UNDER THE RADAR presents “Devoted and Disgruntled New York” – an extension/experiment by Phelim McDermott of Improbable. here’s the invitation letter we received and hereby pass along to you:

Do you love theatre?
Do you find it frustrating?
Do you wish it were different?
Do you feel like an outsider in your own profession?
Do you want to help change things for the better?
Have you just started out and need support?
Have you been in the profession for years and feel jaded?
Is your sector always left out of the discussions?
Are you looking for a sense of: community, eldership, mentorship?
Are you looking to change things?

DEVOTED AND DISGRUNTLED NEW YORK: What are we doing about theatre?

Dear Theater Colleague,

Five years ago, in London, I sent out the first invitation to a “Devoted & Disgruntled” event. My aim was to bring people together in Open Space to explore the question – “What are we going to do about theatre?”. I’d become aware that, passionate as I was about theatre, I found myself frustrated at how we made it, how we communicated with each other and how little the existing structures supported us to feel part of a genuine community. Since that first invitation to others who were devoted and disgruntled, D&D has become one of UK theatre’s most extraordinary annual events.

From each of the four D&Ds we’ve held in London have come an amazing number of projects and initiatives. Some of them very tangible, others, equally important, are more subtle and tangential. Whatever they are, from new theatre companies to individual projects, from pressure groups to artist salons, D&D has helped bring them to fruition. Perhaps most importantly for me has been the gradual and growing sense of community; I was astonished by the number of people who turned out for the first D&D and I continue to be enthralled and exhilarated by the energy unleashed at each succeeding event.

Now we’re bringing Devoted and Disgruntled to the United States. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I am particularly excited to be bringing it to New York, a city that has been an important part of the journey of our work over many years. We’ve done lots of different shows in New York from playing 70 Hill Lane at PS122 to Shockheaded Peter (Off Broadway), Spirit at the New York Theatre Workshop, Hanging Man at BAM, Satyagraha at the Met and I’m currently co directing and designing The Addams Family musical on Broadway with Julian Crouch (Co-Artistic Director of Improbable with Lee Simpson). Consequently we have a connection with an extraordinary cross section of the theatre and performance community and as these connections have grown and widened I have felt a strong desire to facilitate a similar event in New York to the D&D’s that have been so enriching in London.

People who’ve experienced the event in the UK have been hungry for us to make it happen here for some time. Now at last the opportunity has arrived with Mark Russell and Under The Radar Festival supporting it at Church of St Paul the Apostle, 405 W 59th St (Entrance on 60th St and Columbus Ave).
So this is your chance to come and work in Open Space on the issues that you care about and want to take responsibility for, things you want to change, to question, to celebrate, to discuss, to dream up. If there are things you are passionate about or things you are pissed about, projects or proposals you need support on, or if you want to connect with your community, all are possible because in Open Space you set the agenda. This is an opportunity for us to exchange and learn from one another. Money and funding issues are especially challenging at present and so the way that we make work is something that requires us to be creative, to explore our collective resources and intelligence. Nothing is off limits.

If you feel like this event might not be for you then that is a sure sign we need your input. If you feel that the issues that affect you or your sector never get discussed so what’s the point of turning up? This is the event for you!

It’s important that there’s a diverse cross section of people at the event not just one sector of the theatre community. So whether you are off Off-Broadway, Off-Broadway, Broadway, Funded, Self-supporting, downtown, uptown, from outside or inside New York if you feel passionate about theatre make sure you come. Everyone is welcome.

Come to our first D&D in New York – Be prepared to be surprised by what you find.

Phelim McDermott
Improbable

www.improbable.co.uk

For further information on Open Space: www.openspaceworld.org

HOW TO BOOK
2 Day Pass: $30 at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/89915

Church of St Paul the Apostle

405 W 59th St (Entrance on 60th St and Columbus Ave)

January 16 Saturday 10-6pm
January 17 Sunday 1-8pm

D&D @ NYC is presented by Under The Radar, a festival of new adventurous and contemporary productions from around the world. Jan 6-17, 2010. www.undertheradarfestival.com