SETC News - January/February 2021

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021

Bimonthly Newsletter of Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc.

CONTENTS

www.setc.org

Don’t Miss the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention

l

March 3 - 7

SETC CONVENTION Meet the Keynotes Page 1 Convention Keynotes Page 2 - 3 Design Keynotes Page 4

MEET THE 2021 SETC CONVENTION KEYNOTES Pages 2 - 3

Students Page 5 Teachers Institute Page 6

Left to right: Ali Stroker and Idris Goodwin. Distinguished Career Award keynote TBA.

EDIA Initiatives Page 7

MEET THE 2021 DESIGN KEYNOTES Page 4

Marketing Opportunities Page 8

SOTA Auditions Page 9

Theatre Symposium Page 10

Left to right: Dede Ayite, Alan C. Edwards and Jessica Paz. Not shown: Rachel Hauck.

State Conventions Pages 11 - 13

2021- 2022 Officers Pages 14

Indigenous Perspective

MEET THE 2021 TEACHERS INSTITUTE PRESENTERS Page 6

Page 15

SETC Finances Page 16 -17

Miscellaneous Page 18

NEWS SUBMISSIONS Deanna Thompson, Editor deanna@setc.org

Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc.

Left to right: Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval.

More info: convention.setc.org

2021 SETC CONVENTION: KEYNOTE

IDRIS GOODWIN Convention Keynote Speaker Playwright. Break Beat poet. Director. Educator.

Organizer. Idris Goodwin has forged a multifaceted career over two decades. He will share his perspective with SETC members in a keynote during the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention. He also will be a co-presenter at the SETC Virtual Teachers Institute on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

Currently the director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Goodwin previously served for two seasons as the producing artistic director of StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville, KY. An acclaimed playwright, Goodwin won the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Distinguished Play Award in 2017 for And In This Corner Cassius Clay. His play How We Got On premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American Plays in 2012. Both of those plays, as well as others, such as Hype Man: A Break Beat Play, have been widely produced across the country at professional theatres, college campuses and nontraditional spaces.

KEYNOTE: Date/Time TBA TEACHERS INSTITUTE, CO-PRESENTER: See Page 6 for details.

Goodwin is also known for his poetry and books. In addition to the recently released poetry collection Can I Kick It?, he’s had several works published by Haymarket Books, including Inauguration, co-written with Nico Wilkinson, Human Highlight: Ode to Dominique Wilkins, and the play This Is Modern Art, co-written with Kevin Coval. He has appeared on HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC Radio and the Discovery Channel.

Passionate about cultivating new audiences in the arts, Goodwin actively serves on the advisory boards of Theatre for Young Audiences USA and Children’s Theatre Foundation Association.

More info: convention.setc.org/keynotes www.setc.org

January / February 2021

2

2021 SETC CONVENTION: KEYNOTE

ALI STROKER Convention Keynote Speaker Ali Stroker, winner of the 2019 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, will share her passion for theatre with SETC members in a keynote during the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention.

Stroker, who uses a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the chest down at age 2 in an automobile accident, has achieved a number of firsts in the theatre industry. She is the first person who uses a wheelchair ... to graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts drama program, to appear in a Broadway role, to be nominated for a Tony Award, and to win a Tony Award.

Her Tony win came for her portrayal of Ado Annie in Daniel Fish’s revival of Oklahoma!, a role that called for her not just to act and sing, but to dance as well.

“I find it to be fascinating that often people don’t think I can dance,” Stroker told The New York Times in 2019. “Who says that dance isn’t turning on wheels? Who says dancing isn’t throwing your arms up in the air and grabbing someone else’s arms to be propelled across the stage?”

KEYNOTE:

Date/Time TBA

MASTERCLASS: Date/Time TBA

Encouraged by her parents to use her talents, Stroker began performing as a child.

After earning her degree from NYU, she appeared on 12 episodes of The Glee Project competition, placing second and winning a guest role on Fox TV’s Glee.

Stroker made her Broadway debut as Anna in Deaf West’s 2015 revival of Spring Awakening.

“I’m very aware that when I was a little girl I wasn’t seeing anybody like me, and on days when I’m exhausted or discouraged about something, that lights a fire,” she told The New York Times. “I hope that for young people in chairs who feel that this is too hard, that they see that being in a chair is like getting a secret key to an unknown door – that they see what I’m doing and are reassured that anything is possible.”

More info: convention.setc.org/keynotes www.setc.org

January / February 2021

3

2021 SETC CONVENTION: DESIGN/TECH

SETC Distinguished Designers Announced; Don’t Miss Their Thursday Keynote!

Dede Ayite Costume Designer

Alan C. Edwards Lighting Designer

Jessica Paz Sound Designer

Dede Ayite received two 2020 Tony Award nominations – for her costume design on A Soldier’s Play and A Slave Play. In 2019, she received the Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design. Her off-Broadway credits include The Secret Life of Bees, Marie and Rosetta, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark and School Girls… Regionally, her work has appeared at Steppenwolf, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and more.

Alan C. Edwards is an awardwinning designer for the stage and live entertainment. In addition to winning a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award for his work on the world premiere of Harry Clarke, he also received a 2019 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his design of Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror at the Signature Theatre and a 2018 Drama Desk Award nomination for Kill Move Paradise at the National Black Theatre.

Jessica Paz is not only the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical, but also is the first woman ever to be nominated for the award. Paz, who works as a sound designer for theatre, film and music, won in 2019 for her collaboration with Nevin Steinberg on the sound design for Hadestown. In addition to a Tony Award, the duo also won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle nomination.

How are you staying in a creative place during the pandemic?

How are you staying in a creative place during the pandemic?

How are you staying in a creative place during the pandemic?

With traditional expressions of creativity curtailed, I have spent this time reflecting and recharging. Becoming a plant mom and watching my plants grow has made me really happy.

I take care of them, and they in turn bless me with their effortless beauty. Teaching and engaging with other designers in conversations on how we create equitable and healthier ways of practicing our art has been invigorating. I’ve also loved watching movies and have felt inspired by the ways artists create new worlds.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I took a few weeks to just be, as best I could. Since then, I’ve been taking time for other creative outlets besides the theatre, including watercolor, photography and long walks seeing parts of New York City I’ve never seen and probably wouldn’t ever see. Some days, I’ve actually researched a place to go at a certain time. The resources required in order to use this time this way have not been taken for granted.

I am co-chair of the board of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA).

We’ve created a plethora of webinars and other online learning opportunities for our members. I taught an Ableton Live class with two other members. Beyond my work with TSDCA, I’ve enrolled in two mixing classes at Berklee School of Music: “Mixing and Mastering in Pro Tools” and “The Art of Mixing.” During the summer, I worked on a virtual concert called Viva Broadway, which was a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

JUST CONFIRMED: Rachel Hauck, Scenic Designer

More info: info: convention.setc.org/keynotes www.setc.org/upcoming More www.setc.org

January / February 2021

4

2021 SETC CONVENTION: STUDENTS

Register Now for 2021 SETC Virtual Secondary School Theatre Festival The 2021 Virtual Secondary School Festival offers a fresh approach to a storied festival.

This year, SETC is inviting up to 200 high schools from across the country to submit 10-minute productions for the festival. Productions can be original scripted plays, devised pieces, or adaptations of publicdomain work.

Adjudicators will review and score in-region and out-of-region schools separately, and a final 16 will be selected (8 in-region, 8 out-of-region) to compete in a showcase, with the top shows in each division receiving awards.

Want to watch the shows?

Participating schools will receive all-access passes to every participating production via an online viewing gallery on SETC’s virtual platform. Anyone registered to attend the convention also will be able to watch the performances.

Ready to enter?

View production guidelines and information on how to register here.

Find Your School at the 2021 SETC Virtual Auditions/Interviews u Undergraduate & Graduate Auditions u Design/Tech/Management/Playwriting Interviews The 2021 SETC Virtual Convention offers both undergraduate and graduate candidates the opportunity to connect with dozens of colleges, universities and training programs from around the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

For the virtual auditions and interviews, candidates will create gallery pages by uploading acting-only or musical theatre audition videos or uploading examples of design, technical, management or playwriting work.

Recruiters will review candidate galleries and request times for callbacks or interviews during the week of the convention. Candidates can also review recruiter gallery pages and request interview times with faculty.

Below are the schools that have registered to attend as of Jan. 15, 2021, and, in parentheses, the auditions/interviews they will be conducting: KEY: U=Undergraduate, G=Graduate, A=Auditions, I=Interviews American Academy of Dramatic Arts (U, G: A) Averett University (U: A) Berry College (U: A, I) Carnegie Mellon University (U, G: I) Clemson University (U: A, I) Columbia University Chicago (U: A, I) Florida School of the Arts (U: A, I) George Mason University (U: A, I) Hofstra University (U: A, I) Hollins University (U, G: A) Hussain College Los Angeles (U: A) The International College of Musical Theatre

(U, G: A) KD Conservatory College of Film &

Dramatic Arts (U: A) Kean University (U: A, I) Limestone University (U: A, I) The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts

(LIPA) (U, G: A, I) Long Island University-Post (U: A, I) Lynn University (U: A) Marietta College (U: A, I) Mississippi State University (U: A, I) New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

(U: A) New York Film Academy (U, G: A)

The Ohio State University (U, G: A, I) Oklahoma City University (U: A, I) Radford University (U: A, I) Reinhardt University (U: A) Southeast Missouri State University, The

Dobbins Conservatory (U: A, I) Southern Arkansas University (U: A, I) Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (U, G: I) Temple University (U, G: I) Touchstone Theatre/Moravian College (G: A) University of Alabama at Birmingham (U: A, I) University of Mobile/Alabama School of the

Arts (U, G: A) University of Nevada, Reno (U: A) University of North Alabama Cinematic Arts

and Theatre (U: A, I) University of South Alabama (U: A) University of South Carolina – Aiken (U: A, I) University of Southern Indiana (U: A, I) University of Tennessee Knoxville/Clarence

Brown Theatre (U, G: I) University of the Arts (U: I) University of West Georgia (U: A, I) University of West Florida (U: A, I) Virginia Commonwealth University (U: A, I; G: I) Winthrop University (U: A, I)

See updates to the list of schools and get more information here.

More info: convention.setc.org www.setc.org

January / February 2021

5

2021 SETC CONVENTION: TEACHERS INSTITUTE

2021 SETC Virtual Teachers Institute

Break Beat Poetry Story Telling and Story Listening for an Anti-Racist Tomorrow

16th Annual SETC Teachers Institute When: Saturday, March 6, 2021.

Time TBA. Where: Online, as part of the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention.

Story telling is the basis of all theatre. Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval will collaborate at the 2021 SETC Virtual Teachers Institute to provide techniques for active story telling and active listening that will empower participants to create stories that come from a place of individual and community representation. These stories will be developed through a combination of lived experiences, spoken word and hip-hop tradition, with a goal of building an anti-racist culture in your classroom, theatre and community.

Join us at the 2021 Teachers Institute for an inspiring, daylong workshop presented on a virtual platform that is easily accessible to theatre educators, students and others from across the country.

Meet the Presenters

Who should attend: Middle and high school teachers who use or integrate theatre techniques into their classrooms; directors of theatre arts programs; teaching artists; and students studying to be theatre educators.

Cost: $95. Convention registration not required.

CEUs: Click here for information on how to obtain CEUs for your participation.

Idris Goodwin is an award-winning playwright, Break Beat poet, director, educator and organizer. In addition to the recently released poetry collection Can I Kick It?, his published works include the play This Is Modern Art, co-written with Kevin Coval. He’s appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC Radio and the Discovery Channel. Goodwin is also a convention keynote. (See Page 2 for more information.)

Kevin Coval is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning, best-selling poet and the author of Everything Must Go: The Life & Death of an American Neighborhood, A People’s History of Chicago and 10 other collections and anthologies. His work has been featured in The New York Times and Source Magazine, as well as on The Daily Show, National Public Radio, CNN.com and four seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.

More info: convention.setc.org www.setc.org

January / February 2021

6

2021 SETC CONVENTION: EDIA INITIATIVES

Bring Your Ideas to EDIA Meetings, Workshops during the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention SETC encourages all members to get involved in our mission to make the organization more inclusive. u ATTEND AN INTEREST GROUP MEETING Learn about our initiatives to foster greater equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in SETC and get involved in our efforts by attending one of the following Interest Area Meetings during the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention. Check the convention website for details on when these groups will meet:

Applied Theatre Ad Hoc Committee Chair: Tenika Dye Burgess, tenikadyeburgess@gmail.com

Black Theatre Committee

SETC is resolutely committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the life and culture of our organization.

Co-Chair: Brian Martin, bmartin@alasu.edu Co-Chair: Yolanda Williams, yolanda.r.williams@jsums.edu

Cultural Diversity Committee Chair: Kyla Kazuschyk, kkazuschyk@lsu.edu Vice-Chair: Elizabeth Watkins, elizabeth.watkins@richlandone.org

Disability Inclusion Committee Chair: Johannah Maynard Edwards, johannahmedwards@gmail.com Vice-Chair: Hannah Williams, mshannahcat@gmail.com

Indigenous and People of Color (IPOC)-Global Majority Theatre Artists Interest Group Co-Chair: Dahlia Al-Habieli, dalhabie@gmail.com Co-Chair: Robert Shryock, rcshryock@okcu.edu

LGBTQ+ in Theatre Committee Co-Chair: El Mock, k.ellamock@gmail.com Co-Chair: Devario Simmons, devario.simmons@gmail.com

Student & Emerging Artists Interest Group Co-Facilitator: Kyla Kazuschyk, kkazuschyk@lsu.edu Co-Facilitator: Mia Self, mlself3@ncsu.edu

Women+ in Theatre Committee Chair: Rowen Haigh, rowen@womenstheatrefestival.com Vice-Chair: Keyanna Alexander, Alexander.keyanna@gmail.com

u JOIN US FOR EDIA WORKSHOPS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS Share your thoughts about race and representation in the theatre industry in a series of panel discussions during the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention. These conversations will survey the industry and identify ways to eradicate racism in our organizations. Topics, panelists, and dates/times to be announced on the convention website. Also check the convention website for numerous scheduled workshops with an EDIA focus.

More info: convention.setc.org www.setc.org

January / February 2021

7

2021 SETC CONVENTION: MARKETING COMMERCIAL VENDORS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS:

Connect with Your Audience at the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention Whether you work at a company that markets to theatres or at an educational institution that recruits students, you’ll find a plethora of innovative sponsorship and advertising opportunities available to your organization through the virtual platform for the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention. Options include:

3 REASONS

We offer three sponsorship packages, which enable you to promote your organization via web ads, email marketing, promotional videos and more.

s s s

to Advertise at the

SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES

1

A LA CARTE OPPORTUNITIES

Promotional Video: $150-750 Produce your own 30-second commercial or announcement to be shown in different locations on our virtual platform.

Sponsor a Session: $1,000 Create and host your own live or recorded 45-minute presentation. You decide the content and the format!

s

Logo Placement: $200 Build recognition by displaying your organization’s logo on the Convention Website, Registration Page and Virtual Platform Homepage (Limited to 5 total).

s s s

3

Networking is focused.

No more searching the expo floor. Get together with anyone from the safety of home.

Convention Sponsor: $2,500 Our full package of marketing opportunities.

s

2

Costs are lower than ever.

No flights, hotels or travel costs. Use your savings to promote your organization!

Event Sponsor: $1,500 Your brand is featured on all communications regarding the sponsored event.

s

Virtual means accessible.

Sharing your message and promoting your business or school has never been easier.

Programming Sponsor: $500 Your brand is featured on all communications about the sponsored programming.

Sponsor an Interest Area Track: $200 Your logo is displayed and you receive recognition in all sessions in that track.

Email Marketing: $1,000 Promote your brand in an email targeted to SETC’s membership.

Website Banner Ad: Various costs Advertise on the convention website or at setc.org.

GET THE FULL DETAILS Click here to download SETC’s Sponsorship and Advertising packet, which provides detailed information on opportunities to reach SETC members at the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention. Questions? Contact Lee Crouse at lee@setc.org.

More info: convention.setc.org/sponsor www.setc.org

January / February 2021

8

SUMMER & OUTDOOR THEATRE AUDITIONS

Registration Is Now Open for SETC’s Summer & Outdoor Theatre Auditions About the Auditions SETC Outdoor Theatre hosts auditions for summer and outdoor theatres looking to cast acting, singing, dancing and stage combat positions.

Interviews are also available for technical positions and internship opportunities.

Both outdoor and indoor theatres are invited to participate.

HYBRID OR VIRTUAL EVENT u MARCH 26 - 27, 2021 Due to COVID-19, the Summer & Outdoor Theatre Auditions have been moved from January to March 26 - 27, 2021. Professional companies surveyed by SETC indicated that they preferred the possibility of an in-person audition in March to a virtual one in January.

Applications are available online for theatre companies. Cost for companies is $210, which includes membership and one rep.

SETC plans to hold a hybrid event, giving auditionees the option to participate in live auditions/interviews in Greensboro, NC, or to participate virtually if they feel unsafe or unable to travel. However, it will move to a fully virtual event if necessary due to COVID-19. SETC asks for all auditionees and tech candidates to upload video auditions, resumes and any portfolio materials. Should SETC have to go fully virtual for COVID-19 safety reasons, we will have everyone’s materials to pass on to the professional companies.

Click the link below to register or to learn more about these auditions.

u u u u

Sign up now to audition Registration deadline: March 15, 2021 Registration fee for auditionees: $55 (300 audition spots available) Pre-registration is required for all performers and technicians All registrations must be completed online via the SETC Application Portal

More information Click the link below for details, including eligibility and application requirements.

More info: outdoor-theatre.org/auditions www.setc.org

January / February 2021

9

THEATRE SYMPOSIUM

Patricia Ybarra Will Keynote 2021 SETC Virtual Theatre Symposium on ‘Theatre and Politics’

SETC THEATRE SYMPOSIUM WHERE: Virtual Conference via Zoom

WHEN:

Weekend of April 9 - 11, 2021

SETC’s 30th annual SETC Theatre Symposium will be held virtually via Zoom the weekend of April 9 - 11. The topic is Theatre and Politics, with participants addressing what constitutes the political, how the political is performed, and how theatre engages with changes in politics over time.

We will examine a variety of questions, such as: What is the historical and ongoing role of theatre in framing our ideas and conversations about politics? How do politics and theatre engage one another in an increasingly mediated landscape?

The keynote speaker for the event is Patricia Ybarra (above left), chair of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University and author of Performing Conquest: Five Centuries of Theater, History and Identity in Tlaxcala, Mexico and Latinx Theatre in the Times of Neoliberalism.

What is Theatre Symposium?

Theatre Symposium is the name of SETC’s annual, peer-reviewed journal as well as its annual gathering of scholars. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, this year’s annual meeting was moved to a virtual event.

How Can You Participate?

Theatre scholars, artists and educators are invited to submit abstracts on issues related to this year’s topic. Deadline for submission is Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. By submitting an abstract, you are applying to participate in the gathering as well as to have the opportunity to submit your completed paper for possible publication in the journal.

For details on submitting an abstract or participating in the Theatre Symposium event, click the link below. If you have questions, contact Editor Chase Bringardner at cab0023@auburn.edu.

More info: www.setc.org/theatre-symposium www.setc.org

January / February 2021

10

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

Alabama Conference of Theatre

Florida Theatre Conference

Georgia Theatre Conference

Cindy Harper

Marci J. Duncan

Ian Andersen

Event: Our annual meeting was held virtually via Google Meets, with keynote speakers and breakout meetings for divisions.

The annual ACTFest Community Theatre Festival was canceled. Our community theatres have been gathering monthly to chat about challenges and creative ways to produce works.

Details about the 2020 Trumbauer High School Festival are below: How did you present your event this year? Virtually. No district festivals this year.

What were your biggest challenges? We set up a new platform this year to accept registrations and upload videos.

We did not hold the one-act and studio theatre competitions but held the 31 individual events.

Video uploads were submitted, judges were given a couple weeks to review, and viewing access to the videos and comments opened on Dec. 5, 2020.

What were your biggest successes? We had 92 schools and 1,281 students participate in the Trumbauer Festival. Over 300 judges contributed their time to watch and comment on the individual videos, providing students and teachers with great feedback.

Event: Florida Theatre Conference How did you present your event this year? Virtually, using the Whova conference app and Zoom video conferencing.

What were your biggest challenges? Executing complex college fair components in order to maintain student engagement and online safety.

What were your biggest successes? Our college auditions were surprisingly smooth. The colleges loved having easy access to audition videos and callbacks.

Based on last year’s numbers, we experienced a 90% return rate among college representatives participating in auditions and college fair.

Event: 54th annual convention: “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore.”

How did you present your event this year? The convention was 100% virtual and hosted by OpenWater.

What were your biggest challenges? Our biggest challenges this year surrounded the significant learning curve of transitioning a traditional inperson convention to a 100% virtual format in a relatively short time frame. In just over two months, with significant help from OpenWater and under the guidance of Dean Slusser, we completely revamped our approach to the convention, developing a whole new series of standards and practices.

What were your biggest successes? Our greatest successes came in our ability to serve our constituency and reach groups and individuals who had previously been unable to attend an in-person convention. There were innovations and new events that were markedly successful. We are currently exploring models for future hybrid conventions that will offer members some of the benefits of convention without having to incur the costs and challenges of travel.

Executive Director

State Representative

State Representative

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations www.setc.org

January / February 2021

11

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

Kentucky Theatre Association

North Carolina Theatre Conference

South Carolina Theatre Association

Jeremy Kisling

Mia Self

Anita Sleeman

Event: Kentucky Theatre Association’s Roots of the Bluegrass: New Play Contest.

How did you present your event this year? Readings were presented over Zoom.

What were your biggest challenges? KTA was unable to host an in-person conference this year and is looking at ways to do programming more virtually as the coronavirus continues.

What were your biggest successes? KTA was thrilled to be able to offer the Roots of the Bluegrass contest in a very challenging year.

Events: High School Play Festival and College Discovery Day. How did you present your event this year? Virtually.

What were your biggest challenges? In addition to creating virtual events for our members, NCTC advocated for resources to support North Carolina’s theatre industry impacted by COVID. What were your biggest successes? Over 29,000 audience members viewed the NCTC High School Play Festival: Virtual Showcase performances. We developed re-opening safety guides for arts organizations and schools, with ArtsNC, NC Arts Council, NC Presenters Consortium and NC Arts Education Leadership Coalition, and secured the largest-ever state funding allocation for the arts by the North Carolina General Assembly. NCTC served as a resource for theatres navigating SBA loan applications, unemployment, CARES Act funding and other emergency services. After 10-plus years of advocacy efforts, we celebrated a new law mandating North Carolina’s first high school graduation requirement for the arts.

Event: 54th annual convention: “Embrace the Unknown.”

How did you present your event this year? Our event was presented virtually using Vimeo, Zoom, Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

What were your biggest challenges? Understanding how we could deliver a quality product over multiple days and still connect our membership.

What were your biggest successes? Our biggest successes were mastering the technology to ensure all events were successful, altering our rules for festivals to allow for successful events, hosting drop-in sessions with theatre masters to provide 15-minute stories, hosting our high school auditions for colleges and universities, and utilizing YouTube to host our awards ceremony at the end of our convention.

State Representative

State Representative

Executive Director

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations www.setc.org

January / February 2021

12

STATE CONVENTION NEWS

Tennessee Theatre Association

Virginia Theatre Association

West Virginia Theatre Association

Allie Michael

Debra Clinton

Fulton Burns

Event: Annual conference.

How did you present your event this year? Our event was 100% virtual this year. We used Zoom to host workshops and guest artist sessions and YouTube for videos related to our festivals, auditions and individual events.

What were your biggest challenges? The biggest challenges were trying to develop guidelines for our festivals to exist in an online format. We also struggled with attendance, mainly due to our constituents experiencing “Zoom fatigue.”

What were your biggest successes? A success of this new virtual format was that individuals, particularly professional actors and those involved in community theatre, were able to attend the conference workshops and guest artist sessions. These individuals were previously unable to attend due to scheduling and financial concerns. We also had successes with our guest artists and were able to bring in multiple guest artists from across the country without having to worry about travel costs.

Event: Annual conference.

How did you present your event this year? Virtually.

What were your biggest challenges? Creating the sense of community and connection people look forward to in an in-person conference.

What were your biggest successes? Actually being able to replicate a sense of community and connection for the students in a time when they are feeling somewhat, if not very, isolated.

ALSO: Teachers got to do more professional development alongside their students.

ALSO: Access to workshops and artists from farther afield.

Event: Annual conference.

How did you present your event this year? Virtually.

What were your biggest challenges? The biggest challenges were motivating participation – it was just too hard for schools and community theatres to produce shows this fall.

What were your biggest successes? The shows presented were innovative works for online streaming performances. All members were socially distanced while still providing creative and entertaining performances.

Overall, we are proud of all the work that has been created while facing a global pandemic.

Executive Director

President

State Representative

Look for the Mississippi Theatre Association report in the March/April issue of SETC News.

More info: www.setc.org/state-organizations www.setc.org

January / February 2021

13

NEW SETC OFFICERS

Cast Your Vote for New Officers at March 6 SETC Business Meeting

Tiza Garland

Please take a few minutes to review SETC’s proposed slate of officers for 2021-2022.

The officers and the Nominations Committee members pictured below will be presented for a vote by SETC’s membership at the 2021 SETC Virtual Convention during the annual SETC Business Meeting, which will be held virtually in the afternoon on Saturday, March 6.

2020- 202 1

2021 - 2022 Slate of Officers

NOM IN AT IONS COM M IT T EE C HA I R

A special thanks to the members who served with me on the 2020 - 2021 Nominations Committee this year: President

Maegan McNerney Azar

Rebecca Beasley

Annette Grevious

Scott Hayes

Dennis Wemm

VP, Administration

Kris Rau McIntyre

VP, Equity & Inclusion

VP, Finance

VP, Services

Adanma Onyedike Barton

Jonathan Michaelsen

Neno Russell

Secretary

Past President

VP, States*

VP, Divisions*

Ginger Poole

Jeff Gibson

Jeremy Kisling

Lynn Nelson

* Nominees for these offices are submitted by the Nominations Committee, confirmed by the States Council and Divisions Council at the convention, and presented at the SETC Business Meeting.

2021 - 2022 Nominations Committee

Marci J. Duncan, Ex Officio Member

Ex Officio Member**

Chair**

Johannah Maynard Edwards

Andre Minkins

Cedric Rembert

Elizabeth Watkins

** Appointed by the President following the vote at the annual SETC Business Meeting.

Bios and more info: www.setc.org/leadership www.setc.org

January / February 2021

14

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN: GUEST COLUMNIST

Invisible for Too Long Give Indigenous People a ‘Seat at the Table’

Tracy Barber-Ward GUE ST C O L U M N IS T

FROM SETC PRESIDENT MAEGAN MCNERNEY AZAR: Guest columnist Tracy Barber-Ward has been invited to share her perspective as an Indigenous theatre artist in the space normally reserved for the President’s column.

In future issues of SETC News, we will include the voices of additional guest columnists in a new column, “Perspectives.”

Many years ago, I worked on a production of Peter Pan. The play is rife with problems surrounding Indigenous representation, but the white director and costume designer had come up with what they thought was a good solution for the Indians that Peter and Wendy encounter in their trip through Neverland: The Indians would wear “authentic” Native American costumes, but with “colorful aspects of European clothing” added. The result, they said, was that the Indians would look fantastical instead of realistic.

The scene was performed by non-Natives wearing wigs and dancing steps vaguely based in Native dance, though filtered through a white choreographer. What it looked like from an Indigenous perspective was a singing, dancing representation of colonialism: a visual statement about the erasure of Native culture at the hands of European colonizers. I desperately wanted to say something. But the members of the creative team were older and more powerful in the theatre company; I was new and young. I produced the costumes and remained silent.

Looking back, I don’t believe there was any intentional offense in the choices surrounding that production. They had just failed to include an Indigenous person or group in the conversation.

The theatre industry works hard to be inclusive, and I believe there has been a lot of meaningful progress – except where Native Americans are concerned. Perhaps it is an “out of sight, out of mind” issue. Native Americans make up only 1.7% of the population of the U.S. and are virtually invisible on college campuses. This invisibility, combined with the romanticized exoticism fabricated in the historical media so often used as research, has created a well-meaning but ill-informed industry.

Ally-ship is important, certainly, but giving a seat at the table to tribal organizations or members would be a much stronger way to give voice to an underrepresented group, whether a theatre is choosing a new season of plays, selecting a guest artist or designing a production of Peter Pan. Tracy Barber-Ward is the costume director for the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts and a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan.

Links that provide additional perspectives on the experience of Native Americans: ‘The People Making It Are Indigenous, but Indigenous Is Not a Genre’ - New York Times Seeing Native Americans Nowhere, and Everywhere - New York Times How Native Americans in the Arts Are Preserving Tradition in a Changing World - L.A. Times Ask Who Paid for America’s Universities - New York Times

More info: see links above www.setc.org

January / February 2021

15

SETC FINANCES AND FUNDRAISING

Join Us, and Get Energized for a Comeback!

EX E CUTIV E D IR EC T O R

CONTRIBUTORS TO SETC THIS FISCAL YEAR: Emily Baden Jesse Bates Debi Belanger Tom Booth Emma Brown Janet Cohen Katie Collins J.K. Curry Dominique Dawson Chip Egan Dan Ellison Pat Gagliano Nancy Gall-Clayton Jeff Gibson Aaron Gotlieb Jennifer Gould Rowen Haigh Scott Hayes Darlin Kalmes Kathryn Kawecki Kyla Kazuschyk Colleen Kelly Sheila Kerrigan Jeremy Kisling Greta Lambert Russell Luke Britton Lynn Johannah Maynard Edwards Chad McDonald * Kris Rau McIntyre Mike Murphy Field Oldham Mia Self * Dean Slusser Brandon Smith John Spiegel Alan Spitzer Clay Thornton Meredith Vaughn Kate Webb Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder Sara York ArtsGreensboro Arts People Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance DeLong Rigging Solutions Estate of Herman D. Middleton IA Stage Paul Green Foundation * Denotes Monthly Contributor

www.setc.org

Thanks to past solid financial leadership, SETC will hold steady for now, but we are absolutely expecting to be in the red this year. To be proactive in saving our pennies, we’ve moved out of our office to save on rent and have stripped down our operating expenses to bare bones.

But despite the difficult times, SETC is energized by the anticipation of our industry re-opening and our constituents getting back to work. We are mustering all we’ve got to put together an amazing virtual convention designed to be of service and value to members, providing opportunities for inspiration and invigoration! We look forward to sharing that optimism and encourage all to engage and participate.

To help, we have instituted the following fee changes: u Early Bird pricing will hold until convention and will not increase. u The extra $20 fee for Professional Auditions and Theatre Job Fair has been eliminated.

In addition, we are working to assist anyone with financial hardship. We do not want anyone to be left out! We know many people are struggling, and we want to help. If you are in need, please complete a Fee Waiver Application in the SETC Application Portal.

Convention is always an exciting time, filled with a sense of hope, connection and achievement. It will be no different this year as our community gathers to network, train, audition/interview and present our work. Most importantly, we’ll be celebrating the beginning of our industry comeback. We hope you’ll join us!

s

Susie Prueter

It’s hard to believe that our beloved industry has been shuttered for close to a year.

We are all treading water, waiting for the industry to make a comeback.

Thanks to Those Who Have Donated to SETC We share our heartfelt thanks with those listed to the left for contributing to SETC this fiscal year. We are so grateful for your support and goodwill! To make a contribution to SETC’s Operating Account or to a Scholarship/Awards Fund, please visit www.setc.org/donate.

More info: setc.org/donate January / February 2021

16

MAKE A DONATION TO SETC

WE NEED YOUR HELP! YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

WE ARE 110% COMMITTED TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, INCLUSION, AND THE CRAFT OF THEATRE. It is rare that a non-profit organization operates like SETC. We rely very little on fundraising, but rather we sustain on event registrations. However, these times of industry shutdown and social quarantine make it apparent that we are going to need a helping hand.

HOW WE IMPACT THE INDUSTRY •

SETC connects many emerging artists with their first professional job.

•

•

SETC helps students be recruited by their dream college, university, or program.

•

•

SETC provides training and workshops to inspire career trajectory.

•

SETC offers commercial opportunities for realized business growth.

•

SETC fosters collaboration to face challenges and bring forth new ideas.

•

SETC organizes hiring events for theatres and production companies of all sizes to produce their best possible work.

SETC promotes and nurtures networking moments turning new colleagues into artistic collaborators.

SETC creates experiences where everyone feels accepted and free to flourish as theatremakers.

MAKE A GIFT TO SETC

setc.org/donate

More info: setc.org/donate www.setc.org

January / February 2021

17

MISCELLANEOUS

Connecting You to Opportunities in Theatre Nationwide

Central Office SETC 5710 W. Gate City Blvd.

Suite K, Box 186 Greensboro NC 27407 336-265-6148 info@setc.org Susie Prueter susie@setc.org Executive Director Lee Crouse lee@setc.org Educational Services/Sponsorships Clay Thornton clay@setc.org Marketing/Advertising Chris Bailey chris@setc.org Communications/Website Bradley Branham bradley@setc.org Programming Elizabeth Theodora elizabeth@setc.org Membership/Technology Nicole Francis nicole@setc.org Accounts Receivable/Payable Debi Belanger debi@setc.org Data Assistant General Questions info@setc.org

Executive Committee Maegan McNerney Azar President Jack Benjamin VP of Administration Pat Gagliano VP of Services Jonathan Michaelsen VP of Finance Ginger Poole Secretary Jeff Gibson Elected Past President Kris Rau McIntyre VP of States Tom Booth VP of Divisions

Changes and Opportunities with SETC Publications: Southern Theatre and Convention Program As part of our continual efforts to shore up our operating budget during the pandemic, SETC is moving Southern Theatre, our quarterly member magazine, from four mailings per year to three. This year, we will produce a Winter issue, a Spring/Summer combined issue and a Fall issue. Publication dates are January, May and October 2021.

The Spring/Summer magazine will include a new Company Directory that will list theatre industry-related companies that work with SETC members and partners. This insert will be similar in format to the annual College, University & Training Program Directory that is included in the Winter issue of the magazine.

Due to the move to a virtual SETC Convention in 2021, SETC will not produce its printed Convention Program this year. We encourage those who traditionally advertised in the program to look to the expanded Spring/Summer issue of Southern Theatre as a high-profile opportunity to reach members via print. The deadline for purchasing an ad in the Spring/Summer issue is Feb. 15, 2021. Contact Clay Thornton at clay@setc.org for ad space reservations.

Apply now for 2021 - 2022 SETC Scholarships Planning to attend college or graduate school in 2021 - 2022? Applications are being accepted until April 1 for six undergraduate and graduate SETC scholarships. Click here to learn more and to apply.

In Memoriam Robert Osei-Wusu, technical director for South Carolina State University’s drama program for 41 years, died in December 2020. He was a member of SETC and the South Carolina Theatre Association during his career. Sympathy expressions: Rosemary Osei-Wusu, 10414 Montrose Dr., Charlotte, NC 28264.

Thomas E. “Tom” Orr, a teacher of English and theatre for 32 years at Hendersonville High School in North Carolina, died Jan. 3, 2021, at 81. A longtime SETC member, he served as SETC president in 1985-1986. Details: www.shulerfuneralhome. com/obituary/thomas-tom-edward-orr.

A. Lynn Lockrow, professor emeritus and former lighting and scenic designer at Auburn University, died Jan. 3, 2021, at 75.

Also active in outdoor theatre, Lockrow was a longtime member of SETC, serving as Auditions Committee chair, among other roles. Details: www.twifordfh.com/arthur-lynn-lockrow.

Send your news to deanna@setc.org www.setc.org

January / February 2021

18