What It Takes to Run a Festival (and What It Takes to Produce in One)
Thursday, June 13th, 2019 - doors open at 7pm for networking, panel starts at 7:30
Polaris North Theatre, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th floor, NYC
With confirmed panelists Suzanna Bowling, producing manager for NYTheaterfest (Summerfest, Winterfest); Cate Cammarata, literary manager TRU Voices Reading Series; Gene Fisch, Jr., festival director New York New Works Theatre Festival; West Hyler, producing artistic director of New York Musical Festival (NYMF); Lou Lopardi, executive director of Fresh Fruit Festival; Clara Elser, festival coordinator Dream Up Festival at Theatre for the New City.
This panel will approach the festival scene from two different angles. First we'll hear the history, background and purpose of the festivals run by the guest speakers, how the producing environment perhaps has changed over the years and how their organizations adapted to maintain sustainability. Then we'll look at the festival scene as a hotbed of opportunity for the development of new work. Which festivals provide the best environment for your production? How do you submit, what are the deadlines, and what are some of the secrets to giving your submission a competitive edge? Once accepted, what is expected of you? More importantly, what goals along your developmental path can you reasonably expect to achieve from a festival showcase? And how do you distinguish yourself in the marketplace so that once you build it, they really will come?
Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm - come prepared with your best 30-second summary of who you are, and what you need. Free for TRU members;
$12.50 for non-members in advance ($15 at door). Please use the bright red reservation box on our web page, or email or phone at least a day in advance (or much sooner): e-mail
TRUStaff1@gmail.com / phone 833-506-5550
Panelists
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SUZANNA BOWLING
is dedicated to helping the development of new works as producing manager of NYTheaterfest, which offers seasonal festivals in a creatively supportive environment: Winterfest and Summerfest. She also co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog.
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CATE CAMMARATA
is an Off-Broadway producer, director and dramaturg in NYC, dedicated to the development of new plays and musicals. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of CreateTheater's 2022 New Works Fest, the Associate Artistic Director for Rhymes Over Beats Hip Hop Theater Collective and has been the Literary Manager for Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) for ten years. Off-Broadway: The Assignment, My Father's Daughter. Regional: My Life Is a Musical (Bay Street Theater). Cate's company CreateTheater, has been helping writers develop and produce new work since 2016. During the shutdown of 2020-2022 CreateTheater developed and/or produced more than 70 shows with online readings, workshops and dramaturgical guidance. For this work Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) has honored her with the TRU Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2022. Cate holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from SUNY Stony Brook and is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at CUNY Baruch College. www.CateCammarata.com www.CreateTheater.com
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CLARA ELSER
is a New York based theatre and teaching artist. She received an M.F.A in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College, focusing primarily on new and devised work. For the past three years, she has served as the Festival Coordinator for Theater for the New City's annual Dream Up Festival. She holds a B.A. in Drama from Kenyon College.
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GENE FISCH JR.
has been a passionate fan of the arts his entire life. Though only as a hobby these past ten years, he has either produced, directed, or invested in 100+ shows during that span, most all at the Off Broadway and Broadway levels. Philanthropy being his primary focus, he was the lead producer for Carnegie Hall performance / Album that donated the proceeds to establish music programs in NYC schools. He has two television pilots in his repertoire, one of which was his directorial debut that was funded for four episodes by a group who worked for ABC. Fisch is particularly fond of his work directing the Off Broadway parody of the television show, “Dexter”. Subsequent to being part of the Broadway producing team for High starring Kathleen Turner, Gene founded The New York New Works Theatre Festival, helping over 1,000 artists by giving them a shot on a top tier stage (historically the Duke and Acorn Theaters). Three shows from NYNW’s stages are on their way to Broadway and one (“12 Angry Voices” produced by his mentor and panelist, Lauren Class Schneider) is generating traction for its national tour. Submissions are free and NYNW outlays most all of the upfront costs with the hopes that the NYNW stage is only the first step of the project's journey (Numerous shows have moved forward). Every submission is reviewed by at least one Broadway producer. Gene has led a wonderfully diverse career outside of the arts and currently teaches Engineering Technogenesis at the Stevens Institute of Technology. "The bottom line is that theatre is awesome and if there is a way that we can help someone take their art to the next level while having a ton of fun, we’re all in!" nynwtheatrefestival.com
