Guest blog for Mujeres Talk MALCS

Shout-out to las muxeres from the MALCS blog (especially las editors Rita, Theresa and Selene) for inviting me to share and speak to my experience with institutional violence. I know my story is far from unique, but our hope is that breaking silences around these subjects, we can begin to foster better conditions for the muxeres who are in the trenches now and those coming behind us.  Tlazocamatli.

http://mujerestalk.malcs.org/2013/03/my-experience-with-institutional.html 

Creating a Conscious Process

Hola QPOC & allies,

This month is a re-post of a blog article that actually speaks to how we can work with intention.  Check out the site Arts in a Changing America for some great articles.

http://www.artsinachangingamerica.net/2013/02/04/working-with-intention/

And here are some other national grants to look into for your theater or other artistic projects:

MAP Fund (http://mapfund.org/)
Creative Capital (http://www.creative-capital.org/)
Astraea Foundation Grants (http://www.astraeafoundation.org/)

¡Suerte!
Adelina

Understanding the Learning Curve for Student Organizers

Happy New Year QPOC & allies!

Okay, so you're super excited about the prospects of getting yourself and your solo show on the university circuit this year—yay!  First, I have to say my overall experience on the circuit with student organizers has been really fantastic. They have truly exhibited and earned the "organizer" part of their titles.  But, there have been a few experiences were the student organizer(s) dropped the ball... or kicked it out of the court altogether.

While this can be a frustrating experience, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the first part of their title is student organizer.  They're usually handling loads of course-work AND trying to organize events for their campus.  If you have a smooth experience, it's probably because you're dealing with an experienced student organizer(s) or the student organization has solid faculty mentorship.  

Student groups are kept afloat by active student participation and like anything else, these organizations experience ebb and flow.  It may take 3-4 years for a student group to properly train organizers from within or learn from their own errors. By the time they're experts at applying for funds and booking artists properly and respectfully, that's usually when they're on their way out.  So the learning process begins again with a new crop of student leaders.  In the best case scenario the older students are recruiting freshman and sophomores and mentoring them before they graduate--but this doesn't always happen.

Here are some basic things you can do in advance to help things run smoothly:

1)  Communicate via email, because it documents details discussed. (If you speak on the phone, immediately follow up with an email reiterating the items agreed to by both parties.)

2)  Put a contract in place, either one of your own or one provided by their campus.  (Do not travel without a contract.  Have it in place at least a month before the event.)

3)  Ask about their faculty supervisors in advance or what departments they are working with to bring you onto their campus.

4)     If they're booking you for an annual event, do some research and see if it's been successful in the past. 

5)  Discuss early on if you or the student organizer will be making the travel/lodging arrangements and who will be paying for it. (If you’ve never been to their campus it’s always best to let them pay instead of reimbursing you later--because if they should cancel you will get stuck with the flights/hotel expenses.) 

6)  Find out their payment policy--do they pay your honorarium right after your show?  Within two weeks?  30 days after the event?  (30 days after an event is normal and the maximum time you should accept.  Be wary though if you’re booked in May and they’re term ends before you expect payment.  You may not get a check until the following Fall.  Yikes.)

Early on in your touring career you're probably not going to be working with a booking manager and you'll be doing all of the negotiating and booking yourself.  This has both pros and cons to be discussed at a later time.  In the meantime, the more information and awareness you bring to the process the better you can help guide student organizers.

  

You should also follow your gut instincts.  If the student organizer does not follow through on communication or seems to change dates and details frequently, they may be having fundraising issues or he/she may not be skilled yet. It's more than okay to decline an invitation if things on their end seem very disorganized.  Give them a year or two and hope they grow into their roles.  

Only once did I have a student organizer commit fraud, but this was a rare case and he turned out to be a young man of dubious character (And he was qpoc, so don’t assume anything about your organizers until you’ve worked with them).  Luckily, I had my business manager deal with that hairy situation.  

You will find in less extreme situations where there are minor bumps with your booking or delay in payment, it usually only takes a courteous email to their faculty advisor to have them move things along.  In the end, always try to keep your cool and practice patience.  Some of your strongest fans are these same students who are trying to bring you to their campus because they love your work--that's pretty awesome.

Abrazos,

Adelina

Producing Yourself Part 2

Dear jotería,

     Here's the promised template of a basic budget with expenses to be mindful of when producing your own solo show.  Claro, this basic budget can be applied to ensemble shows as well, and it can get much more complicated.  For example, under artistic fees--depending on the scope of your project-- you may need to hire a choreographer, a projectionist, a puppet master, a musician, et aliae.  

     You will also notice I haven't included actual numbers.  Again, that's because everything depends on where you decide to produce your show.  From the city to the venue, it can make a marked difference.  Renting space in NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco or any other major city, where the living expenses alone are ridiculous, will always cost much more.   But if you've taken time to get to know your communities you may find other affordable venues within these expensive cities.  

    Also, if these under the radar venues are where your communities hang out, you may be better off pursing a less fancy space.  Everything is a trade off.  Sure, a better maintained venue and staff will give your show more polish--but if it means you have to increase your ticket price significantly, it may deter our "broke-ass" comunidades from attending.  Here's the question: whom do you want as your primary audiences?  (There's a reason I've never pursued regional theater.  Every artist makes artistic/political/socio-economic choices along the way-- you too will make your own.) 

    As for your collaborators and their fees, in the beginning of your career (and throughout) you'll depend a lot on friends who are also artists.  Reciprocity matters.  Being respectful of their time and talents means volumes during a process.  And, eventually, paying them well when you can afford to will ensure you don't exploit your friendships or professional relationships.   The more experienced a collaborator, the higher the artistic fee (and usually worth it).  It's not uncommon to have a hodge-podge of collaborators on your project; from those who are inexperienced (but willing to learn) and, should you be lucky, veteran@s working on your project (because they believe in it).  

     Here's the bottom line on any budget:  how much money do you actually have to invest in producing your show?  $1000, $5000, or $10,000?  That's where you begin.  Start with the location, because it dictates most everything and tends to be the most expensive line.  Over time you will create your "dream" budgets, i.e. what you submit to the grant world; and then you will, more often than not, deal with your real budgets--where every centavo counts.  Hope this helps!

    Suerte y salud QPOC,
    Adelina

     P.S.  What is a "street team" you ask?  It's not uncommon for grassroots artists who also came up through organizing/activism to employ similar tactics to help get the word out about their shows.  The "street team" is the group of folks you trust to flyer events where our peoples gather at...  it's not like many of us grow up going to the theater.  So, usually, an effective street team can lure our peeps from the clubs into your show if they sell it well!
 

Producing Yourself

     Because I first learned how to produce full-scale theater productions, it's the main reason I've had a solo performance career.  Transitioning from producing ensemble productions to solo shows was easy, and it liberated me from the false concept that I had to wait for someone else to give me the opportunity to present my work.  

     For the majority of QPOC, learning how to self-produce is a crucial skill. Over the next few months I’ll take you through the basics of self-producing your own solo show.  First, you want to familiarize yourself with a basic budget for solo performance.  We'll cover several line items and what they mean for your budget.  In the beginning, you’re probably self-financing, so it's important to be realistic about what you can afford to present.  

     Remember, a shoe-string budget is not an excuse for a shoddy solo performance.  In fact, you will find that solo performance lends itself to the oft quoted and condensed William Ernest Henley saying that all you need to make good theater is "two boards and a passion."  I've seen brilliant solo performances that have relied solely on great writing, excellent acting, and minimal production values. Minimal production values will not detract from the overall experience if you give your audiences fantastic acting and writing.  They'll keep coming back for more, not just because the lights were pretty.  (Don't get me wrong, it's great when we can get high production values, and at some point in your career, you won't settle for less). 

So how much money do you really need to produce your own solo show?  Zero.  

    Sort of.  Time is money, and if you're willing to invest in yourself you can make it happen.  There are several presenting spaces you can approach who are willing to do a box-office split with artists.  The split depends on the venue/location and on the artist.  The split can vary from 50/50 to 60/40 to 70/30.  

This kind of deal means you're usually considered a co-producer.  The organization may choose to list you in their general publicity materials and provide some staff/tech support.  Examine the contracts to be clear about what expenses the organization may reimburse itself for first before it starts to split profits with you.  

In this kind of box-office split relationship--for the most part--you're responsible for getting an audience in the door.  The other caveat for first-time producers to remember is that you may not get a Friday or Saturday night to present your work.  These are prime nights for venues and they're going to book more established artists or folks who can pack the house for them.  

But if you hustle properly you can make a good profit and an impressive first showing on a Thursday night or Sunday matinee.  With the online social media resources available to grassroots artists this is even more true in our day.  Plus, when a venue sees that you can bring in a sizable crowd they'll be more amenable to offering you a weekend night or even give you multiple nights.  

     Now, if you really want to perform on a weekend night, or run your show over an entire weekend, you may want to send out inquiries for rental rates.  If you rent out the venue you will be keeping all of the box-office profits of your show, but you’ll also be incurring more costs.  Instead of the venue providing staff support, you'll be responsible for staffing your show from box-office personnel to house managers to tech staff, etc.  And even if you're renting, some venues require that you hire their staff or tech personnel.  

     In the end, be clear about your goals in this kind of artistic venture.  Is your goal monetary? Do you want to break even or make some small profit?  Or is it about getting critical reviews? (Harder to do these days since most newspapers have released their regular staff critics.  More on this later.)  There's nothing wrong with just breaking even if you're trying to introduce your work to a venue and wider audience, but if you produce well, you should always be able to walk away with at least a few hundred dollars in your pocket.  If this is how you make your living, you should always have this goal in mind.

     So here's the first line item you have to figure out on your budget: PERFORMANCE SPACE.  What is the total cost to you?  Find out how far in advance you have to schedule a booking and what is the deposit charge?   Be clear about their cancellation policies too (Avoid canceling, it's your reputation on the line... and nobody likes a flake.) Find out if they provide free tech rehearsal with your booking?  If not, how much will that cost you?  

     Next month we'll discuss other artistic fees to consider in your budget.  You can produce a show on a few hundred to a few thousand--so start saving your monies now!  

Suerte en todo,
Adelina

P.S.  Jotería, I know you're all hella cute--so if you do have a sugar mama or papi financing your show, trust me, there's still much value in learning what it takes to produce your own solo work.  To quote one of my Hocicona characters, never forget to be "I-N-D-E-P... pués la idea es esa."

A quickie, but goodie!

Dear QPOC,

Apologies for posting this bloga a few days late; my team and I are two weeks away from shooting our first short film, Forgiving Heart.  Needless to say, times have gone from “regular busy” to “intensely busy.” But it’s exciting times and I feel so blessed with my amazing cast and crew.  In general, I will do my best to post the first Saturday of every month. 

Anyway, if the college circuit has not been affording you opportunities (because the economic times have affected almost all of the touring artists I know), another route to take is the National Performance Network (NPN).  In fact, you will find that a touring career means patching together different performance opportunities: college campuses, cultural centers, theaters, conferences and your queer tía’s backyard (Pos, why not if you can get a grant to support an innovative approach to audience building?  Just saying… and you have finally figured out that most of your unmarried tías are jotas, right?  Lol, and you thought that was just her comadre!)

Here’s the link for NPN:http://npnweb.org/

CHECK THEM OUT.  It’s one of the few solid resources we have as touring artists.

For one, you’ll learn about the performance and cultural centers they partner with throughout the nation.  It’s really worth your time to become familiar with those centers, because many of them present queer artists of color.  Also, if you develop a relationship with them and perform at their venues, they may bring you in as an artist-in-residence through NPN.  And maybe down the road they’ll want to support you through an NPN Creation Fund Award and co-commision the grant to help you create and present new work.  It’s a win-win for everyone involved.  

NPN also sponsors a yearly conference where you can network, meet the directors of these centers, and meet other artists of similar ilk and spirit.  

Suerte and break-many-piernas!

My Feedback on Feedback

     As artists, we’re always looking for feedback on our work, usually from other like-minded or what I like to call, “heart-minded” personas. We all seek guidance, approval and affirmation along our journey. But, in the beginning, looking for feedback may feel much like that classic Country canción that goes: “looking for love in all the wrong places.”  (And before you even think of taking away my Xicana card—yeah, I’ve listened to lots of Country. I’m from Texas, and, gulp, I even like some of it!)

Bueno, back to feedback.  I once read about one author who stated he simply does not allow himself to hear criticism when his work is complete, and, especially not from strangers.  When someone attempts to give him feedback, he raises his hand and says something along the lines of, “No, thank you.  I’m not interested in your critiques.”  Of course, this usually baffles people, maybe even offends them, because as we know, everyone is a criticona.  

But this artist explains that he has trusted friends whom he shares his work with, and, furthermore, when his projects are finished, he allows himself to be satisfied with them.  On the other end, because I’ve been immersed in screenwriting books for over a year, one writer explained that he welcomes all kinds of criticism, even when it comes at him in a hostile manner. Of course, he filters the comments and uses only what resonates with the work and actually improves it.

Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle of these two.  Depending on the work—it’s genre, content and form—I usually rely on four to six intimates to give me their honest feedback in the early stages of development.  These are usually the same people I also give feedback to on a regular basis, so we have built trust over time.  I tend to seek out two kinds of readers:  the master artists who can speak to the craft of the work, everything from its structural minutiae to its grand arcs, to my most progressive and radical friends who exercise a marvelous prowess for deciphering the nuances of complex and contradictory political embodiment. 

What my chosen critical readers all have in common is that I respect them dearly. Moreover, I know their constructive criticism comes from a place of love.  They give feedback honestly, but not in hurtful ways. I know they sincerely want me to achieve my best work.

But something we frequently do as artists—and it's encouraged by the grant world—is present our workshop material for the public and request feedback.  If you’re clear about the intention of your work this will help you develop a filtering system, so you can discard what doesn’t serve the work at hand. And by no means am I suggesting we cannot get great insights, ideas, and criticism from general feedback—claro que sí.  It’s why I value this part of the process before an official premiere. But you will find, quite often, general feedback has opposing views.  And that’s okay, because our audiences are always extremely diverse.

Many of us actually seek the feedback of other artists, especially if we respect their work.  The best way to approach an artist you hope to get feedback from is by taking a workshop or an ongoing class with that person.  This is the time a working artist has designated to teach. By approaching an artist in this manner, you show respect for their time and skills, because giving feedback is a time-consuming process.

Up to a few years ago, I always gave feedback, no matter who asked me for it. But once I was touring heavily on the circuit, I realized this was an impossible position to maintain.  Traveling alone eats up writing time.  So I had to learn the difficult skill of respectfully saying no.  As it is, I do give plenty of feedback on a continuous basis to my artist friends (who do the same for me) and a handful of former students.  And saying no is hard.  Honestly, I still feel a tinge of guilt sometimes, because we’re taught as women to oblige;  and as cultural-activists we’re aware of the enormous need for mentoring in our communities. But personal/professional health boundaries are necessary for all of us.

Finally, I want to clarify that a request for feedback is not the same as someone just sharing their work.  As an artist I love reading, viewing, and hearing the works of other artists. I appreciate it when someone I’m not familiar with just sends me their work/ link and there’s no agenda behind it. I’m like you. I constantly seek out other artists who inspire, provoke and move me.  I attend their shows, purchase their works, and support their livelihoods. And if I have something I want to learn from them, you better believe it, I do some “professional” stalking and sign up for that workshop.

And while you're waiting for that workshop to come around, one of the best strategies for getting weekly, bi-weekly or monthly feedback is to start up your own peer-writing group.  It can be as little as two-three people, but you may not want a group larger than six, because then not everyone gets adequate attention on their work.  Plus, you want your group to be a working group, not necessarily a social, hang-out and chismolear crew (more on that later).

Mucha luz y suerte qpoc,

Adelina

P.S. Many of us offer workshops at some point or another. I know for a fact the amazing Sharon Bridgforth will be part of Teatro Q-POC next summer in San Francisco (presented by cihuatl productions in 2013).  There's also workshops for GLBT folks of African descent offered by Fire and Ink.  Sometimes you can find QPOC artists offering workshops through VONA or The Macondo Foundation. 

P.S.S. Here's some cheese for you, which by the way, Texas loves its American cheese, which isn't even real cheese!  So take it off of your nachos, jotería!