COLLECTIVE MONDAY - NOVEMBER 1, 2010

On Monday November 1, 2010 The Collective came back to work, meeting at the Esper Studio from 7-10pm.

After a long and productive summer following "Someone", "Warning: May Contain Nuts" and into the Fall with all-company discussions surrounding restructuring, Monday brought out a resurgence of energy and reminded everyone of what we do best. Work. And for that, we thank everyone.

While there were no formal announcements, this Monday re-introduced the practice of The Collective: Actors bringing prepared work, shunning performance and our peers offering observation-based feedback to discuss realized behavior - living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

The night opened with a scene from "Waiting for Lefty" with Amy Schumer and Kevin Kane, followed by Victoria Dicce and Nina Mehta in scene from an original play, "Girl Talk" developed for "Virgins&Sluts". The 2-hour Actors s lasted from 7-9pm and was moderated by Robert Z. Grant. Robert guided the feedback session to clarify what each person was trying to say to assist the actor and the group as a whole. All the actors seemed to come away with a better understanding of their work, and all will be returning with those same scenes as they develop.

The Writer's session hour from 9-10, included a reading of "Black Hearted Love" by Craig McNulty, a piece he continues to develop for The Collective and Virgins&Sluts. The feedback in this session is for the writer and included comments focused on the written piece only.

We're back again next Monday, the 8th. Same time. Same channel. Hope to see you there.

As always, if you have anything to add to this report, please continue to send thoughts, questions, and concerns to thecollective9@gmail.com.

COLLECTIVE ALL COMPANY MEETING - PART 2 10/11/2010

*The following is derived from notes. Monday's all company meeting was an open forum. We have done our best to present what was discussed and what people said. We are not attempting to quote anyone but in the interest of transparency, attributing key comments to those that brought it to the attention of the group. If you feel you have been misrepresented below, please let us know.

** FYI - Please contact Jennifermcarmody@gmail.com and Ksenia88@gmail.com for more information regarding short films as they are looking to cast talent. From Amy Schumer.

All Company Meeting (Part 2) – 10.11.10
Agenda:
1. Mondays
2. Action Plan

1. Mondays
This open company meeting picked up from where last week’s left off with a discussion on Mondays – where are we are, what we want to be and how people perceive Mondays currently.
B. Leider opened the discussion with a question to the group:

“Who thinks Monday is, right now, an open space?”

· Mondays don’t necessarily feel “free”; there is an air of performance – a feeling of there is only one shot to do what you have to do and one chance to work with the adjustment. (D. Murdoch)
· It seems there is a missing vocabulary – we need to have the moderators and actors speaking the same language. (V. Dicce)
· Going up with a goal or one goal is sometimes unclear and difficult…(K. Amigone)
· The use of the word “observe” didn’t necessarily make things better or clearer…(J. Sheffield)
· People have different ways of entry to the same goal of truth and all those entry points should be respected in Mondays (B. Parrish)
· The “play” seems to have gone out of Mondays (Q. Beard)
· Some actors feel “stifled” by the current format (C. Zvoloff)
· The Monday session is nothing new but borne out of the ideas of American theatre – a moment of “blackout” for the actor living out something and for the observers to be witness to what happened. (K. Kane)
· Wants to trust the ensemble for feedback and have work that is at a certain level of preparedness (C. Zvoloff)
· The language or definition of performance isn’t clear – this seems to be tripping up people in terms of Monday. We avoid "performing" on Mondays to take away the obligation to a result and focus on process, but we must prepare work at a near-performance level so that we have something valid to explore and observe.(L. Kicielinski)

What is the difference between performance and preparedness?

· We can just present tomatoes, onion and spices and have little to observe – we need to have the spaghetti sauce before we can say how it is. (Q. Beard)
· We all care how we “look” to be liked – this process removes that in order to just live in the given moment – the obligation to the result of doing something a certain way. (N. Mehta)
· We are worth arguing, challenging, discussing with one another. (Q. Beard)

The discussion the centered on “feedback” and how it is delivered and it’s constraints. It was brought up that feedback should be mindful and that the moderator’s job is to protect the actor and have it be helpful; the parameters are set up for that reason.

· Want to be able to rely on the group and trust for feedback that is based in truth but can incorporate goals outside of behavior as its currently defined. Why can it not include physical traits such as voice, breath, etc.? (C. Zvoloff)
· The litmus test for Mondays is how does the goal of the actor benefit the observer? The observer can only comment on what’s happening, behavior. Anything less cuts the observer out of the process. It’s a work session not a rehearsal. A physical goal or something like “getting through it” is not beneficial to eh actor or the observer. (R.Z.Grant)
· All this discussion are philosophical differences; if we’re all working with people who we want to share a stage with, I trust that they will present feedback in a useful manner. We need to nurture to build an ensemble. Acting is practiced art. Actors should be encouraged to act, directors to direct, etc. (D. O’Shea)

What is an acceptable standard of work for Mondays?
1. Scripts out of hand? Off-book?
THEN THE ROOF CAME DOWN…

Next Steps:
· Continue the discussion next Monday, the 18TH on the topic of “Mondays” and continue on to the action plan, time permitting.
· Discuss any additional thoughts/comments regarding mission and organization as it comes up in the interim.
· Any questions or comments should be emailed or directed to a board member as need be before next Monday.

COLLECTIVE ALL COMPANY MEETING - 10/4/2010

*The following is derived from notes. Monday's all company meeting was an open forum. We have done our best to present what was discussed and what people said. We are not attempting to quote anyone but in the interest of transparency, attributing key comments to those that brought it to the attention of the group. If you feel you have been misrepresented below, please let us know.

All Company Meeting – 10.4.10

Agenda:

1. V&S

2. Mission Statement

3. Organization

4. Mondays

5. Action Plan

1. Virgins&Sluts Festival and Postponement

The postponement of the festival happened because the nature of festival and getting it up in two weeks’ time proved to be too much and overwhelming given that the company was just coming out of SWWOM and MCN. The original 90-day cycle changes as did expectations, which led to the postponement.

Open forum for comments/thoughts from the membership.

● The Board needs to establish boundaries when it green lights proposals. They should name themselves or specific people as artistic directors if they feel they should provide that type of input. (K. Amigone)

● Agreement in terms of establishing boundaries but believes board has the right to intervene as they are responsible for financial decisions; board should establish standards of work. (M. Houston)

● The experimental nature of the festival should have been put out in the open but the works in the festival should have also been held up to the “Collective” brand and standard. (N. Marshall)

What is the “standard”? What is “the brand”?

“The Brand” is our logo – a statement of the type of work we do based on our training.

At this stage, we don’t have consensus or full agreement/understanding of what this stamp is – what we want our work to stand for. (B. Leider)

Perhaps, a solution to the question of the standard and people’s expectations can be alleviated if we separate our showings within the brand – “products”. Similar to how we addressed SWWOM as “mainstage” and MCN as “studio”, perhaps we need to label what is workshop or experimental in our group. We will have an audience for both but this will accomplish the question without compromising the brand. (B. Parrish)

A differentiation is important, but we don’t want to lessen one production above another; we have a commitment to process in spite of what the product is called and that should be consistent regardless. Other theatre companies do operate in a similar fashion but we, The Collective are trying to do something different. (L. Kicielinski)

2. Mission Statement

B. Leider read the current mission statement: “We are a collective of artists, in the tradition of the Group Theatre, committed to develop and produce original work for the stage and screen that is rooted in artistic truth. We will provide access to quality theatre and film for individuals and groups who are excluded from the current model because they cannot afford tickets or are not aware that such opportunities exist. The Collective is an emerging community for collaborative artists to experiment, provoke, feed and contribute their individual talents. Our body of work will define us, and it will be the product of our training, our individual successes and failures, and a thriving network of artists in all disciplines.”

We have to decide what we want to be and what we want from this company. A professional actor and work with and n a professional group. (B. Leider)

The current mission statement is good as it is. (A. Perri)

Be in a company to do good work. (D. Murdoch)

What is “good”? How do we define?

We should have a standard and care but we can’t be too precious about the logo and the brand, otherwise we will have a company of a lot of worker bees and few actors. (D. O’Shea)

Do we have an artistic leader/compass? (K. Amigone)

Want to be a part of The Collective to get on Broadway. The group serves to benefit the individual and the individual benefits the group. (M. Houston)

The Collective started as an idea between two people, then four, then six. An idea to change the landscape of American theatre – not acting but witnessing life happen on stage. A commitment to that training and philosophy in everything we as a company do and approach – from Mondays to a full production. (K. Kane)

Do we call the internal mission statement (separate from the promise to the audience), an agreement between the membership? We have to agree on what we want before we can define our promise to the outside world.

B. Leider will email to the membership the draft of the current reworking of the mission statement for comments and further discussion.

3. Organization

Questions brought up when discussing the future structure of the company.

Are we a voting body?

Are we a body governed by artistic director(s)?

If we continue with a board, do we have a board liaison for the membership? How is the board defined, voted in?

Lisa K. shares the draft org chart, which currently lists all the “jobs”, and tasks current board members have been doing.

If you could decide how this company was structure what would YOU want?

Wants to be in this company to do work that inspires him – an artistic home. (D. O’Shea)

We need to run like a business and have artistic directors. (N.Marshall)

An autocracy. (D. O’Shea)

Open board with open voting, (M. Laufer)

Run by a artistic directors (D. Murdoch)

Run by committee with committee heads reporting/directing to a given board member? (P. Bonck)

A tentative agreement was reached to halt production at the moment and focus on Mondays and the structure of Mondays.

An immediate to-do for the group is to “Make Mondays Happen”.

Next Steps:

● Continue the discussion next Monday, the 11^th on the topic of “Mondays” and continue on to the action plan, time permitting.

● Discuss any additional thoughts/comments regarding mission and organization as it comes up in the interim.

● Any questions or comments should be emailed or directed to a board member as need be before next Monday.

COLLECTIVE MONDAY UPDATE - AUGUST 23, 2010

Reminder: This Blog will be our main source for communication between the members. As always, thoughts and suggestions should be sent to: thecollective9@gmail.com or brought up to a board member at any time. Board members: Victoria Dicce, Robert Z. Grant, Kevin Kane, Brian Leider, Nina Mehta and Lisa K.

Discussion and feedback on summer presentation of "Someone"

1) SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF NO EMPTY SEATS (NES) CAMPAIGN

A) Financial Report

- We recovered 90% of our financial goal: we made back a little over $13,000 of the $14,500 budget for this production.

- We started the summer with a little over $3,000 in the bank, so we now have ~ $1,500 in seed money for the upcoming productions.

- Some the last-minute additional fees that we paid to NYTW could not have been anticipated, so we essentially hit our original mark for the production to pay for itself, and the money we allocated to this production managed to establish our brand with new audience, press, and industry.

- Either through admissions or donations, we collected $18, for all but 8 of the 750 seats we had available for this production, so financially we filled 99% of the seat capacity for this production.

B) Audience Reach Report

- We filled with audience an average of [~45] seats/night for the June run, 68 seats/night for the July run, and 72 seats/night of the August run. (*June numbers should be double-checked.)

- The capacity for Teatro is listed as 55 seats with a fire code allowing up to 74 seats, while the capacity for 4th St. Theatre is listed as 60 seats with a fire code allowing up to 72 seats, so we were slightly under capacity for the June run and slightly over capacity for both the July and August runs.

- 740 people saw the show: 99% of our goal.

- The June audience was comprised primarily of existing Collective loyalists; the July and August audiences were comprised of first-time audience members who heard the buzz created during the previous runs.

- The August run included an average of 2 press/industry patrons per performance and all three weeks included artists interested in working with the group.

- More than 50% of the industry/press who attended "Someone" have already booked their tickets for our next show "Nuts."


2) PRODUCTION PRACTICES TO MAINTAIN/AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

- We want to continue to use "pay what you can" language to encourage donations, and we want to own the phrase as part of our brand identity to make vital theatre accessible.

- Establishing and mentioning several locations and times to donate (in the vase on the way in, at the bar during intermission, in the vase on the way out after the show, via the Internet the next day) encourages patrons to participate without making them feel uncomfortable or putting them on the spot.

- The box office/front of house staff can set the tone for the entire experience by meeting patrons, collecting e-mail addresses, and providing details about the show.

- Collating programs the night before each performance will ensure that we have all the materials we need.

- Mentioning the next show on our calendar allows us to cross-promote.

- Patrons responded that they appreciated the bar: bar offerings have become part of the Collective experience, not just for option to have a drink but for the resulting social, mingling opportunities with Collective members and among patrons.
* Shout out: more than once, audience cited Jeff Berg as "an awesome bartender."

- Patrons responded positively to a street-level theatre, and since we benefited from our alliance with Fourth Arts Block, we should consider booking those theatres again.

- Audience was impressed with the artistic aspects --acting, directing, design-- of "Someone."


3) FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS/AREAS TO IMPROVE

- Press/industry attendance is a development from previous Collective shows, but given the Collective membership numbers, we can improve this attendance going forward with continued personal invitations from members.

-Although the three separate engagements were inefficient for loading, in this instance the extended time frame increased our audience and promotion momentum. We should continue to to explore non-traditional scheduling models and to consider labor intensity.

- Members and audience responded with pride to the establishment of the Collective brand as one that
* presents both new work and previously produced work with an original perspective;
* prepares work over time, specifically, methodically, thoroughly (sharing work when it is ready, as opposed to adhering to a pre-planned schedule, contributing to the expectation that "the work will be good");
* works continuously as part of "the center of the epi-center of arts that is NYC"; and
* makes vital theatre accessible.

TO THAT END, regarding maintaining and showcasing the way we work and the way we want to develop work: in addition to the scenes we are undertaking from "Seagull" and "Lefty," any time that members develop a personal slate of scripts to tackle on Mondays, they commit not only to maintaining their craft but to developing the potential performance/production docket for the group.

Ideally, we can overflow Mondays with work at the same time that we are producing work that emerged from Monday work sessions so that we are constantly working at full capacity and creativity.

- Regarding new work and the impending "Nuts" run, discussion highlighted the prolific and inspirational benefits of writers working in collaboration with a home development/production company.

4) COLLECTIVE MONDAY HIATUS - Collective Mondays will begin a 3-week break starting Sept. 6th (Sept. 6, 13 and 20th)

5) WARNING: MAY CONTAIN NUTS opens n Tuesday, August 31st. All members should pick up postcards and submit availability for staffing - contact B.Parrish (2fishproductions@gmail.com) for more information.

COLLECTIVE MONDAY UPDATE - MAY 17, 2010

Reminder: This Blog will be our main source for communication between the members. As always, thoughts and suggestions should be sent to: thecollective9@gmail.com or brought up to a board member at any time. Board members: Victoria Dicce, Robert Z. Grant, Kevin Kane, Brian Leider, Nina Mehta and Lisa K.

1. Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
• Space is almost finalized - Teatro Circulo will be the home for our production of Someone in June. We are currently in discussions with Centerstage and New York Theatre Workshop for July, August and possibly September. More news to come - stay tuned!
• Volunteers are still needed and Committees are being formed. You should have already received an email from The Collective, but if you are interested in volunteering for any of the following groups: TECH, CREW, LIGHTING, SOUND, STAGE MANAGEMENT or BOX OFFICE please email: thecollective9@gmail.com with your interest. This is YOUR opportunity to take an active role in the upcoming production and really have a stake as a member not to mention try something new.
• The Promo committee has already begun efforts in the first publicity push for SOMEONE - for more information or to take part please email: nina.m.mehta@gmail.com.

2. Collective Membership and Mission
• The Board is continuing to refine and define what being a member of The Collective means. All interested parties are encouraged to think about what this means to them. Some questions to ask yourself: To what sort of company do YOU want to belong? How would you describe membership in The Collective? What is our mission? All thoughts will be considered by Brian Leider as he expands the mission statement. Please email your thoughts to: thecollective9@gmail.com with the subject "MISSION".

3. A Long Road Screening - Monday, May 24th @ The Bryant Park Hotel's screening room. There are two screenings available: 8:00pm and 8:30pm. The event is FREE and there will be an OPEN BAR sponsored by 3 Olives Vodka and Gran Centenario Tequila for two hours after the first viewing. Seating for each screening is limited, so please email your RSVP to: alongroadmovie@gmail.com with the word "SCREENING" in the subject line. Please list your FIRST and LAST names and any "plus 1, 2, etc" that will be arriving with you, as well as the TIME SLOT (8 or 8:30) you will be attending. Check out the website: www.alongroadmovie.com.

4. Open Company Meeting - SAVE THE DATE: June 7, 2010, 6-7pm.

5. Special Offers: Actor and friend, Raj Varma has offered COMP admission to all Collective members for his critically acclaimed one-man show D'Arranged Marriage for the Friday, May 28th, 7pm show at The Triad. Anyone interested in attending should email: nina.m.mehta@gmail.com to get on the comp list. The 2-drink minimum still applies. (Information on the show: http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/shows/darranged-marriage_166393/)

COLLECTIVE MONDAY - May 10th, 2010

Updates for SOMEONE, Virgins & Sluts and other programming to follow at next Monday's meeting.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO All Company meeting on Monday, May 17th as previously scheduled. The next all company meeting will take place next Monday, May 24th.

REMINDER: Make sure to check out the "Mondays" photo album under the Collectivistas Unite profile on Facebook. See who was caught this week!

Reminder: This Blog will be our main source for communication between the members. As always, thoughts and suggestions should be sent to:thecollective9@gmail.com or brought up to a board member at any time. Board members: Victoria Dicce, Robert Z. Grant, Kevin Kane, Brian Leider, NinaMehta and Lisa K

COLLECTIVE MONDAY UPDATE - May 3, 2010

Reminder: This Blog will be our main source for communication between the members. As always, thoughts and suggestions should be sent to: thecollective9@gmail.com or brought up to a board member at any time. Board members: Victoria Dicce, Robert Z. Grant, Kevin Kane, Brian Leider, Nina Mehta and Lisa K.

1. Mondays and Feedback
• The discussion around feedback is ongoing and all members are encouraged to be open about their questions and concerns and bring it up either in Mondays or with the Board.
• It was reiterated that The Collective is modeled after The Group Theatre of the early 20th century, in terms of how we work with one another. We are here to create and strengthen our ensemble. Observations are intended to be each other's "eyes" and more eloquently put, to call "bullshit" on each other.
• As previously posted, some background on The Group Theatre: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/group-theatre/about-the-group-theatre/622/
• As a reminder from last week’s open company meeting, please email your thoughts on a company mission/mission statement to Brian Leider (brian_leider@yahoo.com). Refer to last week’s blog for more information.

2. Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me
• Our production model has changed from the initial proposal which included Sundays and/or Tuesdays over a period of 10 weeks. Given the model and the feedback we’ve received it has forced our model to change to a more “engagement series” model.
• The plan is to have dates in a week block for June, July and August.
• We have booked our dates for June 2010 in the Teatro Circulo space (http://www.teatrocirculo.org). Our dates in June are as follows: June 6-8 (Sun-Tues); June 14^th (Monday) and June 16^th-20^th (Wed-Sun)
• Committees are starting to form for Technical, Promotion, Stage Management and Box Office. You should have all already received an email from thecollective9@gmail.com. If you haven’t please send an email with your interest to that address ASAP.

3. Open Company Meeting
• The next open company meeting will be Monday, May 17^th, 2010 at 6pm.

Make sure to check out the "Mondays" photo album under the Collectivistas Unite profile on Facebook. You never know who may be caught next. ;)