$3 PBR at the National Portrait Gallery

So, as you may know, there is a café at the National Portrait Gallery. What you may not know is that at that café, among the drinks they have available, are $3 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Yes, $3 cans of PBR. I enjoyed one last week, while waiting for a friend in the Kogod Courtyard.

I realize this might not be news to others, and it shouldn't have been news to me, as many times as I've been to the gallery and enjoyed treats from the cafe in the courtyard.

But it was, and I was pleasantly surprised, although I'm still wondering why. I mentioned this to some other friends who also found the idea of PBR at the portrait gallery's cafe unexpected, much less for only $3.

Maybe it's the image we have of art galleries in general, particularly those that are a part of the Smithsonian, as being somewhat controlled and restrained, contrasted with the image of PBR and the envirnoments it is normally consumed in, usually being a little more casual and..."festive".

Maybe this is the very reason some smart manager decided to stock PBR at the cafe. Because I can tell you at least one of my friends at least a little more likely to hang out at the courtyard there, now that he knows he can get a $3 PBR to enjoy.

Anyway, just wanted to share,

JR

Crafty Bastards, Figment, and Art All Night!!

Check out just some of the awesome things happening this weekend!!

Crafty Bastards

Now in its 12th year, Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is an exhibition and sale of handmade goods from independent artists presented by the Washington City Paper. Crafty Bastards 2014 featured 175+ vendors.

When: Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27; 10 am - 5 pm
Where: Union Market
Cost: $5 per day

Figment DC

FIGMENT is a free, interactive, non-commercial, participatory arts festival created for, and by, the community. It is a gift for each of us. A chance to create, to engage, to play.

When: Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27; 11 am - 5 pm.
Where: Anacostia Park, Section E
Cost: Free

Art All Night DC

Watch as DC’s creative community re-imagines public and private space and invites us all to see our city anew. Indoor and outdoor venues will showcase work by artists in a diverse range of media.

When: Saturday, September 26, 7 pm - Sunday, September 27, 3 am
Where: Dupont Circle, Shaw, North Capitol, H Street NE, and Congress Heights
Cost: Free

Which of these events will you be checking out this weekend? Are you going to be a cultural warrior and try to hit up all three? I know I will!

- J Street Jr

Kleen City this Thursday

Welcome to daylife, indeed!! If you haven't heard about Kleen City yet it is a:

Unique morning music event catered to a healthy lifestyle crowd. KLEEN strives to promote an environment to enjoy dance music in a new way.

I have personally had tickets to each event they've thrown in DC. I've only missed one, and that was because I forgot to set my alarm...because I am normally not a morning person.

But I love waking up for these events. And there are still tickets available, as of the time of this post: get tickets here.

And this Thursday there is a morning yoga class and boot camp, as well as dance and pool party!! Hope to see you there,

- J Street JR

After Hours at the Hirshhorn with Tycho Recap

Check out this Storify from the Hirshhorn, of their After Hours event featuring Tycho, this past Friday.

It was my first time attending one of their After Hours, and I had a blast! Check it out.

Did you go? What did you think?

Do you wish you went? Why didn't you make it?

- J Street Jr

February 2015 Picks

First post of the new year!!

Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays and letting January settle. So let's get right to it, here are just some of my picks for arts events in the DC area in February.


Feb 9 & 10 - Cherokee at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Pay What You Can nights!!

Two couples—one black, one white—flee their suburban pressures and try to connect with nature by camping in a forest near Cherokee, North Carolina. But their vacation is upended when one member of the group vanishes and the others are visited by a mysterious local…who brings the otherworldly woods to life and unearths buried desires that might change their lives forever.

And "Pay What You Can" means exactly that, which means tickets go fast when the box office opens at 6pm. Folks line up as early as 4pm!!


Feb 10 - Hail Mary: Stories about Long Shots, Last Resorts, and Desperate Acts

Our monthly storytelling series -- our first program -- has been taking place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month in Washington, DC since 1997. Over the years, we've added tons of other shows and events, but our monthly show remains SpeakeasyDC's backbone. Tonight's show, like all of our shows, will feature a mix of eight to ten first-timer storytellers and regulars, who will take the stage to share their twist on the night's theme.

Disclaimer: I am a proud board member of SpeakeasyDC.

Even so, I can honestly say that there is something unique with the work we do. And you don't have to take my word for it. Just come to the show, listen to our first-timers and observe how they and the audience engage with each other.


Feb 20 & 21 - Laser Cat at the Yards!! [Free]

Laser Cat is a gigantic feline-shaped art installation that projects creative work crowd-sourced from around the world through its laser-beam eyes.

Laser Cat Washington, D.C. from Hungry Castle on Vimeo.

More information about laser cat as well as submitting art to be considered can be found at Washington Projects for the Arts' site.

And here are a couple of additional links.

• Eventbrite page
• Facebook Event page

Feb 26 - Krafty Kutz at U Street Music Hall

Might be a little biased because I'm going to support friends of my who are DJ'ing that night (Proxxy & Lantern, Malphunktion, & Chrstian Dope) as much if not more so than I'm going to hear Krafty Kuts.

Feb 27, 8pm - Emerging Arts Leaders DC Membership Launch Party

Disclaimer #2: I sit on the steering committee of the Emerging Arts Leaders DC.

After years of operating with an informal membership structure, part of our strategic plan was to formalize it so as to consistently and sustainably serve arts professionals who regularly attend our events and participate in our programming.

And we even have plans for those who have already "emerged" as arts leaders in DC, as well!! Email me if you would like to know more about that, or join us at our launch party at Studio Theatre!!

Feb 28, 9am - Black Theatre Symposium [Free for students]

Theatre professionals, scholars, and students will convene to discuss and take action around these questions as we explore the expansion of of an inclusive presence and influence in the field of theatre.

I went to the first one last year, and am excited to be attending again!!


Feb 28, 5-7pm - What is a Citizen Artist? [Free]

Under the umbrella of the Atlas Performing Arts Center’s INTERSECTIONS Festival, “What is a Citizen Artist?” is a city-wide creative convening to explore ways DC Citizen Artists can create a city rooted in more empathy, equity, and social imagination.

Yeah...Saturday's gonna be a busy day!!

• Eventbrite page

That's it for now!! Will certainly post as other things come up, and will always do my best to highlight things that I plan on attending and occasionally am involved with.

If you have any other recommendations, please let others know what they are in the comments below,

- J Street Jr

Holiday dance picks

Just a follow up from last week's post with several holiday theatre picks. Here are some dance happenings for the holidays, in no particular order:

1) Magical Musical Holiday Step Show, Step Afrika!

Join the dynamic artists of Step Afrika!, DJ Frosty the Snowman and their friends from the Arctic Kingdom as they dance, make music and celebrate the spirit of the season! This popular H Street Holiday tradition is now in its 4th year, we are excited to share the joy of the Holidays with you!

The show runs from December 11 to 22, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

2) The Nutcracker, The Washington Ballet

Set in 1882 Georgetown, this gorgeous production showcases the grandeur of The Washington Ballet’s international roster of dancers and majesty of Tchaikovsky’s music. Replete with swirling snowflakes, cherry blossoms and historical characters, including George Washington as the heroic nutcracker, TWB’s The Nutcracker has become a tradition for generations of family and friends to celebrate the holidays.

The show runs from December 4 to 28, at the Warner Theatre.

3) A Hip Hop Christmas Carol, Culture Shock

Not a clip from the show, but a video posted on the event page.

The show only has three performances, one on Dec 19, two on Dec 20, at Dance Place.

So there are three more holiday picks, following my theatre ones from last week. Any other holiday dance happenings you've got on your list?

Check it twice, share yours in the comments!!

- J Street Jr

Holiday theatre picks

Hey there,

Been a long while since I've blogged, but getting back to it. Thought a good way to jump start this blog again, would be by sharing some holiday theatre picks I highly recommend checking out this year!!

1) Black Nativity, Theater Alliance:

This Christmas classic returns to Theater Alliance with a fresh voice. Langston Hughes chronicles and celebrates the birth of Jesus, while also celebrating the birth of Blackness. This classic story told through gospel, blues, funk, jazz, and dance asks you to look inward and find the wonder in life.

The show runs at the Anacostia Playhouse from December 11, 2014 to January 4, 2015.

2) A Very Pointless Holiday Spectacular, Pointless Theatre:

It's Christmas eve at the North Pole, and Santa's elves are off the clock and ready to cut loose! Pointless Theatre presents a winter cabaret for adults, an irreverent celebration of the holidays featuring puppetry, improv, and a funky reindeer band.

The show runs at Flashpoint's Mead Theatre Lab from December 2nd - January 3rd.

3) A Christmas Carol, Ford's Theatre:

Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns to play Scrooge.

The show runs from November 20, 2014-January 1, 2015. Check out the trailer below:

So, those are my three. What are yours, theatre or other?

Please share other holiday arts happenings you'd recommend in the comments!!

- J Street Jr

Haruto's Fattened Calf at VeraCruz Gallery

Hey there,

So it's been a while, but here's a post about a friend of mine's exhibit, at a relatively new gallery/performance space, VeraCruz Gallery.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to this place by my friend, Haruto Imamura. What's great about the venue, is that in addition to the exhibit, they ask the artist to do an installation piece as well. Here's what was up when I first went there.

And this weekend he's got a show opening there. You can RSVP on Facebook right here: Haruto's washington DC art show-opening night!!

Managed to catch a clip of him working on one of the pieces.

This was going on right before a Social Media Week DC event, "Social Media and the Local Music Scene: Engaging local audiences and re-envisioning social networks".

And here's one of the pieces, Haruto's friend Mike managed to hang before the event started, a piece he lovingly calls, "Love Like Disaster"

And small world, one of the owners/bartenders is sisters with someone I did a show with years ago!! And VeraCruz is managed by the folks behind The Dunes, a venue I've been at not just once, but twice previously, for a Class Acts Arts fundraiser and a SpeakeasyDC performance.

Full disclosure, I work at Class Acts Arts and sit on the board of SpeakeasyDC.

But I digress. Hope you can make the opening at VeraCruz this Saturday. And whether or not you can, Haruto's show will be up until the end of April.

Make sure to like VeraCruz Gallery on Facebook, follow them on Twitter (if you're there), check-in on Facebook and/or Foursquare (or wherever you are).

AND if you tweet about it, make sure to use #dcarts!!

- J Street Jr

Emerging Arts Leaders DC's Creative Conversation: Fundraising in the Millennial Age

Hey,

So last week I had the pleasure and privilege of joining a panel put together for this year's Emerging Arts Leaders DC's (EALDC) annual Creative Conversation. This year's topic? Fundraising in the Millennial Age.

A quick disclaimer, just in case you didn't my post from August: I was asked to join the steering committee of EALDC and accepted. I started my tenure a couple of months ago. Since then I've co-hosted one of our monthly First Friday lunches, and I ended up on this panel after volunteering adding my own two cents to the conversation, as someone who has successfully implemented two Kickstarter campaigns to produce Capital Fringe shows.

But I digress. Our hosts for the evening were two of my fellow committee members, Tim Mikulski (Communications and Content Manager at Americans for the Arts) & Emily Travis (Communications & Government Affairs Associate at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. Emily was also our moderator for the evening, and a wonderful one at that.

And so let me introduce my fellow panelists. Going from left to right, after Emily, we had Shannon Siemens, the assistant director of membership at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts as well as one of the foundations' liaisons with their Club 66 (young professional) membership program. Then there was me in the middle, next to whom sat James Li, entrepreneur and co-founder of a relatively new fundraising platform Encore. And last, but certainly NOT least was Ryan Holladay, a trustee of the Awesome Foundation's DC Chapter, manager of new media of Artisphere, as well as half the electronic music due known as Bluebrain.

Emily kicked off the convo with a question to Shannon, getting a sense of the state of fundraising, and she shared her experience and insights, particularly with demographics and retention rate. This was a perfect segue to discussing Wolf Trap's club 66 program, and was a great way to set the context for the evening, Fundraising in a Millennial Age.

James added to the conversation, and how Encore is helping to fill a need and bridge a gap. He provided some great information from the recent Millennial Impact Report, which you can check out at their blog. One phrase he used, which I love and relates to similar conversations about brandraising (thank you Big Duck!), was "top of mind". My takeaway was how important it is to stay present and relevant between the arts & cultural events which are the heart of any arts organizations' programs.

Social media inevitably came up and some of the major points included making sure that one had goals and that you focused on good, quality content, and not necessarily some of the easier to grasp, quantifiable stats.

Honestly, with the diversity of panelists and experiences, it's really hard to share everything that was discussed and covered. I say this as I attempt to even think about how I can share a nugget of what Ryan contributed, and I can't. His and everyone else's experience was a healthy serving of humble pie, for me.

Even what notes I managed to take probably only covered 10% of the conversation. So I'll skip to the end of the panel section, and try to paraphrase what I thought was important to leave the evening with.

I reiterated how important it is with social media to be transparent, to integrate those tools with an overall communication plan, and to really cultivate those one-to-one relationships and interactions. Social media is ultimately just a tool, not a strategy.

So after the panel, we broke off into small groups each given a different scenario of an arts organization in crisis, and they had to develop a solution based on the evening's conversation.

And this was just as important, if not more so, than the panel, otherwise it's not much of a conversation.

Overall a great evening with over 20 attendees. Looking forward to future ones, like the one I'm working on now.

After the First Friday Lunch I co-hosted, where there were a number of development people present, they expressed interest in a workshop/training/whatever much like many that the Foundation Center in Washington offer, but specifically for those at arts organizations. I went on to contact them, and talked with Kim and, although their training calendar is full through the rest of the calendar year, we're looking into a spring offering.

I've even touched based with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and have word from their Executive Director that they are certainly on board for whatever we work out. I thought it'd be great to hear from them, not just about granting opportunities, but leveraging those grants to go after other sources of funding.

Anyway, really excited to be part of this team at the Emerging Arts Leaders DC and this community of artists and arts organizations in the DC Metropolitan Area. Glad to have had the opportunity to participate as a panelist in our Creative Conversation, and stoked to bring other similar events to local arts professionals, to help us all move forward,

- J Street JR

The Peter Fox Project

Hey there,

So after a hiatus, today I was inspired to blog because I had to share a wonderful example of the arts community in DC.

His name is Peter Fox. Today is his birthday. I got to meet and perform with him while singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. That was back in 2007. And it was right when he was pivoting to pursue his music professionally. I remember talking to him about it, as the work he was in was not as fulfilling as his art was.

While Peter was already a pillar in the local arts & LGBT community, it was wonderful and inspiring to see him take that to the next level. Check out this clip from Aids Walk 2010, just a little over a couple of years ago:

It hasn't even been a year since he left us, gone too soon. He succumbed to cancer. And while he isn't here in body, his spirit is still with us, and his energy continues to change the world.

Friends set up a fundraiser, which you can support on Crowdrise, called the Peter Fox Project:

On January 2, 2012, we lost one of the most beautiful souls to have entered our lives. Peter Fox touched everyone he encountered, and we - his family, friends, and fans - have partnered up with the Sitar Arts Center to continue his love, light, and legacy. Peter has always wished he had began his music career sooner, so this partnership with Sitar is just and appropriate. 

This annual fundraising campaign aims to raise $30,000 each year to ensure that Peter's love for music will help underprivileged, artistic and musically gifted youth in Washington, DC continue their talents.

So whether you knew him or not, I hope you consider joining Team Peter and supporting the work of the Sitar Arts Center through this fund.

Peter: You are missed and loved,

- J Street Jr,

Comparing 10 DC Theatres on twitter: Report

Hello,

So I blogged about the method I went about to measure the social media efforts of theatres on Twitter at my AWayofLife0 blog (and if you came here via that, you can scroll down to after the under construction sign), particularly regardingthis endeavor. I looked at various data to compare 10 of DC's multitude of theatre companies. The theatres were chosen by a number of subjective factors, ones I was familiar with, established companies, Helen Hayes nominees, and is by no means comprehensive, but just within the scope of my own personal capacity.

Also, if anyone's with a theatre which was not included, and would like to be considered for when I do this report again in the future, please contact me and let me know. If you have any questions about the metrics or reasoning, after reading the other blog explaining all of it, absolutely message me. This is DEFINITELY a work in progress, and my main goal is to provide information and context that will help any and everyone do social media to the best of their capacity.

This isn't a matter of who's doing social media right and who's doing it wrong. I just want to make that clear. Everyone's doing something right to some degree. As I mentioned in the other post, ultimately any individual theatre's social media success can only be based on their own goals and measurements.

That being said, the ten theatre companies I took a look at were Arena Stage, Metro Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theater J, Synetic Theater, & Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

I break down rankings based on presence, relationships, and influence. I then provide the overall ranking at the end. Check it out:

Rankings based on presence, one's static and fluid appearance (i.e. selection of profile & background image and tweet frequency) were:

1. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company
3. Theater J
4. Studio Theatre
5. Arena Stage
5. Metro Stage
5. Round House Theatre
8. Signature Theatre
9. Olney Theatre Center
9. Synetic Theater

Rankings based on relationships (i.e. following/follower ratio and percentage of active followers) were:

1. Metro Stage
2. Theater J
3. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
4. Shakespeare Theatre Company
5. Arena Stage
6. Signature Theatre
7. Olney Theatre
8. Studio Theatre
9. Synetic Theatre
10. Round House Theatre

Rankings based on influence (i.e. Klout and Peer Index scores) were:

1. Shakespeare Theatre Company
2. Signature Theatre
3. Arena Stage
3. Olney Theatre
3. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
6. Round House
7. Metro Stage
7. Theater J
9. Studio Theatre
10. Synetic Theater

And here are the overall ranking combining the previous three categories:

1. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company
3. Theater J
4. Metro Stage
5. Arena Stage
6. Signature Theatre
7. Round House
8. Studio Theatre
9. Olney Theatre
9. Synetic Theater

Again, this is a ranking and not a scoring. There is no objective standard of social media proficiency which I used to measure and score these theatre companies against. And while there are some metrics which are somewhat objective, this ranking is based on how each theatres' scores compared to the others.

It is also an attempt to rank engagement, which might not be a theatre company's goal with their Social Media. If you're main goal is driving website traffic and ticket sales, then this ranking will probably be of little use to you. However, I would make the case that effective engagement in addition to broadcasting content that's on message and part of your overall marketing strategy, creating a place for dialogue and conversations, however brief, can actually compliment and even help with any other goals you might have.

An interesting tidbit is that Shakespeare Theatre Company and Signature Theatre are the social media veterans of this group, joining twitter over four years ago. But the "noob", Woolly Mammoth Theatre, which joined just a little under three years ago (it'll be three years on 9/1, actually), has risen to the top in terms of social media savvy, according to these rankings.

One consideration for future reports will be to include the quantity of followers, adjusted to not include fake or inactive ones, in the scoring system used to rank. The only issue I have with this is that so much of this can be dependent on anything from location, to whether a theatre is engaging not just local and regional tweeps, but national ones, as well, and quantity in and of itself does little to provide useful, meaningful context.

Finally, for tweeps in the DC area, if you follow any of these companies (if not all of them), does this more or less reflect what you've observed their engagement to be? Any surprises or questions with these rankings? Anything you recommend I take into further consideration? Is any of this even useful? If you haven't read my blog breaking down what went into this, please check it out.

I would personally be curious as to how much this does or doesn't reflect on a theatre's social media capacity, strategy, goals, and desired outcomes. And I'm definitely up to discussing this with any person in charge of such channels, either for these companies or others, if you have questions, input, or just want to grab coffee and chat.

Let me know, and keep an eye out for future reports,

- J Street Jr

P.S. Just in case you aren't following any of the theatres from this ranking, and would like to, here you go (in alphabetical order):

• Follow @ArenaStage
• Follow @MetroStage
• Follow @OlneyTheatre
• Follow @RHT_roundhouse
• Follow @ShakespeareinDC
• Follow @sigtheatre
• Follow @Studio_Theatre
• Follow @SyneticTheater
• Follow @TheaterJ
• Follow @woollymammothtc

1st meeting sitting on Emerging Arts Leaders DC's steering committee

Hey there,

So i was asked to join the Steering Committee of the Emerging Arts Leaders DC (EALDC)...and I said yes.

Last night was my first night acting in an official capacity, during the first steering committee meeting of the 2012-13 year.

I had attended EALDC events before, the main ones being several First Friday Lunches. It's an opportunity to grab a bite, chat, and network with other arts professionals in the area. EALDC also partnered with AU's Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium, an annual event that happens the day before Americans for the Arts' (AFTA) Arts Advocacy Day.

If you're not familiar with EALDC, we are:

a volunteer-led initiative that provides professional development, networking, and information relevant to emerging arts professionals in the metropolitan Washington, DC area

And I was personally loving my fellow committee members, both veterans, as well as the other noobs like me. Anyway, I won't go on too much about what we discussed in the meeting. What was exciting was how quick "orientation" was and before I knew it, we were beginning to plan for the year, from First Friday Lunches, to Creative Conversation ideas. And, with the latter, the one we tentatively settled on was Philanthropy specifically regarding younger donors. This will be happening sometime late October, early November.

Creative Conversations are a special event dedicated to getting a discussion going. Last year's was held at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and titled Cultural Participation in a 2.0 World.

So I'm stoked!! This is the kind of work that I've been wanting to jump into more, particularly with regards to this side of the arts conversation. And the whole time I couldn't help but look around at the table and be glad that I have the opportunity and privilege to work with this tremendous and dynamic group.

And although this particular organization started out as a DC thing, the group was actually titled The DC Forum when it first started several years ago, it is now part of AFTA's Emerging Leaders Network:

The Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Program works to identify and cultivate the next generation of arts leaders in America. It is an ideal way for new leaders to share their interests with others as they continue to develop their skills and their commitment to the arts. The Emerging Leader Program targets professionals who are either new to the field, with up to five years of experience, or are 35 years of age or younger.

So if you're in the area, and interested in attending our events, definitely be in touch, and you can start by following or liking us on Facebook or Twitter:

• Follow @emergingartsdc

And here are my fellow committee members, as well as any orgs we're associated with (as applicable):

• Tim Mikulski, EALDC Co-chair, Communications & Content Manager at AFTA
• Follow @tim_mik
• Follow @Americans4Arts
• Sunny Widman, EALDC Co-chair, Program Manager at National Arts Strategies
• Follow @ArtStrategies
• Corinne Baker, Audience Engagement Manager at Washington Performing Arts Society
• Follow @WPASinDC
• Ellen Chenoweth, Managing Director at Dance Exchange
• Follow @Dance_Exchange
• Chelsey Christensen, Development Manager for Individual Giving/Marketing & PR Coordinator at Imagination Stage & Forum Theatre
• Follow @chelseydc
• Follow @I_Stage
• Follow @forumtheatre
• Ethan Clark, Independent Arts & Arts Education Consultant
• Follow @clarkethan
• Helen Gineris, Events Manager at Cultural Tourism DC
• Follow @HelenJG7
• Follow @dcculture
• Angela Goerner, Development Director at Hamiltonian Artists
• Follow @hamiltoniandc
• Megan Pagado, Digital Communications & Outreach Manager at the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County
• Follow @andmegansaid
• Follow @creativemoco
• Christi Esterly Schwarten, Executive Director at the Fairfax Choral Society
• Follow @fairfaxchoral
• Emily Travis, Communications & Government Affairs Associate - Association of Performing Arts Presenters
• Follow @apap365

As you can see it's quite the spectrum of arts organizations. And it's reflected in the people I'm excited to sit on the steering committee with, in our broad range of experience and perspective.

So that being said, hope to see you at event soon. And I'll definitely post about the upcoming Creative Conversation in October,

- J Street Jr

The Normal Heart at Arena Stage

Hello,

So I saw The Normal Heart at Arena Stage last week and wanted to share some thoughts about it. Actually had a lot of thoughts to share, so had to divvy it up between my two blogs. This one's looking at it from an arts management and local arts community perspective, but you can check out the other, more personal one as well.

If you aren't familiar with The Normal Heart, here is Arena Stage's blurb for it:

Tony winner George C. Wolfe, (Angels in America) directs Larry Kramer’s Tony Award-winning Broadway production of The Normal Heart. Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggle to contain the mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community. Dismissed by politicians, frustrated by doctors and fighting with each other, their differences could tear them apart - or change the world. Hailed by critics as “riveting” (Newsday) and “a great night at the theater” (New York Times), Kramer's masterwork is an outrageous and totally unforgettable look at sexual politics during the AIDS crisis and remains one of the theater’s most powerful evenings ever.

When you walk into the space, and approach the Kreeger, you will actually see patches of the AIDS quilt, hanging on the wall. Apologies, as the image is somewhat blurry.

This is significant because the Aids Memorial Quilt is on display in Washington, DC this year. This partnership is a wonderful example of an opportunity that just made sense.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Arena Stage has also partnered with a number of other organizations for a series of relevant events throughout the run of the show, anything from free HIV screenings, to a series of panels throughout July.

All this is done in alignment with their mission:

Arena Stage is a national center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater.

as all of this is certainly part of the production and presentation of this particular theater piece for the audience. The experience doesn't start when the house lights go down or end when the final bow is taken.

This is not to say that Arena Stage is the first theatre to do this. But rather than being an option or something to aspire to, I believe curating an experience beyond the stage will increasingly become a necessity as younger generations become future audiences.

But I digress. The Normal Heart runs until July 29th. I highly recommend anyone in the DC area not only see it, but try to attend one of the panels as well.

- J Street Jr


P.S. Check out the official trailer, below.

It's Capital Fringe time

Hey there,

It's that time of the year, Capital Fringe Festival time. I stopped by Fort Fringe yesterday evening, home of the box office, the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar and several of the official festival venues within a block or so.

The Capital Fringe Festival Box Office

Disclaimer: I actually worked at the festival as the PR/Marketing intern while in grad school at AU for Arts Management. I've proceed to produce a show every year since '10 at the festival, including this one. That being said, if you're interested in following that, please check out my AWoL Productions blog.

Now if you're not familiar with Capital Fringe, it's an opportunity for artists and companies to produce and present work for a generally adventurous audience. Half the time, you don't know what you're going to get and it can be pretty exciting. One thing to keep track of during the festival is the board in the box office.

The "Board" inside the Box Office

Anything you need to know about shows in the festival (i.e. cancellations, sold out shows) will be posted here.  I do recommend connecting with the festival on Facebook and/or on Twitter as well. Shows aside, the other awesome part about the festival is just hanging out in between shows, reuniting with old friends and making new ones.

Most of this community gathering happens under and around the tent, with a bar that has food and drink, the tent which also houses a performance stage.  And, if you haven't got a chance to check it out yet, take a look at this year's shows online.

The festival runs July 12 to 29. And if you already knew about the festival, are there any shows you're already looking forward to?

- J Street Jr

Follow @JStreetJr

YPT's New Play Festival at Gala Hispanic Theatre

Hey there,

So hearing several spots for an upcoming event on WAMU (the official radio station for it, actually), reminded me to follow-up on an arts organization that participated at this year's Intersections Festival.

Young Playwrights' Theater presents their New Play Festival at the Gala Hispanic Theatre, in Columbia Heights. If you're not familiar with YPT, their mission is:

Young Playwrights’ Theater teaches students to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting.

This upcoming Monday, 4/23, and Tuesday, 4/24 at 7:30pm, professional actors will be presenting the work of 12 student playwrights involved with YPT's In-School Playwrighting Porgram.

Definitely check out the links above for more information, but just take note that the plays presented on Apr 24 will be of a more mature nature, which might not be appropriate for children younger than 13 years old.

You can call 202-387-9173 for more information. And if you're on social media, you can like YPT at their FB page or follow them on Twitter. In fact, for those on FB, you can RSVP at their event page!

I will not be able to make it, as I will be in rehearsal both nights, but hope you can. And if you do, would love to hear from you about it,

- J Street Jr

Artist Snapshot: DCDD's Chad

Hey there,

Earlier this month, I posted about DC's Different Drummers. Well they're wrapping up March with their spring concert, My Favorite Things, tonight!!  And one of the musicians playing tonight took some time to share a little bit about himself.

Chad Koratich plays the Alto and Baritone Saxophone and has been a member of DC's Different Drummers since 2002. Without further ado, here's Chad:

JR: When did you start playing (on your own & with DCDD)?

Chad: I first started playing the saxophone and studying music in 5th grade. That was... gulp... 1981... 31 years ago. The school band director came to our music class and talked about the band and asked who was interested. I had no idea what instrument to pick but I knew that my mom loved the saxophone so I chose it. I played all through elementary, junior high, high school and college. Being a gay adolescent, even though I hadn't come out to even myself yet, was very rough. I was bullied all through school... and music was my shelter. Had it not been for band, I can't imagine what high school would have been like for me. After I graduated from college I joined the Army and didn't touch my sax again for about 8 years.

Then a miracle happened. I met Matt Swearman (our current President) who was at that time a fairly new member of DC's Different Drummers. We became fast friends and through that he found out I played sax. He told me about the band and invited me to a rehearsal. So, I dug my sax out of the closet and played around with it a bit and realized I was still pretty decent. I decided to take him up on his offer. That was, and forever will be, one of the best decisions of my life.

JR: What is one of your favorite memories with DCDD?

CHAD: I remember that first rehearsal with the symphonic band to this day. I played for a few measures and then stopped. I was in complete amazement at how great the group was and became emotional, choking back tears at the fact that I knew I had found something special... a group of adults like me, who were gay and loved to make music. DCDD became my haven, a place where I could be openly gay and do something that I loved and had missed for several years. Shortly thereafter, DCDD became my family... and Matt Swearman... well, he bacame my best friend.

JR: What inspires you to play?

Chad: What inspires me to play? That's easy, these very people. They are - in a word - AMAZING! I have MANY fantastic memories over the 10 years that I've been with the band. My favorite time every year is band camp. Yes, a bunch of adults go to band camp. It happens every September or October before our fall concert. We road trip to Elmer, NJ and take over the Appel Farm Art & Music Center for the weekend. We have concentrated rehearsal time but also plenty of time to relax, have fun and strengthen friendships. I owe so much to this amazing group and as long as I live in DC and can play my sax... I will be a member of DC's Different Drummers, one of my most favorite things!!!


So many thanks to Chad for taking some time to answer a few questions!! And, if you're looking for something to do in DC tonight, check out DCDD's My Favorite Things at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, and say hi to Chad and the rest of the folks in the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and Capitol Pride Winds.

You can buy tickets here. And bookmark DCDD's calendar to keep up with any future events they've got going on!!

- J Street Jr

Arts' intrinsic value at Arena Stage tomorrow

Hello,

So tomorrow, a dissemination tour comes through the metropolitan DC area, specifically Arena Stage (which you can follow on Twitter and like on Facebook, and you should, if you don't already).

The tour is to share finding from a recent report released by Theatre Bay Area, located in San Francisco, titled "Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art". Now I had't heard of a dissemination tour before and, at first, by the more I read about the report as well as the tour and partnering organizations, the more I realized that there's no other word which could've more appropriate, or more timely.

At the nonprofit I work at full-time, we represent artists and provide art & cultural programming to communities around the DC, MD & NoVA. A conversation that keeps coming back is how to make our artists and their programs more marketable, and one tactic is arts integration.  And the Kennedy Center has a wonderful resource on Arts Integration.

Anyway, this realies on an extrinsic argument and value on art, in that it is useful in pursuit of learning other subjects and skills. This is grossly oversimplifying the issue, but I'll leave it at there for now.

And if it's not arts education, one other popular extrinsic argument is the economic impact of the arts.  Even in a recent Huffington Post article, DC Advocates for the Arts board chair, Robert Bettmann made a compelling but single-minded argument that simply addressed the financial issues related to government support for the arts in DC.

Theatre Washington also organized an online petition recently, to restore funding to the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, with the text focused on, well...funding. Don't get me wrong, this was a well-executed and concise call to action, with just enough detail to inform.

To Theatre Washington's credit, they do so much more than that online petitions (if you're not familiar with the organization), and although their flagship program might be the annual Helen Hayes Awards, in terms of visibility, their effort to promote the art of theatre in the area is a year-round one.

So the dissemination tour of "Counting New Beans..." is coming to DC in association with Theatre Washington, and is at Arena Stage, tomorrow, from 10am-1pm. And I'm fortunate enough to work at an organization that allows me to attend events like this, both for the org and for myself.

I'm not sure if they're still taking RSVP's, but if you're interested, you can send an email to dtaylor@theatrewashington.org.

If you're there, please say hey!! And keep an eye out for a blog this weekend, about the event.

- J Street Jr