Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company is clear about the questions it is trying to answer with its Think It grant: (1) how do we measure the environmental impact of the practice of theater? (2) is it possible to create theater that does not damage the long-term health of our communities?
Based in San Diego and founded in 2004, Mo’olelo has social consciousness written directly into its mission statement. It didn’t take long for Mo’olelo to notice that producing theatre creates a surprising amount of waste, and that waste was at odds with the company’s socially-conscious focus. Scenic materials bought to create the short-term world of a production depend on de-forestation and high energy impact; toxic paints are dangerous to scenic artists, actors and audiences; and we all know how energy-inefficient stage lights are.
After consulting with LEED-Accredited professionals (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Mo’olelo developed GREEN Theater Categories and Sustainable Guidelines. Their A-ha! Think It grant will be put towards measuring the toolkit’s success, and then applying the toolkit to Mo’olelo’s own productions in the Spring and Fall of 2009. The final step will be field-wide dissemination of the toolkit for industry feedback.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
New Guidelines and Applications Available!
Guidelines and Applications for the 2009 MetLife/TCG Aha! Program are now available, and TCG is soliciting your untested, risk-taking, barrier-breaking, trend-defying ideas.
The world needs more outrageous ideas. Submit yours to TCG! The deadline is May 15, 2009.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A-ha!: Share the Process
The first round of A-ha! recipients’ projects are building up steam, and TCG is proud to share their process with the field as they move their projects from lightbulb-above-the-head to reality.
To bring everyone up to speed, the MetLife/TCG Ah-ha! Program: Think It, Do It was created to encourage and foster creative thinking and action among TCG member theatres. A-ha! has two components: Think It grants (up to $25,000) give theatre professionals the time and space for research and development, and Do It grants (up to $50,000) support the implementation and testing of new ideas. 150 TCG Member Theatres submitted proposals for the first round of grants, and the following four theatres were awarded grants:
Think It!
Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company will research and develop a tool to measure the environmental impact of theatre, helping the industry to make choices that do not damage our communities.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will send its staff on 1-2 week sabbaticals to shadow professionals working in analogous jobs or fields to help provoke new thinking about their work at the theatre.
Do It!
Theater Grottesco will create a state-of-the-art intimate performance venue for smaller, not for profit organizations by inviting partners to invest in downtown Santa Fe property through a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).
The Playwrights’ Center will take its cue from the film industry. PWC will create a professionally produced web trailer series, available by free download in an audio-visual gallery on its website.
Over the coming months, this blog will fill up with images, text, video, quotes – anything we can think of that might help the field learn from these projects. We want to share what’s working and what isn’t working.
Feel free to comment, email or interact with us any way you can think of! This blog is for you, the field!
To bring everyone up to speed, the MetLife/TCG Ah-ha! Program: Think It, Do It was created to encourage and foster creative thinking and action among TCG member theatres. A-ha! has two components: Think It grants (up to $25,000) give theatre professionals the time and space for research and development, and Do It grants (up to $50,000) support the implementation and testing of new ideas. 150 TCG Member Theatres submitted proposals for the first round of grants, and the following four theatres were awarded grants:
Think It!
Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company will research and develop a tool to measure the environmental impact of theatre, helping the industry to make choices that do not damage our communities.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will send its staff on 1-2 week sabbaticals to shadow professionals working in analogous jobs or fields to help provoke new thinking about their work at the theatre.
Do It!
Theater Grottesco will create a state-of-the-art intimate performance venue for smaller, not for profit organizations by inviting partners to invest in downtown Santa Fe property through a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).
The Playwrights’ Center will take its cue from the film industry. PWC will create a professionally produced web trailer series, available by free download in an audio-visual gallery on its website.
Over the coming months, this blog will fill up with images, text, video, quotes – anything we can think of that might help the field learn from these projects. We want to share what’s working and what isn’t working.
Feel free to comment, email or interact with us any way you can think of! This blog is for you, the field!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
