a lot of hassle on the performance day.
Hospitality will also encompass other aspects of how performers are treated. Some people will want irons and garment steamers and towels both backstage on on stage. This section might also specify that the performers want food served on real plates rather than paper or paper is okay, but styrofoam is not.
Transportation- Another big variable in the presenting calculation. Sometimes you have to pay airfare, sometimes cab (or limo) fare, other times the performer is driving themselves and absorbing all the costs. Sometimes you have to do the driving yourself. This is actually the reason I decided to do this entry. I had a slight disagreement with an artist's manager over this recently.
When I worked in New Jersey, we would drive people to and from the airport one time in 20 to 25 instances. Here in Hawaii, we generally arrange for cars for people to drive around. A contract I got recently specifies that we pay for their ground transportation and provide a map and directions to them. A similar contract for their opening act specifies having a sedan for him. My assumption then is that we are providing cars for them, especially since they are coming early with wives and girlfriends so they can see the sights.
The group manager tells me that he reads the contract to mean that we have to pay to have them driven around and haven't I ever done a concert before. Now I am thinking he means we are to pay to have them driving around the island sightseeing and shopping and I tell him we can't do that. He actually meant that he wanted a ride from the airport to hotel, hotel to venue and back and then to airport again. (My mistake was telling him we couldn't do it before I understood exactly what he was asking for. One of my prime rules is to never worry travelers to unknown places unnecessarily.) It was an easy mistake to make, but also illustrates why you should read over a contract carefully and discuss any gray areas during the advancing calls.
Security- This can be a sticky area. I have almost never had to use professional security people for backstage and front of stage security. Actually, it is never. The only professionals I have used were for gate security to screen for alcohol. On the other hand, the volunteers I have used were people I knew I could trust and looked as if they were keeping an eye on things and weren't going to let someone by unchallenged. Yes, some were big and tough looking, but most were just determined looking.
Because we had the right looking dependable people, no tour manager, etc ever really questioned our security measures whether they had asked for professional shirted security folks or not. We always made it clear that we had a volunteer security force back when we signed the contracts as well.
Whether you can get away with it is another thing altogether. My advice is, as it is for all things, cultivate a good group of volunteers and note which ones might be trusted for special positions for future events.
That is about all I can think of as a summary of the major points of a presenting contract. These are just basic generalizations. Your milage may vary.