Devised Companions

Mark Jackson here, still feeling fresh from a weekend workshop with the folks from Creative Capital, hosted by Z Space. Twenty-four Bay Area artists from a variety of disciplines participated in an informative, inspiring, at times eye-opening series of lectures and discussions geared toward making better, more efficient, more effective business people of us all. As individual artists we are indeed our own business, and yet the chaos natural to making art often tangles up our ability to devise the best business practices for ourselves. The Creative Capital team came with loads of experience and ideas for articulating intentions, organizing time, making efficient and effective financial decisions, and staying true to ones art in the process.

Somehow this experience fits neatly into what has become a kind of theme in my career lately: devising.

This term, “devising,” is the trendy label for something that’s quite ancient, really. With regard to theater it means, in the most basic sense, not starting with a script. Generally speaking, with a “devised” piece a group will get in a room for a period of time and improvise in a variety of ways around a given theme, subject, or other source material. Eventually they’ll have made a show.

Summed up that way, it sounds easy. It’s actually the most physically, emotionally and intellectually demanding way to go about making theater that I am aware of. With no script laid out in advance to provide a basic map that everyone can point to in order to identify points A to Z, the collaborators have to draw this map on their feet, together. How exactly this is done can take many, many forms. For myself, the Viewpoints and Composition work as taught by SITI Company is a major tool. I also look to the examples of Théâtre du Soleil, Robert Lepage

and Forced Entertainment. Sometimes methods present themselves spontaneously, arising out of the needs of the moment. But whatever the formal approach, the key ingredients for success are openness, honesty, trust, daring, will, patience and compassion. One must cast aside pride

and ego at the threshold and leap into the dark hand-in-hand with everyone else.

Over this 2009/10 season I’ve been involved in three devised projects. The only one that Bay Area audiences might have seen would be JULIET, a piece I directed at San Francisco State University. JULIET used the second of the two title characters of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet as its starting point. From there the designers, cast and I started to make stuff up and eventually we had our show. It went off very well and even nabbed a mention in the New York Times.

This summer I’ll disappear into the creative cavern of Theater Artaud for two weeks with Beth Wilmurt, Jud Williford and Jakes Rodriguez in order to start working on The Companion Piece, a devised work commissioned by Z Space that is slated to open in late January, 2011.

Our starting points are American Vaudeville and the question as to what extent ones individual survival and identity depend on other people.

We workshopped The Companion Piece with students of the American Conservatory Theater MFA Program back in January 2009, and this helped give shape to the basic questions and structure of the piece. Lisa Steindler attended the final showing of that leg of the work and

decided to take it on at Z Space. So, this summer we’ll begin the sweaty process of filling out those basics we found in the previous workshop. And eventually we’ll have a show.

Again, sounds easy. But it’s always a scary moment, standing at the front edge of a process like this. So many questions hover and loom. So many possibilities dangle in the air. It feels like crisp cold wind in bright, hot sunlight. Such a contradiction gets the blood pumping, to

say the least. But it’s good to feel alive!

Wish us luck!

On and up.

Mark J

'tii next year, Tour de France!

Word for Word Artistic Director Sue Harloe writes to us from overseas, where the acclaimed Tour de France tour of "Two On A Party" has just wrapped.

We saw the trees in the Luxembourg Gardens turn from skeletally brown to lacy green to a verdant canopy during Word for Word's latest Tour de France. Tennessee Williams is all the rage here this Spring (I've seen 4 productions, each a different play, two in French and two in English--ranging from Isabelle Huppert in a tour de force of a deconstructed "Tramway" to a fantastic production of "Spring Storm" Group's), so we were, in essence, part of a European Williams festival. Our "Two on A Party" was tremendously received; people loved the story, the actors, the staging, the set. Full houses everywere. All the elements combined to make a terrific evening of theater.

Our venues were wildly disparate--from a tiny postage stamp of a stage, to a large auditorium with a painting of Pope John Paul II overlooking our valiant company, to Paris' Salle Adyar (housed in the 1912 theater building shared by the Theosophist Society)--and each provided a home, a stage for our actors to bring "Two On A Party" once again to life. The post-show question and answer sessions were intelligent and mostly thoughtful--people wanted to know about Theater Rhino (and Rhino's Artistic Director, John Fisher, was able to join us onstage for these talks in Paris), always about Word for Word and how we select our stories, who makes up the company, etc. etc. Our wonderful technician in Paris, Lillia, pointed out how unusual it is for audiences in France to have such intimate contact with the actors. This contact creates a further bond and expression of our mission: French-American amity. (This is also the mission of the Florence Gould Foundation, which provides our funding and without whom we could never make this tour). We performed for everyone: anglophones, francophones, and a suprising number of high school students (some entirely French speaking) who had studied the story and were completely enthralled by the production. (I did give brief vocabulary lessons to some of our hosts regarding Williams' more colloquial terms, like queen, fairy, lush, old bag, and the inimitable "glory hole".)

We were well cared for in every city we visited (Angers, Nantes, Nancy, Paris), with great city tours, long meals, wonderful wine, and endlessly thoughtful, gracious, and fascinated hosts. We are so lucky to be able to share this experience with them: really, it is our hosts and our loyal audiences who make the tour shine as it does.

Then came the Ash Cloud! The night of our final performance in Paris, April 15, was the night of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption. Suddenly Europe is in a panic, planes can't get in or out, the words "ash cloud" are everywhere. Fortunately, the Icelandic gods were smiling on us, because our company members had each made plans to leave several days after the show, and so had booked later flights, all of which left more or less as scheduled. And so we had a place to stay (the lovely large apartment that we rent each on rue de Vaugirard), food, water, wine, and some of the most gorgeous weather Paris has had. We did experience long and arduous lines at the airport, and Jeri Lynn's flight even took off, flew, turned around, and came back to Paris. But all arrived home, safe and sound, and we are all very grateful for that.

Boundless thanks to all who make this tour possible, both here and abroad. It brings so much to so many people.

dance, poetry, and our fragile planet

Today’s post comes to us from Jayne Wenger, co-director/dramaturg for Deborah Slater’s production of Men Think They Are Better Than Grass, and last seen at Z Space directing Anne Galjour’s You Can’t Get There From Here. We’re glad to have her back!

First day In the theater! After years of planning and thinking (and dreaming) this is exhilarating.

Really.

We have a crack design and technical team when we walked into the theater it was already amazing! Mikiko's set is starting to emerge and fill the huge space that is Theater Artaud. I love working here, this space is venerable and the vibe is great. Welcoming and professional, and fun too. I wonder who won that ping pong game that was happening in the lobby?

The space itself can feel so vast and empty, but suddenly, as we are doing a work through with all of the elements, music, environmental sound, video and most importantly, the dancers - the space is filled with their movement and it is no longer empty feeling. It is warm, and rocking and alive. Our 'script' - consisting of 17 poems written by deep ecologist W.S. Merwin is filling the space with words, and Mattias Bossi and Carla Khilsted's musical compositions are beautiful and evocative. For Deborah and myself - it is the culmination of a long journey.

This week is National Dance Week, so we had company in the theater on our first rehearsal! I grumbled a little (yep, just a little) when I realized that we would have guests, but - It turned out to be great to have on-lookers and when Deborah and I took a break and did a brief Q and A with them, it was rewarding to hear their sincere response to the work. They seemed to get what we were up to, and it was clear that they really enjoyed being with us in the very early stages of tech rehearsal.

We heard from several people that they loved the movement and choreography and that they were moved by the poetry. That was heartening for us, and i'm glad that they came and shared those hours with us. Their presence was a bonus!

After more than two years of working with ideas, it is rewarding to get some feedback - and not from friends! One man told me that he was deeply moved during several of the poems. That is what we are striving for, to make our audience feel deeply, think deeply about our fragile planet.

We have the benefit of brilliant poetry read by some of the Bay Area's finest talent. Each week in rehearsal I've had a different favorite poem! Brenda Wong Aoki's reading of "Calling To A Distant Animal" moves me every time I hear it.

Technically, things are in better shape than we might have expected for a show with so many elements. Thanks in large part to Joanne Bender, the production and company manager and her knack for getting people in the right place at the right time. We had the expected glitches with equipment along the way, a video snafu here and there, but nothing that Elaine Buckholtz can't handle!

I'm looking forward to the continuation of Tech Week, it really beats the hell out of American Idol. Extreme Talent, Focus and Imagination! More to come!

-Jayne Wenger

Men Think They Are Better Than Grass runs now through May 9. Click here for tickets.

Artists Take Business Crash Course At Z Space

This blog post is provided by Cristóbal McKinney, Z Space's Administrative Director.

If you ever get a chance to join a Creative Capital Workshop, do everything you can to take it. This last weekend, Z Space hosted the latest Creative Capital Workshop in the bay area, offering 24 artists (including Deborah Slater, who’s dance group will perform at Z Space this weekend - Click Here For More Info), several observers, and a team of Creative Capital leaders a space where they can come together and develop the business and organizational skills that will springboard the rest of their careers. I was one such lucky artist who participated, and the event has changed my life.

As an artist, I have never been taught practical skill sets for managing the development and distribution of my own art. Creative Capital changed that. Even for artists who rebel at the idea of embracing commercial models, the workshop offered invaluable skill development in universally applicable areas such as contract negotiation, how to turn rejections of one’s work into opportunities, and an overview of popular marketing models.

And beyond the skill sets developed at the workshop, there was the amazing opportunity to spend a weekend with 24 artists doing exciting, interesting work. Just talking to other artists in the morning inspired me and energized me.

Most people may not think about what happens behind the Z Space doors when a show isn’t performing. What happens here, whether it’s advertised or not, is the development of art. I’m proud to work at a space that helps provide a home where art and artists can grow.

Working On The (repurposed) Factory Floor

Vote for Z Space to win new furnishings for our home at Theater Artaud! Click here to cast your vote.

Z Space is a bustling arts center, hosting thousands of audience members and dozens of arts companies every year. We produce and develop new plays of our own, and we tour shows on other continents. We provide a unique, historic, and highly desired arts venue known for the high quality and affordability of its performances. Schools all around the Bay Area are enriched by our Youth Arts program, and we partner with community organizations to give high school students summer jobs. Despite all of this, however, we cannot afford to heat our office.

As simple a thing as heating is beyond our reach because of our unique workspace. Our workspace is an old factory floor, vast and beautiful, but extremely challenging for administrative work. We recently took over the lease on Theatre Artaud, and we’ve vowed to improve its facilities and continue its great history. For the last few years, the space was deteriorating, but after only six months here, Z Space has managed to rebuild the stage, improve the lighting and sound systems, and book dozens of theater companies for high quality programming. Z Space has revitalized this historic venue and brought new audiences through its doors.

Despite these great strides, we must face the cold days without space heaters because we cannot afford them. We must work in an office space that has the same oil-stained, smelly flooring that was present eighty years ago when the building was first erected. Our audiences must tread a thirty year old soft panel wood lobby floor that chips and wears with every performance, and they have to sit on folding chairs if the theater isn’t yet open. Guests to our offices must sit in thread-bare conference room chairs that sometimes have protruding nails or missing wheels. Our staff must yank open and slam closed old filing cabinets that look like they’ve been through a washing machine. Our box office personnel must be careful with their backs because their chairs don’t reach the counter. In addition, due to a scarcity of desk space, some of our staff have to coordinate in sharing desks and computers. The staff members who do have desks have no wall space near their desks to post important items, and no dividers that cut down noise and allow for private phone conversations or concentration on tasks.

The irony is that we have a tremendous amount of space, but it’s all vertical; most of the building’s floor space is taken up by the theatre and lobby. We believe this to be the primary asset for our work area, and if GoodDeeds were to help our company, we would first ask for new office furniture that created shelving, cabinets, and storage space above our desks. This would allow us to put in more desks so our company could spend less time juggling desks and computers and more time providing for our community. We would also request several space heaters that could keep us warm so that our spirits and our health were up to the daunting task of making art with little funding. So that our audience could sit in comfortable chairs while waiting for a performance, we would request a lobby makeover, fully equipped with a floor that didn’t need to be re-sanded and or repainted every two months. So that we could have phone conversations in private and so that we could concentrate, we would ask for wall dividers between the desks.

The Z Space does many things, but it uses the vast majority of its funds to put on award winning performances, to provide an invaluable arts venue to our country, and to go into classrooms and provide arts education to students who might never otherwise receive it. Because we love what we do, the concerns of our office space always comes second place in the budget, but this choice has its price. We spend more time than we should looking through awkward storage, we waste time negotiating between ourselves for desk access, we get sick from sitting in the cold all day. In essence, we waste time because our facilities are not up to par.

Thank you for considering Z Space and for this opportunity to present our case. We hope that you can help us continue our mission. We feel honored to be considered among the many worthy community organizations that have submitted.

Z Space: a place for art... and ping pong

Today I decided to give thanks for Lisa Steindler, who personally takes it upon herself to bring in flowers for the office and lobby of our space. She’s the Executive Artistic Director, and she finds time to pay attention to the little things.

As I thought about it, I realized that I had never before played Ping Pong with my boss until I came to Z Space. One morning, shortly after arriving at the office, Lisa, myself, James Faerron, and Mark Jackson, grabbed some paddles and played an uproarious game of ‘extreme’ Ping Pong – essentially the same rules as regular Ping Pong except we enthusiastically used more surfaces than just the Pong table, i.e. the walls. I think it was the best time I’ve had participating in anything that’s considered an Olympic sport.

Yes, Z Space has a Ping Pong table. Jealous? Don’t be! Come play with us! But watch out for Jack Morse, our Patron Services Manager, he’s the office shark when it comes to Ping Pong. He’s awfully friendly, but can hit a Ping Pong like nobody’s business.

Well, it’s back to work now. I was just sitting here, lost in thoughts about projected costs, software upgrades, patron development, etc.. when I noticed the roses sitting on the table by the front door, and I thought it would be a good time to stop and smell them, as it were. - Cris McKinney, Administrative Coordinator

And the rush continues..

Wow, it's been awhile over here at the Z Space blog. The year got off to a fast-paced start for us with the World Premiere of A Round-Heeled Woman. It was an incredible ride for us all, and we hope you were able to join us.

But we are, as always, looking forward to the future. Next up at Z Space, we're proud to host three amazing companies in our new home at Theater Artaud, not the mention the return of a favorite:

February 24-27: Kronos Quartet presents Kronos: Music from 4 Fences

On February 24-27, Kronos performs 4 programs in 4 nights at Z Space @ Artaud, featuring the West Coast premiere of Jon Rose's Music From 4 Fences. Premiered at the Sydney Opera House, the work features Kronos performing on four specially-built fences to create an eclectic aural environment, accompanied by a visual design by Willie Williams.

Each concert also features a work by one of the four young composers commissioned by Kronos' Under 30 Project, along with works by Terry Riley, Damon Albarn (Feb 24), John Zorn (Feb 25), Clint Mansell (Feb 26), and Bryce Dessner (Feb 27).

March 4-6: Hope Mohr Dance presents it's Third Home Season

Hope Mohr Dance presents works by three generations of female dance makers—Hope Mohr, Molissa Fenley and Yvonne Rainer. The evening features the premiere of Far from Perfect by Mohr, a new solo entitled Mass Balance created and performed by Fenley, and the legendary Yvonne Rainer’s pioneering work Trio A. Inspired by the work of painter Agnes Martin, Far from Perfect explores forgiveness and the creative process as two journeys that can illuminate each other. Mohr’s collaborators include poet Brenda Hillman and designer David Szlasa, whose visual environment combines projections of Hillman’s text, re-creations of Martin’s grid paintings, and home video footage.

March 24-28: The first annual KUNST-STOFF Arts Gala

Two exhilarating programs, featuring works by: Sara Shelton Mann, Yannis Adoniou's KUNST-STOFF, La ALTERNATIVA, and "Project 4x4" directed and performed by Annie Rosenthal Parr, Kathleen Hermasdorf, Yannis Adoniou, Andrew Wards; and Yannis Adoniou's KUNST-STOFF dance company revisits two critically acclaimed works, Un-state and Raqs al Moza with guest artists Dohee Lee, Jethro DeHart and David Petrelli

Last, and certainly not least, on March 20-21, Z Space is proud to present the Bon Voyage Benefit performance of Tennessee William's Two On A Party! Don't miss a chance to see Word For Word work their magic on a hidden gem written by one of the great American playwrights. Two performances only, before the cast and crew pack up and head out to tour the show throughout France!

For more information on upcoming events at Z Space, visit out Events page. For more information on Two On A Party, click here.