Peterborough Arts Umbrella News Flash!

CALL TO ARTISTS CREATING NEW WORKS OF THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE: Public Energy is seeking Peterborough-area artists for 2009’s Alternating Currents program.

History of Alternating Currents: Last year Public Energy (PE) produced its first Alternating Currents program. Four experimental theatrical works-in-progress received three days each of intensive workshopping with award-winning director and theatre artist Ker Wells. The program culminated in an informal public presentation to an enthusiastic audience.

The primary focus of the initiative was physical exploration and refinement, experimentation, and creation. For Public Energy, Alternating Currents functioned as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the creation and production of experimental forms of theatre, and the development of local artists. We developed AC to address a need among Peterborough-area artists for professional development and support, particularly around getting the work to proceed beyond raw presentation of new creations.

What AC is and does: Alternating Currents is a theatrical development process developed and administered by PE. AC is intended to benefit artists who view research and development as a long-term process, rather than simply as a short-cut to production. Its purpose is to provide new works-in-progress by Peterborough-area artists with:

- a professional dramaturge experienced in the creation of theatre works (TBA)

- space

- technical and administrative support

- artists’ fees

- a venue for a presentation of the works-in-progress.

Alternating Currents will provide a project co-ordinator to identify and coordinate artistic and technical needs. Public Energy will provide each piece with up to five workshop days in the Market Hall Theatre in spring 2009. At the end of the process Alternating Currents will present a public presentation of the works in progress.

How participants are selected for AC: Participants in 2009’s Alternating Currents will be chosen by a selection committee headed by PE’s Artistic Producer Bill Kimball. The selection process will take into account the track records of the artists (quality of work, ability to see work to completion, professional artistic activity), the artistic needs of the work, and whether it would benefit from the support offered by our program. We are particularly interested in:

• exploring poetic or stylized text

• integration of elements such as sound, movement, technology and text

• an artistic spirit of inquiry

Submission process: We need a concise project description outlining:

• your theatrical project. Works that are already in development or have been workshopped are eligible.

• practical details such as number of performers, names of performers if you have any in mind, any special equipment you’d like to work with, etc.

• any relevant support material such as text or prior research

What to send us:

• a cover letter introducing yourself

• a one page project description (see above) with a list of collaborators, if known

• artistic c.v. of principal artist(s)

Deadline: 5 pm July 18, 2008. Send proposals by email to: bill@publicenergy.ca or mail to: PO Box 2319, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7Y8 or drop off at our administrative offices located at the Market Hall: 336 George Street N.

FYI - Last year’s projects and participants are listed on the Peterborough New Dance / Public Energy website: www.publicenergy.ca