LIT currently has 6 committees which are dedicated to identifying issues that affect the OOB-I theater community and advocating on behalf of the LIT membership. The committees consist of: codes & contracts, research, real estate, membership, programming, and communications.
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As you can see, there is a tremendous amount of activity going on. We’re grateful to those who have been active on committees in 2009. We couldn’t have achieved everything without you! We look forward to an even better 2010!
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Codes and Contracts Committee
by Ralph Lewis, Chair
As a union member who's done my share of acting in alternative theaters, I have definite opinions about the AEA codes. For one, I always thought that if they were going to change with the times that change would have to come from the members who work on the stages that use them. These union actors and stage managers would have to come together to ask for it, demand it, from the union. If enough of us got behind some solutions, maybe we could speak to the union with a unified and convincing voice. It may be a tough task, but we can all see that the incredible growth of our local theater community demands some upgrades to how we operate.
New issues have come up in the past decade, as what used to be known as "downtown theater" has multiplied throughout Manhattan and the entire 5 boroughs. The number of actors in this town has built what used to be dozens of artist-driven theater groups into hundreds of independent theater companies. That's a very good thing, and I think that there has got to be some positive ways to address these recent changes.
I've done a ton of research on legal agreements; combed every print article, website, blog, paper, etc. for suggestions to our current agreements; and I asked a bunch of fellow union-indie actors to study the options. After some very long meetings, we came up with some good ideas, but we agreed that changing anything would be up to whether other union actors wanted to get involved. And that's where we're at now—asking others to help. So if you are an AEA member or work regularly with AEA members and want to help address this vital issue, contact LIT and join the cause.
Research Committee
by John Clancy, Executive Director
We are looking to relaunch and refocus the Research Committee in 2010, with the top goal for the year being the creation of a document that presents the unified history of OOB-I theater. Our collective story is a remarkable one and we have for too long relied on others to tell it for us. If you would like to be involved in this effort, please contact me.
Real Estate Committee
by Erez Ziv, Chair
The Real Estate committee has met several times this year in an effort to figure out exactly what it is that our community is in need of and how it is that LIT can help to meet these needs.
Very high on the list is affordable rehearsal space. It has been decided that LIT is not interested, at this time, in operating such a space but will support private efforts by LIT members to establish such spaces around the city.
Also very high on the list is maintaining presently operating performance spaces and halting the steady decline in the number of available venues. On this front we have some exciting news. A proposal to create tax incentives for landlords and developers for the creation and renting of Community Use FAR space to small performing arts venues has been circulated around. At this point each of the Manhattan community boards has signed off on the proposal and we will be meeting with Scott Stringer’s office to formally discuss the proposal. As this effort moves forward we will need to increase our lobbying efforts to include Albany, as ultimately this is a tax issue and will require a vote upstate.
We have also discussed the need of office space for our community. However, in REC meetings and in personal conversations I have had with members of the community, this need is not acknowledged as a major issue. Many in our community run their companies out of their apartments, out of their daytime offices, or from coffee shops and find this to be a comfortable situation; the idea of an office facility that will house many companies and help facilitate resource sharing does not seem to be of value without first addressing the rehearsal space issue and then adjoining the office facility to it.
In the coming year we will continue to work on the Community Use FAR proposal, and continue to explore other ways in which LIT can put our members’ collective weight behind other ways to help better our collective space situation.
Membership Committee
by Jennifer Conley Darling, Acting Chair
The membership of LIT has grown in 2009 from a small core of believers to a total of 76 members and still counting.
With the help of the Communications and Programming committees we have created a brochure to attract more members as well as the LIT button to display the support of our sector.
LIT also had the opportunity to be part of the Free Night of Theater program and I’m proud to say we had huge participation rates from LIT!
I'd like to thank Michael Criscuolo for his work in 2009. We look forward to raising the membership even moreso in 2010. Let's get the word out!
Programming Committee
by Mark Lonergan, Chair
I am a Charter Member of the League, and was honored to be asked to head the Programming Committee this past year. I came into the position midway through the year, and worked very closely with the Board, Communications Committee, and Membership Committee to organize several excellent events.
The most regular LIT event is the Get Lit with LIT! series presented every two months. This past year, we were honored to host some terrific guests, including NYSCA’s Theatre Program Director Robert Zuckerman, TCG’s Ruth Eglsaer, and indie theatre artists John Clancy, Greg Kotis, and Susan Louise O’Connor. The best part of these events is getting a chance to speak informally with both the guests and fellow indie theatre artists, and we’re thrilled to be continuing the series in 2010.
This past summer, LIT co-hosted an event called Indie Theater Week, which featured three separate outings: The New York Innovative Theatre Awards’ 5th Anniversary and Nominations Party, the LIT Mixer as part of the undergroundzero festival, and the 1st Annual Indie Theater Softball Classic in Central Park. Great fun was had at all three events.
LIT was a also a Managing Partner for TCG’s Free Night of Theater program this past October, and hosted a reception as part of the New York International Fringe Festival in August. Both of these opportunities allowed us to pinpoint new members for the League, as well as share some of the work we’ve been doing this past year.
I am greatly looking forward to 2010, a year in which LIT will be aiming to propel itself into the public eye more than ever before. We are already planning some terrific events, and would love to hear from the membership with ideas and suggestions along the way. I hope very much to see you at one of the events we have in store, and thanks so much for your continued interest and support.
Communications Committee
by Christopher Heath, Chair
The Communications Committee (Comm Comm, for short) has been very active since the beginning of 2009. Under the direction of Paul Bargetto, Comm Comm developed the LIT website and established the email communication platform which is utilized to provide the membership with regular updates on LIT activities. When Paul’s role within LIT was expanded in the spring and I took over the committee, my primary objective was to specifically define its roles and responsibilities within LIT, which can be summarized in 4 distinct categories: marketing, education, public relations, and internal communications. Once these roles and responsibilities were defined, our committee of 10 was able to get to work!
The marketing initiatives include strategic planning and message development, branding, and promotion. In June, Comm Comm developed a complete strategic communications plan for LIT and a preliminary tactical plan to help us achieve the goals of the organization.
Comm Comm has developed several branded materials, such as the LITNY pins, the informational brochure, and letterhead. We’re also working on logos, a LIT-focused blurb for shows in which our members participate (similar to the AEA blurb, though not as long), business cards, and membership ID cards. We are also working on LIT merchandise and a new website. We’ll feature two new segments on the website: “LIT Voices” will shine a spotlight on LIT members (company/venue or artist/professional); “Did You Know…?” will feature OOB-I factoids. In addition to the strategic planning and branding initiatives, we are also developing some additional promotional avenues using Facebook and Twitter.
On the educational front, the Educational Task Force is dedicated to educating audiences about OOB-I theater, strengthening the overall understanding and legitimacy of LIT and its community, and providing outreach to students and community members to assist in furthering their artistic endeavors. We’re also developing a Community Board Task Force, which will work to influence positive change for independent theater artists as a result of increased community board visibility. We welcome any volunteers.
Our public relations work includes press releases stating our position on relevant OOB-I topics and the forthcoming “I Am Independent” initiative of public service announcement-type videos.