Community Arts

Yes, we feel that we achieved our artistic goals with this project, which culminated in a 6 performance run at Red Eye. We feel we created a new performance work that integrated puppets and masks as “integral storytelling elements” in order to “illuminate the major questions and themes within the work”, and that we successfully integrated “ensemble-driven storytelling, masks, and puppetry to illuminate our key questions”. We feel our success was supported by positive responses from critics and audiences: "[I]f, like me, you enjoy something a little unusual and fantastical, something that is alternately funny and serious, ridiculous, decadent, and fabulous ... get thee to Red Eye Theater and give yourself over to the magic..”-Liz Byron, Aisle Say Twin Cities blog (https://aislesaytwincities.com/2016/12/03/the-sleeping-beauty-in-the-wo…) “This devastatingly beautiful, compassionate, witty, subversive, and exquisitely imagined play about the struggle for human dignity is not playing long (it closes December 11), but if you can get down to the Red Eye Theater in time, go see it. It will blow your mind and break your heart at the same time.” -Kit Bix, Talkin’ Broadway Regional Reviews blog (https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/minn/minn534.html). Jack Zipes, nationally-recognized scholar of fairy tales/professor emeritus at University of Minnesota wrote an e-mail to the artistic director: “Personally, I felt that the staging and the acting were superb. The spoof of Perrault's ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and other variants was very well done, and the entire question of gender stereotypes and gender bending was delightfully provocative. I think you have a good company and look forward to your new productions.” We also feel that we successfully curated “a rehearsal environment of collective artistic ownership,” as illuminated in the responses from the anonymous surveys that our collaborators took post-production, where 100% strongly agreed or agreed that they felt they “participated in a rehearsal process that was inclusive and collaborative” and felt that their “ideas, thoughts, and opinions were heard and listened to during the rehearsal process.” The biggest challenge that we faced was that this was our largest production to date – our previous production was a two-person play at a small cabaret venue for a one week run, using a small group of long-time collaborators. This time, we were in a full-sized venue with a two week run, with several new collaborators (and a much larger cast and design team). We think at least one more week of rehearsal would be necessary when we undertake a similar project, in order to give our new performers/collaborators more time to get used to our non-traditional rehearsal process, and also give us more time to dramaturgically work out a challenging new script on our feet. We would also not have performances in the month of chilly/snowy December, which is not a good time to curate new audiences for unknown work (see 5). We feel we reached our intended community for participants; numbers of participating artists were a few higher than originally estimated. During audition process, we encouraged artists of all backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities and gender identities to audition, and we didn’t require a paper resume and head shot. All roles were gender, age, and race blind cast. Over half of participants were women and at least a quarter identified as GLBTQ; participants came from range of zip codes/neighborhoods. While we didn’t reach our audience projection of 240, in hind sight we feel that this estimation might have been too ambitious for a theatre company of our size; we feel that the weather and timing of the production was also a huge detriment (see 5). In future, a projection of 200-225 might be a more realistic goal. 192 people purchased tickets online; 181 attended. 26 filled out the audience surveys included in program. Surveys showed that audiences came from diverse neighborhoods/zip codes and socio-economic backgrounds. On the contrary, 92% of our audiences identified as Caucasian; 92% had bachelors or graduate degree. Half attend 12+ performance events/yr., and half attended because they knew someone in the production. Facebook proved to be the most effective platform in which they heard about the show. We notified several GLBTQ organizations and groups about this queer- and feminist-themed production, dropped off postcards and posters at many area queer-friendly coffee houses, and posted ticket deals on queer-inclusive pages on Facebook. Some audience identified as non-binary in the audience surveys, and we recognized several audience members from the local queer community. However, in order to strengthen/grow this community, we need to officially partner with other GLBTQ groups and organizations on future productions. Additionally, while we contacted undergraduate theatre programs about the production, we feel that in order to grow our community here we also need to partner with theatre-oriented schools/youth organizations, by offering free ticket deals to organizations like Project SUCCESS, and schools like Saint Paul Conservatory of Performing Arts, Perpich Center for Arts Education, and South High School. Our performance venue was ADA-accessible, with easy wheelchair access and walker accessibility, plentiful street parking, and located on multiple bus lines. We informed VSA Minnesota of the production, and we advertised on all promotional materials that an ASL interpreted performance would be arranged (with 3 weeks’ notice), and that large print programs would be made available (with 48 hours’ notice). We educated our audience about our rehearsal process on our blog at least once per week, we promoted an open rehearsal, we included director’s notes in the program, and we hosted 2 artist-and-audience talk-back sessions. We felt these ventures were successful in making our work accessible to an audience, and would continue all of this in the future. Didn’t quite meet audience goal; exceeded participant goal. Asked participants to do anonymous survey post-show; 6 responded. 100% strongly agreed or agreed they “participated in a rehearsal process that was inclusive and collaborative” and felt their “ideas, thoughts, and opinions were heard and listened to during the rehearsal process.” 100% said they would work on another project with the company.