AWoL Productions

DC Burner Spotlight #6

2015-07-10T14:28:00.001-04:00

This is a profile of one of the participants in the Ten Principles )'( storytelling project, being presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. She is returning to the show for her 2nd year.

Q: Default world name?

A: Kathy Baird Westfall.

Q: Playa name?
A: Sola.

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2011.

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?

A: Fandango.

Q: Favorite camp to be with at Burning Man?

A: DC Home Rule Village and Anat's Love Camp

Q: Favorite Art Installation?
A: Embrace.

Q: Favorite Art Car?

A: Disco Fish.

Q: Favorite sound camp?
A: Planet Earth

Q: Where did you go to college/university?

A: GWU and Georgeotwn.

Q: What did you major in?
A: Poli Sci and Business.

Q: When did you move to the DC area & where did you move from?
A: Moved here in elementary school and grew up in Arlington. I'm originally from South Dakota..

Q: What’s your day job?
A: Digital marketing strategist at a communications agency.

Q: Favorite food (and place to get that in the DC area)?
A: India at Raskia.

Q: Favorite game?
A: Pac-Man

Q: What’s your sign?
A: Taurus

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with?
A: Stevie Nicks, Chris Farley, Sherman Alexie.

Thank you for sharing, Sola!

And you can see her story from last year's Capital Fringe Festival below.

DC Burner Spotlight #5

2015-07-09T09:48:00.003-04:00

A: JR Russ.

Q: Playa name?
A: Nexus.

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2013.

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?

A: Open camping.

Q: Favorite camp to be with at Burning Man?

A: Burner Express, aka HOVerlandia!!

Q: Favorite Art Installation?
A: Church Trap.

Q: Favorite Art Car?

A: El Pulpo Mechanico.

Q: First time at a regional and which one?
A: Freeform, 2013.

Q: Where did you go to college/university?
A: University of Maryland for undergrad, American University for grad school.

Q: What did you major in?
A: I received my B.A. in dance, and my M.A. in arts management.

Q: If you were born in the area, what area did you grow up in?
A: Washington, DC, southwest by the waterfront, and then the Logan Circle area.

Q: What’s your day job?
A: Online Marketing Manager for the Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Q: Favorite food (and place to get that in the DC area)?
A: Brunch (that's a kind of food, right?!), from Busboys and Poets.

Q: Favorite game?
A: Munchkin.

Q: What’s your sign?
A: Pisces.

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with?
A: Janet Jackson, Neil Patrick Harris, and David Best.

Thank you for sharing, Nexus!

And you can see his story from last year's Capital Fringe Festival below.

DC Burner Spotlight #4

2015-07-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

This is a profile of one of the participants in the Ten Principles )'( storytelling project, being presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. She is joining the show for her 1st year.

Q: Default world name?

A: Jennifer the Awesome.

Q: Playa name?
A: Preamble (because I take forever to get to the point).

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2014.

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?

A: IAMU (It’s All Made Up).

Q: Favorite camp to be with at Burning Man?

A: I’ve only been with one. This year I’m camping with 3SP which is part of the DC Home Rule Village where IAMU camps…so we’ll see.

Q: Favorite Art Installation?
A: Embrace.

Q: Favorite Art Car?

A: Abraxas.

Q: First time at a regional and which one?
A: Haven’t been to one yet but looking forward to one soon!

Q: Where did you go to college/university?
A: Randolph-Macon College.

Q: What did you major in?
A: Started in psychology then switched to double major in theatre and accounting.

Q: If you were born in the area, what area did you grow up in?
A: Born in Virginia Beach but spent almost every Thanksgiving in the Tysons Corner area growing up. Does that count?

Q: What’s your day job?
A: Program Manager, Education Specialist, Awesome Guru.

Q: Favorite food (and place to get that in the DC area)?
A: Crabs at the Quarterdeck Restaurant in Rosslyn.

Q: Favorite game?
A: Hide and seek.

Q: What’s your sign?
A: Scorpio.

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with?
A: The Dalai Lama, Ernest Hemmingway, Juliette Lewis.

Thank you for sharing, Preamble!

DC Burner Spotlight #3

2015-07-06T15:35:00.000-04:00

This is a profile of one of the participants in the Ten Principles )'( storytelling project, being presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. She is joining the show for her 1st year.

Q: Default world name?
A: Melissa Schick

Q: Playa name?
A: Melomel

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2013.

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?
A: Basshenge.

Q: Favorite art installation?
A: I honestly don’t remember what it was called, but it was this labyrinth with blacklight painting on the walls. You wore special glasses inside and it made the paintings appear three dimensional; different colors would pop out at you at different levels.

Q: Favorite art car?
A: El Pulpo Mecanico

Q: First time at a regional and which one?
A: Playa Del Fuego Fall 2011

Q: Where did you go to college/university?
A: New York University Tisch School of the Arts and University of Maryland University College

Q: What did you major in?
A: Theater and Social Science.

Q: What area did you grow up in?
A: Born in DC, raised in Silver Spring, MD.

Q: What's your day job?
A: I’m a case manager for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Q: Favorite food?
A: Shellfish. Crabs, shrimp, oysters. All of it.

Q: Favorite game?
A: Ms. Pac-Man

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with)?
A: Henri Toulouse Lautrec, William Shakespeare, and Regina Spektor

Thank you for sharing, Melomel!

DC Burner Spotlight #2

2015-07-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is a profile of one of the participants in the Ten Principles )'( storytelling project, being presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. He is returning to the show for his 2nd year.

Q: Default world name?
A: Kenny Reff

Q: Playa name?
A: K~Love

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2012

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?
A: None; went not knowing a soul.

Q: Favorite camp to be with at Burning Man?A: It's All Made Up.

Q: Favorite art installation?
A: Truth is Beauty.

Q: Favorite art car?
A: Robot Heart

Q: Favorite sound camp?
A: Robot Heart.

Q: First time at a regional and which one?
A: 2012 Playa Del Fuego

Q: Favorite regional.
A: Transformus.

Q: Where did you go to college/university?
A: Undergrad at San Francisco State University; Grad at Boston University.

Q: What did you major in?
A: Broadcast Journalism.

Q: When did you move to the DC area and where did you move from?
A: Moved here from Boston in 1980. Prior to that, I lived in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York.

Q: What's your day job?
A: I'm an independent video producer

Q: Favorite food?
A: Frozen yogurt filled to the brim with fruit

Q: Favorite game?
A: Flirting.

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with)?
A: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bob Marley, Steve Jobs

Thank you for sharing, K-Love!

And you can see his story from last year's Capital Fringe Festival below.

DC Burner Spotlight #1

2015-06-25T19:53:00.000-04:00

Q: Default world name?

A: Kirby P. Riley.

Q: Playa name?

A: Shakespeare.

Q: First time at Burning Man?
A: 2013.

Q: Which camp were you with your first time?
A: D.C. Not Washington.

Q: Favorite camp to be with at Burning Man?

A: Poly Paradise is pretty fun!

Q: Favorite art installation?
A: Bliss.

Q: Favorite art car?

A: Either the Bleachers or the Front Porch.

Q: First time at a regional and which one?
A: 2013, Freeform.

Notice the Man on his chest )'(

Q: Where did you go to college/university?

A: Michigan! Go Blue!

Q: What did you major in?
A: Social Work.

Q: If you were born in the area, what area did you grow up in?

A: Grew up in Columbia Heights, and PG County.

Q: What's your day job?

A: Saving the world.

Q: Favorite food (and place to get that in the DC area)?
A: Shellfish. Crisfields in Silver Spring.

Q: Favorite game?

A: Ninja or Mafia.

Q: What's your sign?

A: Stop.

Q: What three artists (living or dead) would you like to have dinner with?
A: Basquiat, Gordon Parks, Lewis Black.

Thank you for sharing, Shakespeare!!

And you can see his story from last year's Capital Fringe Festival below.

Kickstarter: Up and running for Ten Principles!!

2014-04-03T20:35:00.002-04:00

Hey there,

So we started the +Kickstarter for "Ten Principles"!! We've been in touch with the +Burning Man organization and received their approval to move forward with this project.

And there are others, if you search for "Burning Man" on Kickstarter. Our project came up third!!

So we thought we'd share 'em here. There's only 6 others so far, all geared towards bringing something to the Playa.

In no particular order other than the the one they showed up in:

And that's it...so far. So check 'em out.

AND if you're interested in supporting my effort in making DC just a li'l more dusty, consider helping us reach our goal of sharing true stories from the Playa in the Capital.

Thank you, in advance!!

JR aka Nexus )'(

Returning to Capital Fringe with Ten Principles

2014-02-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

Ten Principles...

And not just any ten principles, but the Ten Principles of Burning Man.

That's what this year's Capital Fringe show is going to be about. And I use show in the LOOSEST of terms. The production will be ten DC area burners, each telling an autobiographical story about their experience with one of the principles. But why Burning Man? Why the Ten Principles?

Well, for those that have followed AWoL Productions' work over the years might have noticed, since the first show in 2010, each production has been somewhat autobiographical. The first year, the show was about the rave scene, a kind of theatrical PSA, paying homage to the community that helped me discover my passion for dance, to the point where I pursued it professionally. The second year, the play was about how Filipino communities and families deal with mental illness, which helped me deal with a personal family tragedy. And the third year, the production was based on my thesis in grad school, about how working performers define arts advocacy and community.

So after taking a break from productng last summer, I'm returning to the performing arts festival with a storytelling piece about Burning Man. Because last August, I went to the Playa for the first time.

That's me in front of the Man...WAY in front of the Man, from 2013's theme, Cargo Cult. And if you look real carefully, you can see the UFO with the Man on top, right above my head. And when I got back to DC, I had a lot of friends ask me what it was like, seeing if my experience matched what they'd heard or seen. And whatever experiences I shared, I would inevitably bring it back to the Ten Principles.

The trouble is, as much as people who haven't been HAVE heard about Burning Man, the Ten Principles was usually not a part of the picture. And so grew the idea and inspiration for focusing this production on just that. What's great is that this is truly going to be a production by the community, for the community.

There will be a window of time where submissions will be accepted from everyone who'd like to pitch their story to tell. Then, with the assistance of a group of burners who've taken on leadership roles in the DC area burner community, we'll select the final ten stories. And these will be ones that aren't just particularly compelling in and of themselves, but that (when combined with the other nine) will contribute to and fit in the arc of the larger piece.

So with that, I leave you with one of my favorite photos from my first time to Burning Man. Me, inside the massive UFO, looking straight up at the Man for the first time.

And this summer, I look forward to helping bring others' experiences from the Playa to Capital Fringe, to give a similar peek into the community of Burning Man,

JR aka Nexus

P.S. The Man burns in 209 days!! Ten Principles tells in 158 days!!

A is for Artist backer: Christin Green

2012-07-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

A is for Artist
This production is presented
as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival
a program of the Washington, DC non-profit
Capital Fringe

Hey there,

Here is today's backer profile for another supporter of A is for Artist, presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival.

I was fortunate to meet Christin in a recent production of The Bacchae, with WSC Avant Bard. She made what was already a great experience a phenomenal one with her personality and artistry.

So, without further ado, here's Christin.

Q: What 3 words would describe what you value about the arts?
A: Experience, Reflection, Limitless

Q: What is one of the first arts experiences you remember?

A: Playing upside-down laundry baskets with my mom's drum sticks.

Q: What is one of your favorite recent arts experiences?
A: Playing percussion for a Washington, DC theater company.

Q: Are you an artist?
A: Yes

Q: Why do you create art?
A: It's like soul fuel. Without it, I feel empty and unmotivated to do much else.

Q: How did you find out about this project?
A: A friend.

Q: Why did you support this project?
A: The arts deserve support.

Thank you Christin!! And if you'd like to suppor this show, come check it out. We've got four shows over the next week. Again, you can find out more information and get tickets at our page on Capital Fringe's site, A is for Artist.

Hope to see you there,

Vision Director

AWoL Productions

A is for Artist Backer: Philip Fletcher

2012-07-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

A is for Artist
This production is presented
as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival
a program of the Washington, DC non-profit
Capital Fringe

Hey there,

Here's another backer profile, of one of the wonderful people that supported A is for Artist on Kickstarter, presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. Philip Fletcher is someone I was fortunate to know working in DC's theatre scene, primarily through work at Synetic Theater.

And here he is :-)

JR: What 3 words would describe what you value about the arts?
Philip: EMOTION, the power to connect to the audience. CREATIVITY, seeing something that is new and exciting. VARIETY, there are so many types and genres of art. No matter who you are or what you do, there will always be something that appeals to you.

JR: What is one of the first arts experiences you remember?

Philip: I always, whenever possible, went for the more visually artoptions in class projects over written assignments. Projects like making dioramas, or drawing pictures, etc.

JR: What is one of your favorite recent arts experiences?

Philip: I was just in Synetic’s production of “Home of the Soldier” and right across the street was Artomatic. It was awesome to be surrounded by so much art and artistic people for several weeks.

JR: Are you an artist?

Philip: Yes. I am a Founding Company Member of Synetic Theatre and have dabbled in photography, film, and dance.

JR: If yes: why do you create your art?

Philip: Speaking honestly it is mostly selfish reasons. I crave the emotional connection to an audience, the rush of adrenalin just before going on stage, and the thrill of live theatre – of what will happen tonight, you really have to think on your feet sometimes.

JR: If maybe/kinda/sorta: how is art a part of your life?

Philip: I am surrounded constantly by so many talented and gifted people associated with the theatre. Many actors are multitalented either they are dancers, singers, visual artist, writers, etc. Then there is, for lack of a better word, the artistic staff, the set, costume, and prop designers and builders, lighting designers, photographers, videographers, choreographers, directors, writers, etc. Even the stage managers, productions managers, and administrative staff all seem to also have some artistic talent where they excel.

JR: How did you find out about this project?

Philip: E-Blast

JR: Why did you support this project?

Philip: Because ultimately I like to help.

Thanks again, Philip!! And if you'd like to catch him, just keep an eye out for Synetic Theater's productions throughout the year.

Vision Director

AWoL Productions

A is for Artist Backer: Peter DiMuro

2012-07-18T14:46:00.000-04:00

A is for Artist
This production is presented
as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival
a program of the Washington, DC non-profit
Capital Fringe

Hey there,

Here's our third backer profile for A is for Artist, presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. Meet Peter DiMuro.

Q: What 3 words would describe what you value about the arts?
A: art sustains life

Q: What is one of the first arts experiences you remember?
A: creating a mural of snowy mountains on a blackboard as a backdrop to our 3rd grade singing Christmas carols

Q: What is one of your favorite recent arts experiences?
A: in process: creating a forum for multiple genre choreographers to create new and fused works to the Rachmaninoff Preludes

Q: Are you an artist?
A: Yes

Q: Why do you create art?
A: I've tried not to, and life sucks when I don't

Q: How did you find out about this project?
A: through JR Russ- a kindred soul

Q: Why did you support this project?
A: I believe in the need to translated creative processes to a wider public is necessary for better understanding, and therefore valuing of all arts

Thanks, Peter!!

And if you'd like to keep up with his work you have a couple of options! publicdisplaysofmotion.org will be up and running soon. Public Displays of Motion is the umbrella for the creative collaborations and arts advancement work of Peter DiMuro and others. Performances in DC, Philadelphia, Boston and beyond this coming 2012/2013 season.

Until next time,

Vision Director

AWoL Productions

A is for Artist backer: Sean Flaim

2012-07-17T14:26:00.000-04:00

A is for Artist
This production is presented
as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival
a program of the Washington, DC non-profit
Capital Fringe

Hey there,

Here's another backer profile for someone who supported A is for Artist, presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival, Sean Flaim.

Q: What 3 words would describe what you value about the arts?
A: beauty, community, emotion

Q: What is one of the first arts experiences you remember?
A: Acting in a play in elementary school

Q: What is one of your favorite recent arts experiences?
A: Seeing a series of movie stills at the headquarters of the MPAA.

Q: Are you an artist?
A: Maybe/Kinda/Sorta

Q: How is art a part of your life?

A: My interest in intellectual property law and copyright stems in part from my lifelong connection to the arts. Whether music, film, visual or performing arts, I am fascinated by the legal constructs we've created to encourage the creation of art and support the livelihood of artists.

Q: How did you find out about this project?
A: Facebook

Q: Why did you support this project?
A: I liked the particular subject matter.

So thank you, Sean Flaim!! And if you'd like to connect with him, you can do so at his LinkedIn profile.

More profiles to come.

JR
Vision Director
AWoL Productions

A is for Artist Backer: Omar Ghadry

2012-07-16T19:57:00.000-04:00

A is for Artist
This production is presented
as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival
a program of the Washington, DC non-profit
Capital Fringe

Hey there,

Here is a quick profile of one of our backers for "A is for Artist", presented as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival, Omar Ghadry.

Q: What 3 words would describe what you value about the arts?
A: Creativity, communication, fun

Q: What is one of the first arts experiences you remember?
A: Painting my backyard

Q: What is one of your favorite recent arts experiences?
A: Drafting a logo with my girlfriend.

Q: Are you an artist?
A: No

Q: Why do you see art?
A: New experiences/perspectives

Q: How did you find out about this project?
A: My friend JR!

Q: Why did you support this project?
A: He's my friend and I trust he puts his effort into worthwhile projects.

So thank you, Omar!!

And keep an eye out for more backer profiles over the next couple of weeks,

JR
Vision Director
AWoL Productions

"Asian American Teenage Girls Have Highest Rates of Depression"

2011-06-26T16:16:00.004-04:00

This is one of the 8 highlighted items from NAMI's main page. The brief synopsis of key issues is based on a report that was just released this past February, based on a "listening session" held in LA in November of 2010.

I bring this up to partly contextualize feedback received from a reading we did of the play just this past week, with Artists' Bloc, another local organization I'm involved with as Membership Director.

One of the questions was if audience members had any new thoughts or revelations with regard to mental illness. Most said no, one even said that they didn't realize that the piece addressed it.

Which is all well and good, actually. Part of the dilema with this piece is the dichotomy of mental health in a sense being even more covered and talked about, at least topically. Yet, the disconnect can be a NIMBY mentality, that we (as individuals) don't realize it can affect us until it does.

So this is good moving forward in the context of the piece because in one way, it forces us to not get so lost in the story, that we also forget to inform. In another, it addresses the challenge of a certain fatigue we all seem to experience whenever a topic or issue seems to be saturated.

Just because we might be tired of hearing about it, doesn't make it any less important to be aware of, does not mean that people who have never had to deal with it before aren't dealing with it for the first time. I'm sure you can probably think of a host of other topics this might relate to.

I recently heard about a young Filipina who recently committed suicide in the DC Metropolitan area. The context of this news was a friend reinforcing the urgency of the piece this summer, "Pinoy: A 'merican Tale".

In the end, I hope this piece is just the ~~beginning~~ continuation of a conversation that will take all of us, whatever community you're a part of, and ask us to continue to have an open mind and an open heart, to be honest with ourselves and each other.

Particularly in times such as these, yes, there are some things we might not be able to do anything about but wait. But with each other, with those who are close to us in life, there is better time than now to check in, to say hi, and to reassure each other that whether we are friends or family, we are there for each other, to believe in and love one another.

- JR Russ, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

Thank you

2011-04-19T09:23:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all those who made my Kickstarter campaign a success, for Pinoy: A 'merican Tale

Relevant Partnerships

2011-04-01T20:33:00.003-04:00

First off, thank you for the four backers who helped achieve the 50+% funded goal!!

And although KickStarter uses backers, I already think of you as part of this show's community, partners in this project, and how that relationship changes when this fundraiser ends and we go into pre-production, is one I look forward to because not only do I want this to be the beginning, but I don't want seeing the play to be the only other time you have an opportunity to be involved and engaged.

With regard to partnerships in general? I believe they are a win-win, yet I don't think they happen as often as they should. I'm not going to get into the weeds about what I mean by partnership, because the nature of it changes based on those involved, the goal, the time of day, and a number of other factors. I think the basis of it, that there is a relationship established that is not there on a regular basis, is something I wanted to incorporate into AWoL Productions (on FB)' work from the start.

As I mentioned, some of the resources for The Rave Scenes were community partners, which addressed larger operational issues with having a environmentally thoughtful process, as well as content specific partners, to the piece, which addressed policy and awareness.

This year is no different, and both were organizations which friends and co-workers mentioned, as an option to assist me and anyone in my family open to it. Now I have not formally approached them yet, and will probably email them sometime between this blog post and the successful finish of this campaign in a couple of weeks.

The first is one that the upper school pastor from my high school recommended. The alumni relationship and support is something that I appreciated, but never to this extent. The pastor was actually someone I had never met, but just being a part of that St. Albans family was enough, and he gave me good advice and counsel, particularly the days and weeks following the tragic event.

One resource he gave me is the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing. Now even though, this came up as a means to deal with our tragedy, I also want to present this as a means to avoid the downhill emotional spiral that the loss of a loved one can bring. In case you didn't know, in the papers, the loss of my grandfather has been brought up as something that my aunt never really dealt with. I won't go further, and I won't ask myself "what if". Rather, this is more of a "what now".

I personally hadn't even heard of this organization, and hope to raise awareness and support for it so others don't wait until it's needed, but rather before it's too late. This might be one of the issues the play will address, but simply being aware of the support that's out there is just one step in being informed and maybe even being a step ahead of waiting too long to address and deal with something.

Which brings me to the second organization, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which a coworker brought to my attention. Again, another one I had not heard of, but am glad I do now. I would just recommend checking out their website, and seeing the resources they provide, as well as the policy work they are engaged with.

Should they agree to be partners, they will be mentioned in our program, and there will be a table again (like last year), with any materials they provide. What they give in return, well that will be up to them.

Just to clarify, as I had mentioned the budget in my entry about commitment, funds from this KickStarter are to support and compensate the roughly 8-10 individuals that will be working on this piece, and no portion will be donated to these two organizations. That's actually against the Guidelines.

However, a portion of box office revenue from the ticket sales of the actual show will still go to these or whichever two organizations end up being partners. And the more support the working artists get from this campaign? Well let's just say that any revenue that can (again, not from this campaign, but from the show itself), will go to two good causes. And this will be completely transparent, and available to the public.

Well, that's it. Thank you for being a part of what's been a very interesting and already rewarding round two, for me,

- JR Russ, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

Other Links:

Wendt Center for Loss and Healing - Facebook
NAMI - Facebook | Twitter

Basics - Facebook
Connection - Facebook
Family-to-Family - Facebook
In Our Own Voice - Facebook
Peer-to-Peer - Facebook
Walks - Facebook

The Power of Giving

2011-03-29T19:01:00.003-04:00

As donors, as philanthropists, as people who give because you care...well, it takes a certain kind.

It's been interesting as recent economic issues have affected whole nations in different ways. While in the U.S., it led to a drop in individual giving, the recession heard round the world actually made other countries look into a model that was (no pun intended) completely foreign to them.

Obviously skewed from recent experiences in academia, in theory as well as with facts to back it up, Americans give like none other, whatever they give to. And as a nation we (try to) incentivize that giving through various nonprofit structures and special interaction with tax law.

But I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy, and for most, the incentive to give...well, the monetary benefit is secondary.

Growing up, and going to church with ang inay ko (my mother), she would always let me put the money in the donation basket. Well it took me a while, but I think I got it, got the point of it, and why it felt good to give, particularly over the last year as I've started on my own philanthropic path, with NPR and local theatres, like Woolly Mammoth, among the mix of organizations whose public good I believed in.

And that's, where I think we forgot about the arts at times, both as theatre professionals, and as patrons. For the most part (I'm not there yet, but give me another year), if a theatre company is a 501(c)3, then it's been approved as nonprofit because of its mission (as well as other structural), and it is recognized as fulfilling some service to the community.

I say all this because art is probably one of the more ephemeral, but also one of the most rewarding things I believe one can support. When it comes to basic needs, it can seem to falter in terms of importance, with good reason. But after you've dealt with the bare necessities of life, then that's where support for the arts is crucial, because then you're addressing the quality of life for people in a communi

But it's not like you have to give to one or the other, and the necessity of some causes doesn't negate the rewards of others.

That being said, I want to invite you to share a couple of thoughts.

The first being some of the other things you give to, be it a religious organization, a theatre company, maybe a political action committee.

The second thing is, if you have a moment, share why you gave to this project, whether you support art in general, because you want to support people involved, maybe you support addressing the topic of the piece, or maybe there's a whole other reason.

And please share this with others who might still be thinking about supporting this. Ask them what they give to, and inform them why you gave to this.

I look forward to seeing your responses,

- JR Russ, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

The Price of Commitment

2011-03-27T23:37:00.001-04:00

Now, this is a topic that's certainly complicated, and each person has to figure out for him or herself.

That being said, here's where I'm at.

The thing that is nice about being able to pay artists up front, or give them an idea of the compensation, is that they definitely invest a little more into it.

This goes double for the non-professional artists that I've worked with.

I actually had two people drop out of my original production, as Celia Wren mentioned in a Washington Post piece last summer, not so much about my show, but the Capital Fringe experience.

The latter one mentioned that not only did he not expect the rehearsals to happen as often as they did, but he had to take up a paying job. Understandable, the guy had been unemployed for more than 6 months.

Flashforward to a more recent encounter, this time with a theater professional. She had auditioned for a a production of Once on This Island, with KAT 2nd Stage, which I am choreographing.

After the show's been cast and rehearsals have started, she sends an email to the director explaining that a paying gig has come up and that she has to take it, hoping that we'll understand and all.

And we do...to a point. I understand needing to make a living, but more important, I understand the need to commit.

How would she feel if the tables had been reversed and we let her know that we had recast the show with another actor in her place? No, the analogy doesn't work on the financial level, but the point is that when we cast, we commit to the actor. And that commitment is a two way street.

That's part of the reason we ask for conflicts from the get-go, right? Not just tangible ones, but potential/tentative ones as well.

And that's why one of the main bits of advice I've held on to is never audition for something you cannot commit too.

The second bit of advice I would give is that this theatre (and larger) performing world is smaller than one thinks.

The theater she's possibly leaving our show to do work for, I'd say I have a fairly close relation to, having done a couple of shows with them over the past several years. And if she'd leave our production for a paying gig, who's to say she wouldn't drop that for a better paying one? Not that I would go out of my way to share this information, but if it came up I would certainly not keep it to myself. But before that happens, I'd hope she'd learn better.

Again, I understand the income bit, but I believe the ability to commit based on an informed decision you make with your own life should be the foundation for making those kind of professional decisions.

Just my two cents, based on my own experience.

Which brings me to this fundraiser. Again, commitment is a two-way street, but I can understand how it's harder to make a personal investment, when someone is asking and not giving. All I could give last year, was the promise for a cut of part of the box office revenue. I was actually quite pleased with what I ended up paying all those involved.

With income of about $1,200 from the box office, I was able to donate $100 each to the two organizations which in turn had donated materials and publicity as partners, DanceSafe & SSDP, I could pay my designers $50 each, and my stage manager and performers between $125-$150. Again, this barely compensated them for maybe 1/3 of the time they spent on The Rave Scenes, at a modest hourly wage. Myself, I paid about $5, because everyone else's gift of time and energy was more than payment enough.

But this compensation was an unknown at the time of commitment. And especially in this day and time, asking people to invest time and energy when you don't know what you can offer them in return, except a promise, well...it's a lot to ask. Being able to tell them at the least, I can offer them something solid and concrete, compensation for at least the rehearsal time, if this fundraiser is successful, well hopefully it lets them know how serious I am about the value of their time, and how valuable their commitment is in return.

Which isn't to say that those who did pull through with me on my epic journey last year didn't know how much it meant to me that they stayed. In fact, because most of them were friends from the theatre and the rave scene, I think they knew even more so how important that piece and their participation was, and it is why they stayed. And even if I could have compensated them appropriately, it still would not represent what their involvement was personally worth to me.

Anyway, I have a feeling I'm digressing. Probably part of my effort to postpone the weekend's end. Every new beginning, though, I suppose.

So there you have it, with this fundraiser, I hope to put this money where my mouth is, and be able to get people what they give in the first place.

- JR Russ, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

The Rave Scenes - Audience Survey

2011-03-23T18:54:00.001-04:00

Hello all!!

A bit belated, but here are the results from the audience survey from The Rave Scenes.

Just a disclaimer, though. As we received 30 responses from a total number of 194tickets sold, I tried to calculate the Margin of Error, for some of the questions.

1. Is this your first year at the Capital Fringe Festival? (13.18 MOE)
Yes - 24 (80%) / No - 6 (20%)

2. How old are you?
Average Age - 29.04

3. How did you commute here? (15.33 MOE)
Auto - 20.5 (68.33%) / Public - 8.5 (28.33%) / Bike - 1

4. Where do you live? [We're gonna keep this one private]

5. Are you a raver?
Yes - 6 / Maybe - 4.5 / In a past life - 7.5 / No - 11

6. Do you regularly see live performances? (11.2 MOE)

Dance - 1 / Music - 7 / Theatre - 6 / Other - 1 / No - 4

dance/music - 2 / music/theatre - 2 / music/other - 1

dance/music/theatre - 4 / dance/music/theatre/other - 2

Yes - 26 (86.67%) / No - 4 (13.33%)

7. How did you find out about The Rave Scenes? (13.18 MOE)
WOM - 24 (80%) / Postcard - 1 / Fringe - 4 / Print - 1

8. How did you find out about the Capital Fringe Festival? (15.1 MOE)
WOM - 21 (70%) / Print - 5 / Attended Before - 2 / Fringe - 2

9. Was this show relevant to you?
Average - 5.61 out of 7

So the neat thing?

A LOT of first time Capital Fringers came to see this show, and most of them found out by word of mouth. And for the most part, this show was pretty relevant to the audience who came to see it.

I will be putting out another survey to the audience and update this page with any new input.

Otherwise, I hope you found this insightful.

I want to make it a point to collect whatever data I can, qualitative and quantitative, to insure that AWoL Productions continues to grow from each experience. Obviously, this survey was tailored to a particular event and venue.

Let me know if there are some questions that might be useful to consider, as I get feedback from future performances.

That's it for now,

- JR, Vision Director, AWoL Productions

Resources:

Pinoy: A' merican Tale - The books

2011-03-20T16:04:00.002-04:00

For last year's production, The Rave Scenes, part of the rehearsal process included watching several movies as a cast, but also starting each rehearsal taking turns picking a book from a pile of selections, and then opening to a random page and reading. You can find these movies and books at the resources blog entry I made not much more than a month ago.

Anyway, I want to incorporate literature again, maybe in the rehearsal process, but certainly more in the writing of it. I find it somewhat ironic that I'm doing this on today...Sunday. While "the book" can have many interpretations, I find myself drawn to the "people of the book" phrase. My mom, being Filipino, raised me Catholic. I, being Filipino-American (as well as Black), have since been searching for my own path.

And while I might not revere "The" book as central to my beliefs, I certainly believe that books in general are. And, yes I even mean the physical object the text is held in. I am not an e-book convert, and while that may change depending on the affordability of technology, there's just something I prefer about holding the paper in my hand. Same reason I still like reading the physical newspaper with breakfast, when I can.

Maybe it's all just symbolism, knowledge being physicalized in a vessel and imparted to others. All the more ironic (maybe) that I am sharing these with you online. Maybe not, because it's still the transfer of information. Anyway, with that, here are the 10 books of Pinoy: A 'merican Tale.

From Asia to DC:

A History of the Philippines: From Indos Bravos to Filipinos (2010)

Publisher | Amazon

Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans (1989)

Publisher | Amazon

Filipino American Lives (1995)

Publisher | Amazon

Filipinos in Washington, DC (2009)

Publisher | Amazon

Jose Rizal:

The First Filipino: A Biography of José Rizal (1963)

Amazon

Noli Me Tangere: A Novel (1997), translated by Soledad Lacson-Locsin

Publisher | Amazon

Rizal's Prose (1962)

Amazon

Fil-Ams & Psych:

Depression and Other Mental Health Issues: The Filipino American Experience (1995)

Amazon

Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice (2009)

Publisher | Amazon | Facebook

Filipino American Psychology: A Collection of Personal Narratives (2009)

Publisher | Amazon

If possible (especially for the ones that are out of print), if being Filipino-American is part of your background, your culture, I definitely encourage you to consider purchasing any of these books which you haven't read, even if you're not a "book" person.

Even if it's just one, it can only help you to continue becoming the person you already are.

- JR, A Way of Life Productions, Vision Director

Other Resources

Arcadia Publishing - Facebook
Overlook Press - Twitter
Kevin Nadal - Facebook | YouTube

4 weeks and counting for our 1st Kickstarter campaign

2011-03-17T22:38:00.001-04:00

So, as you may have noticed, we've started a Kickstarter campaign for Pinoy: A 'merican Tale that wraps up four weeks from today, at 5pm on April 14.

Now, if you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a fundraising site geared towards supporting creative projects. I think that's pretty cool, and not just because they accepted my initial request. Part of the charm, I think, is that they make it clear that donors will not be charged unless creatives meet their minimum goal.

It definitely speaks to one of the few points of contention I've experienced when sitting on grant panels at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the debate over whether it would be better to fund less artists at greater amounts of the amount they applied for, or more at lower, and if lower, how much was too low.

Not a problem with Kickstarter, if they don't make the minimum, the funding doesn't happen. I believe this gives an even greater incentive to fund the project at the minimum, if not more.

Anyway, I could go more into this, but just thankful at the progress that has been made so far, 5% funding, and it's only been 2 days. Doesn't mean that there's not any work to do, but just hopeful, so far.

- JR, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

PAT: Kickstarter campaign is launched

2011-03-15T22:02:00.004-04:00

TRS: Resources

2011-02-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

Hey,

So it's been a while, but as I start the process for developing a new piece this year, I thought I'd share some of the resources used in the devising/rehearsal process for The Rave Scenes. A couple of times we actually watched one of the movies listed, as a means to have a communal experience so that those with various experiences in "the scene", or none, would have something to discuss.

Each rehearsal, before even getting the script, we would sit in a circle and take turns picking a random book out of the pile, open it to a random page, and read a passage or two. This was informative to both the ravers and non-ravers in the cast.

Anyway, I thought I'd share what we shared with each other. Main links go to Wikipedia article unless otherwise noted, and other links are among those that pop up first in a Google search. Gonna list our Community Partners first:

DanceSafe (Awareness Partner) - Promoting Health and Safety within the Rave and Nightclub Community
Renew and Sustain (Gaia Partner) - Your Environmentally Friendly Way of Living
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (Policy Partner) - Schools not Prisons

Thanks for the resources and support you provided for this production!!

Movies:

Better Living Through Circuitry (1999)

Amazon, IMDB, Netflix

Groove (2000)

Amazon, IMDB, Netflix

Interstella 5555 (2003)

Amazon, IMDB, Netflix, Official Site

Put the Needle on the Record (2006)

Amazon, IMDB, Netflix, Official Site

The UMF Experience 2004 (2004)

Amazon

Literature:

E, The Incredibly Strange History of Ecstasy (2008)

Amazon, Publisher

Ecstasy Reconsidered (1997)

Amazon

Generation Ecstasy: Into the world of Techno and Rave Culture (1999)

Amazon, Publisher

Hallucinogens: A Reader(2002)

Amazon, Publisher

In Search of the Ultimate High: Spiritual Experiences Through Psychoactives (2000)

Amazon, Authors

The Little Book of Ecstasy (2003)

Amazon

Rave Culture: An Insider's Overview (1999)

Amazon

Trance Formation: The Spiritual and Religious Dimensions of Global Rave Culture (2005)

Amazon, Publisher

Up All Night: A Closer Look at Club Drugs and Rave Culture (2001)

Amazon

Other sites which are relevant to this community and scene:

DRCNet - raising awareness of the consequences of prohibition
Drug Policy Alliance - Alternatives to Marijuana Prohibition and the Drug War

The Rave Act

Erowid - Documenting the Complex Relationship between Humans & Psychoactives
Glowsticking
HouseOfRave.com
Hyperreal

Raves

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - Criminal justice professionals speaking out against the War on Drugs
Rave Archive
Rave Party Toys
RaveStuff

Local Links:

So please feel free to comment if you've seen any of the movies, read any of the books, visited the sites, and if you have any others you'd recommend for consideration.

JR Russ
Vision Director
A Way of Life Productions

Disclaimers:

*AWoL Productions, its partners, and individuals directly involved in this production
neither encourage nor condemn drug use.

*Community partners involved in this production are not affiliated with each other,
and do not endorse or disapprove of each others’ activities.

TRS: The Media Scene

2010-07-06T13:41:00.005-04:00

So, go to Google News, and type in "rave". Your top hits will mostly have to do with a 15 yo girl who died at this year's Electric Daisy Carnival, in LA recently.

But, as the topics been blowing up mainstream media, it's also gotten people talking elsewhere on the interwebs:

http://www.eternalbeats.net/forums/showthread.php?28451-15year-old-girl-dies-in-hospital-from-overdose-at-EDC

I suppose it's been a while since the spotlight's been on raves and the drug use at them, but to those who've been in the scene for a while...well, the news is anything but new.

It certainly is sad and tragic that something like this would happen, but pointing fingers at the rave scene didn't solve it in DC in '99 (Fox 5's Buzz bust), didn't solve it in '02 (the R.A.V.E. Act), and isn't going to start an honest and open discussion as to all the factors that contributed to this fatality (including drug policy in the U.S. and limited information focusing on an abstinence only mentality).

This event and the coverage of Sasha Rodriguez's passing, has made The Rave Scenes timely and relevant, in a way I couldn't imagine.

TRS: Our 2010 Capital Fringe Festival Flyer

2010-06-25T16:30:00.001-04:00

Check it out!!

The front:

The back:

Flyer design by Charles Shryock