Collaborations. I love them!
Yesterday Storefront Artist Project (SAP) posted their Call for Art for the O Solo Mama Mia Art Exhibit that is going to accompany the O Solo Mama Mia Theatre Festival in May, 2011. Theatre and Art, collaborating together. Fantastic! How did it all happen? Well, Julia Dixon, Director of SAP, mentioned to me after a performance of ‘Melancholy Play’ in November that she’d love to collaborate in the future. That led to waking up one morning in late 2010 with the idea that WAM should ask Julia if we could produce our Spring event at the SAP space and that all led to having an art exhibit as part of the overall O Solo Mama Mia Festival. There is so much positive energy that comes from this sort of collaboration-both parties feed off each other’s excitement and creative ideas plus both parties get to meet each other’s audience and build a larger, more diverse creative community together. It just feels right.
We have noticed the same thing with the 24hr Berkshires/Capital Region Theatre Project collaboration that WAM is doing with MOPCO and the Arts Center of the Capital Region (ACCR) on March 25/26. That all started when Kat Koppett of MOPCO and I went to see a production by The Wharton Salon last summer and Kat mentioned to me that she had done a 24hr project in the past, loved it and wished she could do it again. Well, let’s do it, I said! Kat has a relationship with ACCR so we approached Jill Rafferty-Weinisch who was interested in having ACCR co-produce the event and voila- the plans began. Collaborating with MOPCO and ACCR is creatively satisfying but what is really exciting about the 24hr Project is having so many incredible theatre artists from both regions come together for 24 hours to create five new short works. There are now almost 50 people from both regions involved in the event! The Berkshires of MA and the Capital Region of NY are only an hour apart and it feels great to be part of encouraging a crossover between the rich creative communities in both regions. It has been especially heartening to have so many artists express interest in being part of the event: Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, artistic director of Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany will be directing alongside Catherine Taylor Williams of the Wharton Salon in the Berkshires. Eileen Schuyler, prominent actress in the Capital Region of NY will be acting alongside Anne Undeland, prominent Berkshire, MA actress. Brad Berridge, sound designer in the Berkshires will be working with Margaret Hall, stage manager from the Capital Region. Jamuna Yvette Sirker, playwright from the Berkshires, will be one of the playwrights alongside Linda Bidwell Delaney of the Capital Region. And those are only eight of the amazing people involved! For a complete list of all those participating go to: https://www.wamtheatre.com/events/2011events/24-hour-theatre-project/
Here’s to the power of collaboration!
PS- Click here to buy your tickets to the 24hr Project. There’s only 100 available and they are going fast!
Written by Kristen van Ginhoven, co-Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. www.kristenvanginhoven.com