Community Arts Network Website Closing

August 31, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

It was announced today that on September 6th the Community Arts Network (CAN) website will be closing. CAN has been a great resource for me in the past year as I learn more about community-based arts and what was the history of the movement, along with all the great work that is currently happening. I have referred many students to their Places to Study page to see what schools are offering degrees in arts and community/civic dialogue. I am even having my Introduction to Theatre students read field notes about two LA community-based theaters that was written for the Grassroots Ensemble Theater Research Project.

Linda Frye Burnham and Steven Durland stated “we have spent much of the past year trying to develop a stable environment for CAN to move forward, but in the current economic environment those efforts have not been fruitful. With no money for staffing or basic operational costs we have no choice but to stop. It is our plan to seek funding for the purposes of preserving the CAN’s content in an online archive so it can be accessible, but until we find such funding the site will be dark. We will attempt to accomplish this task as soon as possible.

We hope this decision does not signal the end of efforts to establish a CAN 2.0 that will build on CAN¹s history and network and provide vital services for the network that has developed around CAN during the past 11 years. There has been much hard and significant work done in that direction by extremely dedicated people and we hope they will continue to move forward with those plans.

It does signal that we, Linda and Steven, will not be in the leadership of that process. We sincerely hope those efforts continue, and we will contribute what wisdom we have as it might be found useful, but we can no longer be a driving force in that process. We have initiated a CAN Facebook page where were inviting folks to post information and to initiate and participate in discussions.”

Filed under: Acting, Chicago, Civic Theater, Devised Work, Educational Theater, Ensemble, Los Angeles, New Works, New York, Theater/Theatre
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Pilots’ Income = Actors’ Income

July 14, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

“The only reason people stay flying (or acting) is because they love it and management (theaters with executive directors making $400,000) take advantage of that.”

“I took out $100,000 and by the time I pay it back at this rate, it will cost me well over $500,000 with interest and fees and penalties, it something I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it because it is one way I get down really quickly about my chosen field.”

Filed under: Acting, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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The Future Of Theatre

June 2, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

The below video put me over the edge. It started when I was taking an applied theater course at NYU. Learning about the work of Rhodessa Jones and Cornerstone Theater Company, I saw theater in context of true community. Being raised in the commercial theater context, I believed that participating in theater and community meant going to watch a play and sit in a dark theater, and then leave afterward with very little interaction with the other people there.

Soon after I signed up to attend Sojourn Theatre Summer Institute, I read the below quote from artistic director Michael Rohd, “One thing that gets said a lot about theatre is that a bunch of people come into a room and they laugh and they cry together in the dark, and that builds community. But I’m starting to think that’s bullshit: People crave something that involves more than sitting and watching.” I will be participating in a six day workshop June 21-26th, in Portland. This will be a time where I will determine if my artistic journey will take on a new path. To quote Cameron, one “not out of economic necessity, but out of deep, organic conviction that the work [I am] called to do can not be accomplished in the traditional hermetic arts environment.” To dive deep into becoming the professional hybrid artist that I feel I am already becoming. To become the person I already am.

My goal is to blog daily about the experience with my work at Sojourn, even though my days will be packed with ensemble work during the day and observing rehearsals in the evenings. Here is a little about the show Sojourn is creating, from their website. “On the Table is a theatre production involving inter-city travel, public dialogue, video and participation within the performance itself. Sojourn Theatre, in partnership with Molallas Arts Commission, The City of Portland and numerous local and statewide organizations, is creating this original world premiere theatrical event as an opportunity to start conversations that bridge urban/rural Oregon and wrestle with issues of identity, resources, values, and governance. Exploring the histories and connectedness of community partner sites Portland and Molalla, it goes beyond metaphorical bridge-building to physically move audiences across urban/rural boundaries.

Act I occurs simultaneously in Portland and Molalla, with a cast of actors performing for a fifty person audience in Portland, and a separate cast of actors performing for a fifty person audience in Mollala. Act 1 tells the stories of two families, one in each community, in the year 1975. Act 2 puts both audiences on buses with the actors driving towards each other. Act 2 brings the stories of these two fictional families from 1975 up to the present, so that when the buses arrive at a location halfway between Portland and Molalla, the story has reached the current moment of 2010. Act 3 brings all 100 audience members together, seated at tables of ten; each table consists of five Portlanders seated next to five Molallans. The play concludes, strangers meet and share a meal during this final act, and the buses then take everyone home.”

Some of my favorite quotes from the video:
We are engaged in a fundamental reformation.

Move from a time of audience numbers plummeting, but the number of art participants, people who write poetry, who sing songs, who perform in church choirs is exploding beyond our wildest imaginations. These people are being called PRO-AMs: Amateur artists doing work at a professional level.

We live in a world not defined by consumption, but by participation.

We have tended to polarize the amateur and the professional, the single most exciting development in the last five to ten years has been the rise of the professional hybrid artist. The professional artist who does not work mainly in the concert halls but around women’s rights or human rights around global warming issues or AIDS relief or more.

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Filed under: Acting, Arts Entrepreneur, Chicago, Civic Theater, Creativity, Devised Work, Educational Theater, Ensemble, Los Angeles, NYU Steinhardt, New Works, New York, Theater/Theatre
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Ford Foundation Grants to Aid Arts Spaces and Their Communities

April 4, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

At first this announcement from the Ford Foundation about a new $100 million grant scared me:

“As part of an effort to increase the impact of its giving, the Ford Foundation is to announce a plan on Monday to dedicate $100 million to the development of arts spaces nationwide over the next decade. The plan is by far the largest commitment the foundation has ever made to the construction, maintenance and enhancement of arts facilities.”

Oh great, more money poured into building new buildings. But then the article turned a corner:

“In addition to helping arts groups build new spaces and renovate and expand old ones, the latest initiative aims to encourage the construction of affordable housing for artists in or around some of these spaces and to spur economic development in their surrounding areas.”

“That group, Artspace Projects, has received more than $1 million toward, among other things, transforming an abandoned public school in East Harlem into such a development, in partnership with El Barrio’s Operation Fightback, a New York community organization.”

“The project is to include 72 units of housing for artists and their families and a large space that can be used for art exhibitions, cultural events, conferences and gatherings of community groups.”

“I think people are beginning to understand that spaces for artists and art are more than just buildings, structures,” she said ["Judilee Reed, executive director of LINC]. “The way these spaces animate their communities and the relationships they have to their communities is ripe for development.”

Maybe this is the beginning of something to get excited about.

Filed under: Arts Entrepreneur, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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NYLACHI Theater At Its Best

January 22, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

NYLACHI is an acronym coined in the theatrosphere to describe the theater ecosystem in New York, Loa Angeles, and Chicago. The insanity that is this video is a good visual demonstration for the need for decentralization of theater.

Filed under: Acting, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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Self-Producing Theater Artists

January 7, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

The talk of the “town” is the new TDF book Outrageous Fortune, waiting for my copy in the mail. From what I am hearing it is a grim look in the life of a playwright and the state of affairs for new works in American theater. It has gotten director Isaac Butler to declare, “If I want to make a living from theater, going the institutional route is almost certainly the way to do it” and “I no longer wish to pursue making a living as a theatre director in the American Theatre Industry.” J. Holtham quotes it numerous times and states,

Plays are finished in production. Period. I think just about everyone can agree with that. That’s why this discussion matters. It’s part of the Pursuit of the Hit Play, the perfect, unit set, small cast play about large themes and big issues that will run forever and provide subsidies for the original theatre in perpetuity. So much of our industry is oriented in this direction, it’s like a black hole, pulling everything that has worked in the past to create just those kinds of plays and better ones out of whack. This is the insurmountable problem that I was talking about. And the system goes around and around. Unless, you hop off the merry-go-round, write your plays and produce them. Spots, problems, mistakes and all. And learn. That’s the way I’m going this year.

While all this I agree with, what I can’t get out of my head, is the idea of self-producing in large markets. Does Los Angeles, Chicago and New York really need another theater, no matter what kind of theater it produces? I know this has been beaten over the head by the likes of The Prof, and Doug Hall has been doing it for eighteen years in Chicago, but I think it is going to be the next issue that is addressed once all the new self-producing theater artists get going, and there’s the rub.

Butler’s thoughts are similar to my own. The one difference becomes that I am married with an infant. For the last eight months, I have not been able to do any theater except for one understudy gig because I was allowed to not be at rehearsals when I needed to be home with the baby, as my wife works three nights a week as a nurse. The downtime has caused more reflection and conversation in the theatrosphere. We will be moving back to Los Angeles this summer, as we are from there and her parents live there. While that gives us support, and potential time for me to work in theater, for me to be a freelance professional actor, I have to ask myself the question The Prof asked Butler, “does my dream of directing acting full-time include the non-stop travel that such a career seems to demand, at least if you are participating in the regional theater circuit. How often do you want to be away from your family for 4 – 6 weeks at a time?” The answer seems to become self-produce or move on. Butler continues,

The Mission Paradox blog had a fantastic post awhile ago that I can’t find for some reason where he discussed that the fundamental problem of many theatre companies is that their hidden mission is simply to propagate their members’ work and help their careers and thus they begin to fall apart when they move towards actually fulfilling whatever it is their stated mission is because it turns out none of their founders were actually interested in that in the first place. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to start a company devoted to Me. I mean, I guess I could like the do in the dance world and just start The Isaac Butler Company or whatever, but I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.

Personally, that is why the idea of the smaller markets of Portland, Austin, and Philly are intriguing, and ever more still are the rural markets of less than 100k, where one could raise a family, be part of a community, and possibly create theater. But then again, leaving Los Angeles puts us in the same position we are now in, no support. This may change over time as kids get older, but for now I am on a quest, to explore and examine how self-producing, entrepreneurial artists are making theater, where, and what kind of theater they are creating. The research list includes: Community Supported Theatre at Stolen Chair Theater, New Leaf Theatre, New Works/New Communities at California Shakespeare Festival, Cornerstone Theater Company, and Cambiare Productions, just to name a view. Always love to hear more.

In the end, the artist’s passion will lead the way. Holtham sums it up well, “find the solution that fits for you. You have to figure out what you value, what the priorities are and follow them where they take you.”

ERPA Clip 5 Jon Stancato/Stolen Chair Theatre Company from The Field on Vimeo.

Filed under: Acting, Arts Entrepreneur, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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True Community Theater?

December 25, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

Given the reputation as one who is possibly more tenacious than The Prof about the necessity to make artists part of a community, I could not pass up reflecting on Tom Loughlin’s post about the 2008 NEA survey. Loughlin’s reflection/passion reminds me of a need for what Cornerstone Theater Company did between 1986-1991. According to their website, they created twelve musical productions in ten states. These shows were epic interactions between classic plays and specific American communities: Moliere’s disintegrating and combative families in the Kansas farmland, Shakespeare’s civil strife in the streets of Mississippi, and Aeschylus’ ancient rituals on a modern Native American reservation.

“With each of the 13 communities that Cornerstone visited, one of their goals was to leave behind a group of local people, experienced in how to do theater and infused with the love and understanding of “community theater”. The community residents involved with Peer Gynt formed Stage East upon Cornerstone’s departure. Beginning with their first performance of Play Boy of the Western World in the fall of 1990, Stage East has provided a wide range of theater, three and four productions every year, involving audiences and young people and adults both on and back stage, in the creativity and excitement of the theater experience.” (Stage East Bio, Picture from production of Peer Gynt)

During graduate school, my Applied Theater class watched a documentary on Cornerstone’s work during that time and it has stuck with me. Due in part to the cast being a mix of professional actors from Cornerstone and the community members, it was even more of an incentive to attend the production as the audience wanted to see their fellow community members, but also the productions were speaking to the issues within the specific community. The power of communal storytelling created a “reality that people who don’t go to the theatre really, truly don’t want [wanted] to go to the theatre”. I have been wondering if what Cornerstone did could be replicated over twenty years later. Is there enough artists out there who would be willing? What would such a project look like now? Does it have to be a traveling company? Can the same work be done within the community in which the theater practitioners live or are the theater artists minds focused on the gigs that will get them to NY/LA/Chicago? I am concerned that if the mindset/work of theater practitioners continue to focus on those reflected in the NEA study, true community theater will be lost.

Below is a paragraph from Loughlin’s post. There is no summary I can give that would give this post justice. All I can do is to implore you to read it.

Hopefully by pointing all this out I have given the theatre world a holiday gift it can truly appreciate – the assuaging of their guilt. Once you fully understand the reality that people who don’t go to the theatre really, truly don’t want to go to the theatre, you can then stop feeling guilty about declining attendance, lack of diversity, class inequities and the like. After all, don’t you really want to produce theatre for those who want to be there, and can afford to be there? Isn’t that what counts? Isn’t that where the road to your professional success truly lies? You don’t really want the American public in your theatres, do you? Why, that might mean getting theatre out into America, and having more artists live out in America, and meet everyday Americans of all sorts of backgrounds and income levels and ethnic backgrounds and political persuasions – and what an inconvenience that would be! I mean, you just can’t get a good bagel and a smear out there! – What’s all the fuss about? (Or why the NEA study shows how successful we are!)

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Filed under: Acting, Chicago, Graduate School, Los Angeles, New York, Shakespeare, Theater/Theatre
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Acting Twitter Conversation

September 27, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

Had an interesting twitter conversation that I thought the blog readers would like.

@dennisbaker: 30 year old actress on @suzeormanshow incurred $30,000. Her excuse, “I thought I would book something”. C’mon #actors get real!

@dennisbaker: Actress: “I was hoping I could just book one of these commercials” @suzeormanshow: “Hope is not a finical plan.”

@dennisbaker: Actress on @suzeormanshow makes $9/hr. #Actors learn skills that U cn #freelance at an hourly that allows U 2 pay bills & pursue acting

@bwaysaint: I can believe it – I’m $25K in debt & paying it down. You can still “hope” no matter what Suze says.Keeps u positive & focused

@bwaysaint: You just can’t rely on JUST “hope.”

@dennisbaker: @bwaysaint I think U make the same point Orman is making. The mindset of going in2 debt until “I book that commercial” is hope w/out action.

@bwaysaint: Exactly. I still hope for that opp. that will take me out of it, but I’ve stopped spending…had to. I was drowning! lol

@__dana__: @daniellecasting Question Pls– about the prevalence of “national” commercials these days, and earnings abilities for commercial actors?

@daniellecasting: @__dana__wellll.. If they book it yes!! They could do two or three and be good

@daniellecasting: @__dana__ it’s a crap shoot like everything else in our business

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ @daniellecasting Is that is book 2-3 commercials a month for rent? Realistic?

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ @daniellecasting What I keep hearing is the days of the $40,000-$50,000 national commercial are over.

@daniellecasting: @dennisbaker you know honestly it depends u get lucky ur what the director is looking for ur good. The more u go out the better the chances.

@daniellecasting: @dennisbakerbut yes u can still make that money not often as b4 but u can

@__dana__: @dennisbaker YesI keep hearing that too! That’s why I asked her. (you, Danielle) That makes me hesitant to advise it as “fallback career”

@__dana__: @dennisbaker I am not certain that #actors can make a living in commercials these days. @daniellecasting Do you think? Solely from them?

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ When has anything acting related bn considered a fallback career?

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ Annual Median income of a AEA actor is $0 dollars a year. http://tinyurl.com/yew4oun My guess is SAG actors are not too far off.

@__dana__: @dennisbaker Interesting to investigate. I think SAG #actors make more, simply cuz film always pays more than theatre. But not sure, average

@__dana__: @dennisbaker Commercials have been “fallback” career, as long as I was in the business.Many actors in NY + LA used to earn there, as living

@__dana__: @dennisbaker When I was actively in the business, my consistent income, before I got ‘series regular’ type level, was voiceovers. Back up.

@__dana__: @dennisbaker Think she [@daniellecasting] means 2-3 National Commercials a year–because nationals (vs regional, et al) pay a residual evry airing-

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ I see what you mean. I would also say the percentage of actors, that have acting related back-up jobs, are small.

@__dana__: @dennisbaker I think you are right, but I do know that it’s very diff in NY and LA. I heard the other nite at a SAG event-NY actors grt av $

@__dana__: @dennisbaker I think it also depends on whether an #actor has representation, and the quality and status of their representative.

@dennisbaker: @__dana__ Luv to hear any SAG stats you can get. I agree, 10 yrs ago commercials were considered backup work.

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Filed under: Acting, Auditioning, Los Angeles, New York, Social Media, Web 2.0
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Freelance Artist: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist

September 6, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

There is an article floating around the internet of an interview given by actor Thomas Jane promoting his new HBO show “Hung”. It is about how he “hung” on through the hard times to make it where he is today. In the article, Jane talks about how being a starving artist helped him. He mentions that at moments in his life he was living off of food stamps and sleeping on park benches. “There were a couple times I wanted to quit, but fortunately I didn’t have anything else I could do,” he says. “So the thought of quitting would come when I couldn’t find any purchase in the barren soul of the artist, and I carried on. I think I had that advantage over some of my peers, who were very nervous about not having a car and very worried about the social status of being poor, whereas it didn’t bother me at all. I actually thrived and had a good time being poor and made fun of people who looked to social status. I was shown the light in India that that was a bunch of hogwash. It was irreversible and untradeable and an absolute gift. It gave me the strength and wisdom to overcome a lot of rejection.”

While I agree that social status is not something that one should hold in high priority, I disagree with the starving artist myth that is being continually promoted. The acting field is a business, and to come from that perspective, one will see that the mindset of a starving artist could be detrimental to one’s career.

Diversify
The current economy is causing the work force to realize something that artists already know, one needs to diversify their work skills. The age of the freelancer is here. Many people are having to work many different part time jobs to create a stable finical foundation. This should not be news for an artist. As an artist, you need to have many different skills that you can market to many different fields. Sure you got the acting business down, but that is not going to pay the bills. What other skills do you have? Are they ones where you can freelance and create your own hours. Have you set up a business model to sell your many different skills? There are many freelance options: wedding photography, child care, dog walking, virtual assistant, etc. Do you think you do not have any skills? Well, then teach yourself. There are plenty of cheap (and free) online training programs to help you in learning a variety of skills.

Branding
Once you have your multiple set of skills. I emphasize multiple, as things will be slow when you first start out and you will need many different potential ways to generate income. Now it’s time for you to create your personal brand. Here is a hint: the personal brand is you. As an actor, you are the product. Make yourself the product for your other freelance jobs. This is what Marci Alboher calls, in her book in her book One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success, “The Slash Effect”. An evolving workforce in which people are defined through multiple identities rather than just one job title.

Create a brand that ties in all your skills. A great place to do that is a website. As you can see here at DENNIS BAKER LLC, the website highlights my different skills. With Permalinks, it is easy to send a potential customer to the specific page that promotes the skill they need. If I am promoting my web design skills, I give out the web address “www.dennisbaker.net/web-design/”, if I am promoting myself as a teacher than I give out the address, “www.dennisbaker.net/teaching-artist/”. The potential client can read the specific information that pertains to their field, without searching pages that have nothing to do with job they are looking to hire.

Freelance Is About Freedom
Being a freelancer takes a lot of work, but in the end it is about freedom. Freedom to pursue what you want, when and how you want it. It may not feel that way at first as you will probably be working more hours in training yourself in the a variety of skills you need, building your brand, and finding freelance jobs. But for the artist, the positive out ways the negative. With many freelance jobs, you can work from anywhere. Take your laptop (and wireless internet card) on set and while you are waiting hours upon hours to be called to shoot your scene, get a couple of hours of work in for your client. Are you on tour, or away from from home for three months with a theater job, no problem your work can go with you. Your client doesn’t even need to know you are not at your home office. Being a Freelance Rockstar is about maximizing your potential income hours, without having to be tied down to one location.

Share Your Story
I am coming from the perspective of an actor. What artists in other mediums and fields are creating a freelance model that works for them? How have you branded and promoted all your skills. Please leave a comment. Share your story and help your fellow artists. Knowledge is power!

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Filed under: Acting, Auditioning, Film, Los Angeles, New York, Theater/Theatre
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Less Money for Middle Class Actor

July 20, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

From NPR’s All Things Considered:

Beth Broderick is having a tough time making a living as an actress lately. That wasn’t always the case — and it’s not for lack of work.

She belongs to Hollywood’s middle class: actors and crew members who have worked on countless sit-coms, TV dramas and movies. She’s not an A-list celebrity, but she’s also not a waitress waiting for her first break.

Broderick plays Aunt Zelda on the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Evangeline Lilly’s mother on the drama Lost. And she tells NPR’s Madeleine Brand that she feels “totally, truly, entirely blessed” for her 20 years in the business.

But over the past decade, the wages for the professional class have plummeted, Broderick says. She used to make $25,000 to $30,000 to guest star on an hourlong TV episode. Now she gets about $6,000, which comes out to $4,800 after commission.

“The studio heads still get paid enormous salaries. They still have huge golden parachutes,” Broderick notes. “Stars still make $20 million a picture, but the people right below them are making scale.”

She says, “It’s really going to have to come down to the leadership — from producers, directors and stars — who say, ‘You know what, thanks for the $20 million, I’m going to take $19 [million], and let’s divvy the rest up between the next 10 people on the call sheet so that those people I’m staring across from the camera at for the next eight weeks — I can feel good knowing that their kid can go to school.’”

Nobody wants to sit where I’m sitting and say, ‘Hey, this is the reality. I did two movies, six guest-star spots and I starred in a one-woman show, and I’m not making any money. I’m on TV every day in every country in the world, and I don’t make any money,’ ” Broderick says.

“Somebody’s got to say it. Nobody wants to take that risk, nobody wants to admit that or put that out there, but it’s true.”

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