(the aside)

Weekly Briefing #101: January 25, 2012

2012-01-30T15:48:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Auditions

I'm writing to you from NYC where director Bruce Longworth and I are in the midst of final auditions for OTHELLO. Yesterday was our first full day of NYC auditions. The day went well...we saw LOTS of great actors. As I shared with the staff, it has been so exciting sitting next to Bruce and hearing him talk to each actor. Many of you got to meet Bruce last week at the poster unveiling. Bruce is an actor's director. An actor himself, he has an amazing way of engaging actors, who I think are some of the bravest theatre artists. Tomorrow evening Bruce and I are going to slip over to the McKittrick Hotel to see Sleep No More. Expect to hear an update. Board member John Russell loves this show!

New Friends

Last week Board member Flint Fowler hosted a very exciting breakfast with leaders of the African American community at the St. Louis Club to discuss how we share the Festival with a broader audience. This breakfast has led to several exciting conversations for potential partnerships with new schools, not-for-profit organizations and area business owners. Much thanks to Flint for starting this very important dialogue!

Tempest Ball 2012

Kiku Obata is getting very close to unveiling the Tempest Ball 2012 graphic images and theme. Kiku and her team are a dream to work with and extremely creative. This is going to be fun, urban and sexy! Committee and sponsorship letters are going out soon. Please let Melaine Bennett know if you have names to provide: mbennett@sfstl.com.

Italy Trip

Last week we released information about our 2012 trip to Italy! We have received an OVERWHELMING response to this unique trip. Check it out, and get your name on the list.

OTHELLO Poster

Our new poster got press! If you want one for your work place, please let our marketing assistant Laura Coppinger know: lcoppinger@sfstl.com.

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #100: January 19, 2012

2012-01-30T14:56:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

2012 Season Poster Unveiled

Last night we unveiled the 2012 season poster! An amazing group of supporters were on hand to hear from director Bruce Longworth and get an inside scoop from poster designer Rich Nelson of Kiku Obata & Co. All attendees left with a complimentary poster! Big thanks to our sponsors Butler's Pantry...folks, their food is simply amazing! They provided the delicious dinners at Party on Art Hill last year and will be our caterers for Tempest Ball 2012!

Casting is Underway

We kicked off auditions this past weekend in St. Louis, and I was incredibly impressed with the number of very talented locals that came out for auditions. This coming weekend I will be in Sarasota visiting Florida State University's MFA Acting program, and next week Bruce Longworth and I will be in NYC for final auditions. We hope to announce a cast in early February.

The Tempest gets shelved in Arizona

The play was the subject of a recent curriculum change in Arizona. "In a meeting this week, administrators informed Mexican-American studies teachers to stay away from any units where 'race, ethnicity and oppression are central themes,' including the teaching of Shakespeare's classic in Mexican-American literature courses."

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #99: January 12, 2012

2012-01-30T14:34:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Auditions begin this week!
Auditions for OTHELLO and "Shakespeare in the Streets" begin this week. We will be in St. Louis January 13-15 and NYC January 25-28. You all will be the first to hear about casting decisions!

The Friends of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
The first meeting of the Friends Board happened last week. Seeing the group's leadership come together and make plans for volunteerism in 2012 was truly inspiring. This group is dynamic, and I expect big things to happen with these folks! If you want to get connected with this group, sign up now! There are opportunities to help with special events, office assistance, artist hospitality and the summer festival in the park.

134 days until opening night!

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #98: January 5, 2012

2012-01-11T11:39:00.004-06:00

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012!

First Meeting of the Friends Board

After a year of planning and strategizing, the first meeting of the Friends Board has happened! Friends President Jean Daniel-Gentry coordinated the first gathering of chairs which include Mary Morgan (special events), Carole Bartnett (artist hospitality) and Anne Bader (office assistance). I'm very proud that we have achieved this significant milestone. Volunteerism is a major part of SFSTL; annually we depend on over 600 individuals to give their time to the institution.

Partnerships Underway

The Festival is engaging in some exciting partnerships with local students. Our relationship with Webster University is moving closer and closer to a full-fledged partnership in the areas of production and design. We are partnering with Marian Middle School's electrical engineering students to solve visibility issues with our donation tubes at the site. Kirkwood High School's advanced marketing students are working on plans to better utilize our text-to-donate option and creating proposals for how to capture audience demographics and information at the Festival.

Shakespeare in Italy: Retracing the Bard's Unknown Travels

The Festival is planning another Shakespeare-inspired trip! This time we're headed to Italy! Using Richard Paul Roe's revelatory book, we determined the locations of scenes from Shakespeare's ten "Italian Plays." We'll head off to visit some of these locations on a unique, compelling, and deeply provocative journey that will forever change our understanding of how to read the Bard. The trip is planned for October 2011; exact dates are still being determined. Venice, Verona, Padua and some gastronomic sights (and delights) in the Emilia-Romagna area are among the places to be visited. Trip includes hotels, transportation while in Italy, private guides, many meals and special Shakespeare events and lectures. If you're interested in receiving the trip information when it's been finalized (February) please contact Anne MacIntyre at On The Map Travel - anne@onthemaptravel.com - or call the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis office at (314) 531-9800 x 101 to put your name on the list.

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #97: December 22, 2011

2012-01-11T11:23:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends,

As we end 2011, I am incredibly grateful to our Board, Staff, and Volunteers who make Shakespeare Festival St. Louis a reality and an overwhelming success year after year.

I am very excited to share with you Bruce Longworth's current cutting of the Othello script for 2012. Each year the director will do an edit of the script (if we did the entire script of Hamlet we'd be there for nearly four hours!). I'm looking forward to Bruce joining us more in 2012 and sharing his ideas about the production. We had our first production meeting last week. Bruce is focused on telling a personal versus political story. More to come in 2012!

As we work with Shakespeare's scripts many questions come up. Changing what Shakespeare wrote is always a point of discussion for the creative team and producers. The Shakespeare Theatre in DC recently made national news for its production of Much Ado About Nothing for the changing of two characters' names when the play was set on a plantation in 1930s Cuba. Our own Tlaloc Rivas wrote a letter to Artistic Director Michael Kahn asking him about the two minor characters who were renamed "Juan Huevos" and "Jose Frijoles." Let me know your thoughts: rdildine@sfstl.com.

The Shakespeare Festival offices will close at 5PM on Friday, December 23 and reopen on Monday, January 2 at 9:30AM. There will be no weekly briefing during the holidays.

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #96: December 15, 2011

2011-12-15T10:35:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

Festival receives statewide honors

This week the Missouri Humanities Council announced the Festival will receive the Exemplary Community Achievement Award. MHC has recognized ten recipients statewide (all are individuals and the Festival is the only organization). An official awards ceremony will be held in April 2012 in Jefferson City. Congratulations to all the staff and Board who have worked so hard over the past years. This award recognizes all of the amazing work the Festival has done for our community.

SHAKE 38 Sign-Ups Open

Now is the time to sign up for a SHAKE 38 slot for 2012. We will open the sign-ups to the general public after the New Year. If you'd like to host or produce a SHAKE 38 event, please contact Carl Schneider cschneider@sfstl.com to schedule a time and select a play. This year's SHAKE 38 will be held over five days May 18-22 from noon to 8pm each day.

The Three "Ss"

As we aggressively pursue the goals of our strategic plan, this article from Moises Kaufman and Greg Reiner has had particularly resonance with me the past two weeks since it was posted. As the leaders of Tectonic Theater Project (creators of The Laramie Project) they lack the three "Ss" - season, subscription, space (preferably a theater) - "the markers that most foundations use when evaluating a company's work and outcome." Yes, we produce Shakespeare, not new plays; however, our approach is "unexpected," our season is constantly evolving and our space is defined in multiple venues. I am very curious to hear from you all: how are we like a laboratory for playmaking? rdildine@sfstl.com

Tomorrow is our first production meeting for Othello. I will be tweeting and posting photos online throughout the day. You can follow mine or the Festival's twitter account for real-time access.

All my best,

PS: The Festival offices will be closing at 5pm on December 23 and reopening on Monday, January 2 at 9:30am.

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #95 - December 8th, 2011

2011-12-08T13:31:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

Festival featured in National Newspaper

The Festival was featured last week in USA Today for our use of tweet seats during performances. I'm very proud of the innovative uses of social media we've been employing over the past two years, and this season we are eager to add videos to further supplement the conversation and share our story with a larger audience.

December 16 Production Meeting

Next week the creative team working on Othello will meet next Friday, Dec. 16 for the first time as a group. Up until now, each designer has been collaborating individually with director Bruce Longworth. Now they will come together for a much bigger conversation. In January Bruce and I will be focused on auditions in St. Louis, NYC and potentially Chicago.

Othello in a Breath Designs

Check out the designs for our second touring play Othello in a Breath, written by Elizabeth Birkenmeier and directed by Chris Limber. This 50-minute adaptation of Othello will join Cruel to Be Kind on the road January-May. The set designs are drawing inspiration from graphic novels.

Committee Heads

Thank you to those Board members who have agreed to chair the various committees as outlined in the bylaws and the strategic plan. Board Chair Jessica Holzer shared the list of committee chairs yesterday at the Executive Committee meeting.

Standing Committees:

Nominating: John Russell

Development: Ian Patterson

Finance: Tom Lowther

Ad Hoc Committees:

Gala: Kiku Obata

Regional/National Educational Programs: Jack Bader

Strategic Plan Committees:

Site & Future Venues: Kiku Obata

Forest Park Partnerships: Jennifer Stoffel

Long Range Planning: Ed Macias

Marketing & Branding: Ned Maniscalco

Supporting Organization:

Friends of SFSTL: Jean Daniel-Gentry

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #94: December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T14:18:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

I hope you had wonderful Thanksgiving meals with friends and family! If you haven't received our annual report yet, be sure to check it out. We have much to be thankful for this past season.

A-List Actors Announce New Shakespeare Projects

Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes is directing and starring in a film version of Shakespeare's obscure play Coriolanus. Brother Joseph Fiennes has been collaborating with musician Devlin to rap Shakespeare's most famous sonnets. Finally, Tony Award winner Alan Cumming will star in a one-man Macbeth next summer in NYC. I remember the first time I saw Alan Cumming on stage in the revival of Cabaret directed by Sam Mendes. He was so mesmerizing on stage that I waited afterwards to get my picture taken with him! These projects encourage me in the work we are doing: unexpected theatre!

New Team Member

Laura Coppinger has joined the Festival team as marketing assistant. She brings experience with many local arts groups including the Randy Dandies! You will get to meet her at our December 15th gathering.

Seeking Audience Services Manager

This upcoming season at the Festival we are putting an emphasis on our audience's experience and customer service. We are seeking an Audience Services Manager who will be responsible for our patrons' experiences in Shakespeare Glen, which includes hospitality and accessibility. Mixed Blood Theatre in Minnesota made the news with its "radical hospitality" policy. What opportunities are there for us to be better with audience services and hospitality? Let me know: rdildine@sfstl.com.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #93: November 23, 2011

2011-11-28T10:08:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

If music be the food of love, play on / give me excess of it - Twelfth Night, Act I.i

I hope you have much food and love during your Thanksgiving! I am so very thankful to all of you for your time, treasure and talents you give to Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. We have just wrapped up another very successful year. Record attendance, strong contributed support, an outstanding staff and a committed Board of Directors rank amongst our greatest assets.

You should be receiving a copy of our annual report in the mail. If the opportunity arises this weekend, tell your friends and family about your work with the Festival.

We have many things to be thankful for this year!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #92: November 17, 2011

2011-11-18T07:45:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Support

We learned this week that Whole Foods will be a new corporate sponsor of the Festival! We will be the recipient of 5% of their total receipts on a day TBD in spring 2012. Also, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation announced they are awarding us $5,000 each year for the next three years! After the first of the year we plan to announce another very exciting multi-year gift. Stay tuned!

TCG Fall Forum Update

This past weekend I attended TCG's Fall Forum on Governance where the topic was "Capitalizing an Art Form." We discussed ideas on how to capitalize on our various assets, which ranged from human to artistic to community and financial. The full agenda is here. While at the forum, a new study from the James Irvine Foundation was shared. The opening remarks of Getting in on the Act from Arts Program Director Josephine Ramirez at the Irvine Foundation read:

"People are engaging in the arts in increasingly active and expressive ways. There is a growing awareness in the arts field of what have come to be known as participatory arts practices. Arts funders and arts organizations are examining this seismic shift toward a participatory arts culture and figuring out how to adapt in new and creative ways that will have long-term benefits to arts organizations and the people they serve. We commissioned this report to deepen our own understanding of these changes and to help spotlight exciting examples of participatory arts practices. And in reviewing the findings, we believe more than ever that the arts organizations that will thrive in our current environment will be the ones who create new and meaningful opportunities for people to engage."

As we move forward, how does our community engage with our programming? What conversations are we putting forth? How do our people collaborate with us to create art? Shakespeare in the Streets is an active way for people to engage in our work. SITS is 58% funded (and so far all with new money).

Retreat!

Tomorrow our staff will be spending the afternoon in mini-retreat mode. SWITCH will host our time out of the office as we meet without computers and phones to revisit our annual goals, objectives and calendar.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #91: November 14, 2011

2011-11-14T10:13:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Shakespeare in the Streets: Story Circles

I've been talking to folks a lot about "mapping St. Louis." How do we take Shakespeare into every neighborhood of this city and use our tools to start a conversation about what it means to live in St. Louis? The reports I receive almost daily from the SITS creative team are very exciting! Production designer Justin Barisonek writes:

I met a whole ton of people... Anna at the El Chico Bakery. Will who has his own t-shirt printing business across the street; he shares space with his grandma who has been cutting hair at Sweet Shears for 17 years. (Didn't meet her, but I'm willing to bet her shop is a great place to get stories and meet people.) 'Bobo,' a drummer who played with a whole bunch of famous people back in the day; he was walking around trying to sell a used dog carrier. The owner of 'Archive,' the independent bookstore up the street. The owner of the 'I Scream Cakes' place that had some curious-sounding melon/avocado sorbet behind the counter. The curator and the manager of the Los Caminos Art Gallery. And so many more. Overall, I got this amazing sense of community. Everyone coming together in the holiday spirit. Will describes Cherokee as 'Sesame Street' - full of characters at any time of the day or night. And some were out today. Another guy Paul described it as an "Urban Mayberry." I like that.

The team will be conducting "story circles" next week. Story circles are an opportunity for residents to come together, sit in a circle and share true stories of Cherokee Street. Story circles will be held:

Monday, Nov. 14	Goool!!, 3353 California Avenue	5:30-7:30pm
Wednesday, Nov. 16	CAMP, 3026 Cherokee Street	5:30-7:30pm
Saturday, Nov. 19	CAMP, 3026 Cherokee Street	1:00-3:00pm

Perseverance

Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska, received a MetLife/TCG Aha! Grant to answer the following question: What if we are able to use the economic engine of multi-city operations to support a statewide company of artists? Is it sustainable, and will it strengthen the artistic and financial health of Alaskan Theatre artists? The theatre is tracking their findings on the TCG blog over the next year. I think this is an intriguing idea. What are your thoughts? rdildine@sfstl.com.

Netflix Instant

The holidays are approaching, and for my family that always means curling up on the couch and watching movies. Netflix Instant has a lot of Shakespeare-inspired movies, so while you're staying warm this winter, maybe you'd like to be entertained by the Bard (there are a number of Othello-inspired selections).

All my best,

PS: Our annual report is complete and out the door as part of our year-end appeal.

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #90: November 3, 2011

2011-11-04T12:07:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

Anonymous

This film has generated a lot of conversation in our community. Did Shakespeare really write the plays? Mary Pols' movie review in TIME is quite fun. Holger Syme in the Montreal Gazette discusses "How Shakespeare Could Write Shakespeare?" Have you seen the movie? What do you think? Join the conversation on our Facebook page or email me and I'll share rdildine@sfstl.com.

In the Streets

Our presence in the Gravois Park neighborhood made the Cherokee Street News. We officially announced the creative team today in a press release.

TCG Fall Forum

Next week I will be at the TCG's annual Fall Forum on Governance. This annual event brings together trustees and theatre leaders from across the country to discuss topics that are critically important for theatres today. This year's topic is entitled "Capitalizing an Art Form." From the www.tcg.org: "We invite theatre leaders and trustees to think more broadly about their assets and the components of their capital structure overall. In addition to what appears on your balance sheet, what are the real assets are of your organization, and how can you leverage them in order to thrive, even in the midst of an uncertain and economically challenged world?" This year's speakers include playwright David Henry Hwang and arts leader Ben Cameron. We are grateful to TCG which has provided me a scholarship to attend this conference.

Visiting Arkansas

I was in Arkansas on Wednesday at my alma mater speaking to freshmen and senior theatre arts majors about having a career in show business. As I visited with them and spoke about my experience thus far, I found myself giving advice that was just as applicable to my own life right now. Theatre institutions play such an important role in the mentorship and training of the next generation of artists, managers and leaders. Our internship program has grown tremendously in the past two years, and we are currently in the process of systematizing our experience for young people. If you know of young people who are interested in a career, please direct them to our website or contact me directly.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #89: October 27, 2011

2011-10-31T12:15:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

Mission Statement & Core Values

Our new mission statement, alongside our core values, has been posted on our conference room wall for the past couple of weeks as we look at all the institution's projects for 2011-12. The mission and values have spurred some excellent examining of our current programming amongst the staff as we discuss how we will accomplish the exciting goals of this year.

Mission Statement:

To produce extraordinary professional Shakespeare, culminating with a free production in Forest Park, and celebrate the language of Shakespeare and artists inspired by his works.

Core Values:

Community, Conversation, Collaboration

PNC Arts Alive Shakespeare in the Streets: Meet the Creative Team

Today the creative team will join our Board meeting for a conversation about this inaugural event. The team has been working in the Gravois Park neighborhood for a couple of weeks now. They report "good buzz and support behind us in the community." This project is supported by PNC Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts. This project accomplishes several goals in our strategic plan, specifically our goal to engender diverse, community-wide participation, recognition, and support by making Shakespeare available in St. Louis neighborhoods and exposing all ages to the voice of Shakespeare through our educational and outreach programs.

Seeking Marketing Assistant

We are currently seeking a part-time marketing assistant. The full job description is available on our website.

Shakespeare Goes Blockbuster and the Battle Continues: Did he write the plays?

Our favorite playwright is the subject of a big movie right now. "As box offices await the arrival of the new Hollywood film ANONYMOUS, which portrays William Shakespeare as a fraud, the playwright's name is disappearing from pub and street signs up and down the country. The blackout is a bid to highlight the potential impact of the film's attempt to re-write English culture and history."

All my best,

PS: Check out 60 Minutes with Shakespeare! 60 famous people get sixty seconds to answer: "Who was William Shakespeare?"

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #88: October 13, 2011

2011-10-14T12:07:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

Casting Othello

On Tuesday we had a conference call with our casting director Stuart Howard in NYC to discuss casting the title role. It was a great conversation that produced a list of very exciting actors for this iconic role. If you could cast any actor, whom would you like to see in the role? rdildine@sfstl.com

"Do it the way Shakespeare intended it!"

I hear this phrase a lot, and I'm always curious to know what it means to people. Western Illinois University is playing around with the idea in its "Bard in the Barn" performance series. What do you think people mean when they say this? rdildine@sfstl.com

Save the Date: Tempest Ball 2012

September 15, 2012 will be the date of next year's Tempest Ball. Kiku Obata will serve as Chair of the event! Location will be announced soon.

Strategic Plan Update

COMPLETED:

Recruit and hire Development Director.

Melaine Bennett hired August 2011.

Identify partnership opportunities with other local professional arts groups.

Shake 38 will feature collaborations with local professional arts groups, and SFSTL is joining the St. Louis theatre community in a global, simultaneous reading of a new play by Tectonic Theater Project on November 7.
The Green Show will feature more diverse mix of fresh, new, local talent.

Partner with theatre departments of local universities to foster new talent and increase awareness of SFSTL.

Rick Dildine is leading the MFA Arts Management & Leadership program at Webster University and engaging new talent to be a part of the Festival. This new partnership gained press online and in print.

Develop plan to expand education programs, and funding of these programs, to reach identified under-served groups/neighborhoods, including expanding Shake 38.

Shake 38 will expand to five days this season and Shakespeare in the Streets will launch in April 2012.

Develop special event ideas geared to specific population/audience groups with goal to expand audiences and donors.

2011-12 special events calendar was presented to the Development Committee last week for review and discussion.

Explore educational touring production in outstate locations.

Staff has created a marketing packet geared towards out of state bookings.

All my best,

PS: This morning I met with director Bruce Longworth and poster designer Rich Nelson to discuss the 2012 Festival poster.

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #87: October 6, 2011

2011-10-10T10:29:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

Core Values

Last week the staff began to further define our core values Community, Conversation, Collaboration and how do those values play out in the schools, in the streets and in the park. We talked about what these words mean for the Festival and where are the best examples of these values in our current programming, culture and structure. I'd love to hear from you: Where do you see the best examples of community, conversation or collaboration? rdildine@sfstl.com

O'Connell Goes Full-Time

Kelly O'Connell is the Festival's newest full-time staff member. Kelly has served as our seasonal production manager for the past two years, and I am very proud and thrilled she has joined our team on a year-round basis. Having her here full-time will allow us to plan and accomplish more in our ever growing programming. Welcome, Kelly!

St. Louis Beacon features article about China trip

Reporter Nancy Fowler interviewed me about my recent trip. Looking forward to sharing more with you all!

All my best,

PS: 232 days until OTHELLO opens!

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #86: September 30, 2011

2011-09-30T10:15:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Creative Team: Shakespeare in the Streets

The SITS creative team has been finalized! The artistic leaders of our inaugural SITS will be Tlaloc Rivas (director), Nancy Bell (writer) and Justin Barisonek (designer). In addition to their vast bodies of work, all three of these artists hold their MFA from some of the most prestigious arts programs in the country. Bell has just spent the summer training with Cornerstone Theater Company in LA. Much of Cornerstone's productions have influenced my own work. This team will start their investigation and interviews in the next few weeks. We will identify the play in early January 2013.

St. Louis Magazine featured a great article about the neighborhood we're headed to for SITS. "Portrait of a Neighborhood: The People & Places of Cherokee Street" writer Stefene Russell writes: "Now that it looks like the neighborhood's climbing the upward track again, people are asking: Where do we go from here? What is gentrification? How can we keep the neighborhood authentically multicultural? And now that more than 50 storefronts are full, what else does the street need?"

End of the Year
Tomorrow marks the end of our FY11 fiscal year. This has been an incredibly successful year on so many levels: artistically, financially and socially. We've developed a strategic plan anchored in our core values of Community, Conversation and Collaboration. Our aesthetic of "unexpected theatre" is seen throughout our programming in the schools, in the streets and in the park. I look forward to working with you to define and strengthen these values throughout every facet of our institution.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #85: September 22, 2011

2011-09-22T11:52:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

I'm writing you from the 33rd International Theatre Institute (ITI) World Congress in Xiamen, China. The ITI represents nearly 100 countries around the world, and 300 delegates from those member countries have gathered here in China to discuss global issues affecting theatre practitioners. I am one of nearly a dozen US delegates.

I have been amazed as I sit in meetings with theatre people from all over the world. Much like the United Nations, the organizational part of the Congress is translated through head-sets into English, French and Chinese. In smaller committee meetings, the multi-lingual conversation continues. It's not unusual to have a Chinese speaker translated into French and then translated into English. I have met so many people from around the world who are making theatre in much more difficult environments than we can imagine. The representatives from the African countries continue to create theatrical works through wars, droughts and government upheavals.

We've also been able to experience Chinese theatre and opera every night. Tonight I'm seeing a piece entitled HOUSE/HOME, which has been created by a global artistic team in the past eight days here in China. The week will culminate on Saturday evening with a performance by the world renowned Beijing Opera.

This week has given me time to think more about Shakespeare in the Streets and how theatre can be used as a community development tool. I really enjoyed our conversation last week at the Board meeting about SITS, and I'm looking forward to this year's production in the Gravois Park neighborhood.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #84: September 15, 2011

2011-09-16T13:35:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Today's Board Meeting
Today marks the final Board meeting of our FY11 fiscal year which ends on September 30. We are projecting to finish the year confidently. Today also marks the final meeting of our Board Chairman Mont Levy. Mont joined the Board in its second season and was elected Chairman in 2008. The Festival has grown considerably under his leadership, and we are thankful for the endless amount of time he has dedicated to the Festival. Always ready to speak to the value of our work, Mont's passion for improving the quality of life in our city is evident in his actions and involvement throughout the community. Thank you, Mont, for all of your service. We look forward to celebrating his leadership today at our meeting. Please send your congratulations to Mont mlevy@bamstl.com.

Georgia Shakespeare
Last week Georgia Shakespeare announced an emergency campaign to save the company. The letter to the community stated the organization needs $150,000 by this Friday and an additional $350,000 by the year's end to stay afloat. GSF is housed on the campus of Oglethorpe University and was founded in 1985. I spoke to Producing Artistic Director Richard Garner earlier this week, and he remains confident and uplifted by the response.

China Bound
I am leaving on Saturday to attend the 33rd International Theatre Institute World Congress in Xiamen, China. I will be traveling with Theatre Communications Group and the 14 other US delegates who were announced this week. You can follow my schedule here and check out some of the workshops I'll be a part of. I'm going to do my best to update Facebook and Twitter while I'm away, but you can certainly follow my adventures through the Festival's social media.

All my best,

PS--We picked up some press last week for the new Shakespeare in the Streets!

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #83: 9/8/11

2011-09-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

I Am Theatre
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is launching a new campaign called "I Am Theatre." Videos from across the country are capturing pivotal moments in the lives of theatre-makers. Each week for 50 weeks TCG will release a new video. I was particularly struck by high school student Sean Chang. Can you remember a moment when theatre had its first impact on you? Share with me rdildine@sfstl.com and I'll include your comments in next week's briefing.

London 2012
Plans have been announced for the World Shakespeare Festival in summer 2012 to coincide with Britain's hosting of the Olympics. Celebrating Shakespeare as the "world's playwright," the festivities will run April 23, 2012 to November 2012.

Passion
The word"passion" comes up a lot in my discussions with Board and staffmembers. Frequently I hear: "We need people with passion!" Of course,you all know it's impossible for an organization to entertain theindividual passions of every community member, so what do you think wecollectively are passionate about at the Festival? What is driving usall to want to be a part of this institution? Let me know: rdildine@sfstl.com.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #82: 9/1/11

2011-09-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

New Pathways for the Arts: Convening #1
Today our New Pathways team met for the first time. Team members include: Board members Kiku Obata, Tricia Beal & Jessica Holzer, staff members Susan Hagen & Kelly O'Connell, and from outside the organization Greg Lukeman (Executive Director, Food Outreach), Eric Woods (Owner/Founder, Firecracker Press) and Dottie Marshall Englis (Chair, Conservatory of Theatre Arts, Webster University). Our first meeting with Richard Evans (President, EMC Arts) was focused on defining and discussing principles of innovation. We also discussed assumptions that have formed about the Festival. I am very excited about the discussions from this group; we will be reporting throughout the process.

Bullying remains a major issue
Jack Bader forwarded me this NY Times article about New Jersey schools taking on bullies. This subject remains a significant issue for Americans, particularly young people. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights "is considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation."

Economic Development: Culture is the key ingredient
Roze Wolownik shared on our Facebook page how the Stratford Shakespeare Festival is playing a key role in the city's development. "Last year, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival had an economic impact of almost $140-million and generated about 3,000 full-time jobs, according to the Conference Board of Canada."

MFA Arts Leadership & Management Program
Today the news of my appointment as the director of the master's program at Webster University was officially announced.

All my best,

PS: Our new Education Tour brochureis online and out in the schools!

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #81: 8/26/11

2011-08-26T10:48:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

Development
I am very happy with the planning our development team is doing to wrap up this year and prepare for next. Our new director of development Melaine Bennett is now leading the team, meeting our Board and getting to know key funders.

In the Schools
The expanded Education Tour will begin preparations next week when our stage manager starts. The Tour will be mostly focused in the Hazelwood School District this fall. If there are schools where you think the Festival should have a presence, please contact Chris Limber: climber@sfstl.com. Additionally, our advanced teen training program, the Shakespeare Squadron, looks to increase to over 20 students this year (up from 15 last year).

In the Streets
Tlaloc Rivas will be the director for Shakespeare in the Streets. We have met several times and will be announcing the full creative team shortly. If our community initiatives are of an interest to you, please let me know: rdildine@sfstl.com.

In the Park
Bruce Longworth has already given me his first cut of the OTHELLO script for next year. Over the next several months many other drafts will follow, but this serves as the first volley for our discussion. We are putting together the creative team and hope to share that within the coming weeks. I am very happy to announce that stage manager Champe Leary will be returning to the park.

Friends & Volunteerism
We hope to announce the new Friends President shortly. Volunteerism will be a key component as we move to fulfilling the strategic plan.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #80: 8/12/11

2011-08-23T11:18:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

St. Louis' 25 Most Influential Women: Rebecca Nolan
Congrats to our Board member Rebecca Nolan being named to St. Louis Business Journal's 25 Most Influential Women. Rebecca joined the Board in 2009 and has served as Chair of the Nominating Committee since 2010.

Bold Adaptations
I'm commonly asked: how do you decide the concept of a show? First, I always make sure the director has a clear idea of the story because that comes before deciding a show's conceptual approach. The conceptual approach should enhance the story being told. When dealing with classic text in the public domain, some directors take large liberties. Stephen Sondheim recently wrote a letter to the editor of the NY Times regarding Diane Paulus' reinterpretation of the famous opera Porgy & Bess (Paulus is the director behind the recent Broadway revival of Hair). In his letter he challenges her bold adaptation. What do you think about directors who alter or edit classical texts? Since Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, his text is often revised or changed by directors. I was particularly intrigued with Sondheim's definition of "purist." Let me know your thoughts rdildine@sfstl.com.

Hope you all have a great weekend! There will be no briefing next week as I will be taking some time off.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #79: 8/4/11

2011-08-05T10:12:00.006-05:00

First Annual Shakespeare Trip

Our first annual Shakespeare trip was a huge success...and a really fun time, too! Some of us returned last night while others stayed for a few extra days in NYC. Seeing the Park Avenue Armory hold a replica of the Globe was truly amazing (look at the slideshow)! We saw three remarkable plays: King Lear, As You Like It and The Winter's Tale. This was some of the best acting I have ever seen, and I was blown away by the clarity with which these artists work. In addition to the shows and delicious food we also got a private tour of NY Shakespeare in the Park and a chance to hear founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Peter Hall, speak about his life and work. On the Map Travel and Anne MacIntyre did an excellent job planning this trip. Big thanks to SFSTL Board members Jessica Holzer and Jean Daniel-Gentry who joined us! Pictures to come soon!

China Bound!

I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a US delegate to the International Theatre Institute's 2011 World Congress being held in Xiamen, China in September. The Congress is held every other year and provides theatre artists from all over the world the chance to connect and share best practices and new ideas for creating theatre globally. Twenty-five delegates have been selected from across the country. As St. Louis is actively pursuing a Chinese hub for the city, we are eager to start developing the cultural side of that outreach.

State Arts Agencies

Public support of arts has been a major discussion point through the recent political budget talks. Luckily, the NEA was spared (we are receiving $15,000 for Shakespeare in the Streets next year from the NEA). In May the State of Kansas zero-funded its state arts agency; those most affected were smaller arts groups where a $1000 grant means a lot.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #78: 7/28/11

2011-08-02T15:14:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

llinois Shakespeare Festival
Last weekend I got to visit ISF in Normal. Founded in 1978, the Festival is part of Illinois State University and is housed on a beautiful property once owned by Hazel Buck Ewing. ISF hires Equity actors and draws many of its company members from ISU's graduate acting program. Carl Schneider joined me for the day as we saw Winter's Tale, took a tour of Ewing Manor and got a behind-the-scenes look at the Festival's costume department.

Summer Camps
Our summer camps are wrapping up this week. With the renovation of Clayton High School this summer, we had to re-think our camp format. We partnered with several other organizations to create summer opportunities. Our partners included COCA, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Crossroads and Craft Alliance. Our camp enrollment is up 47% over last summer!

SFSTL in NYC for RSC
Just two days until we head to NYC for the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will be doing a briefing next week that will include highlights of the trip!

I hope you are staying cool!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #77: 7/21/11

2011-08-02T14:53:00.005-05:00

Dear Friends,

Staff Retreat Update
Our first annual retreat was held last Friday, and Novus International graciously hosted us at their campus in St. Charles. The retreat was welcomed and very valuable for the entire team. We left the day with a full calendar of events through September 2013 and tactics for achieving the following staff-identified goals:

The Festival's systems of operation are open, fair and transparent and provide the greatest efficiency for team members' productivity, communication and financial resources.
The Festival's information/data is compiled in an easily accessible and highly efficient manner in order to support analysis and strategic planning.
The Festival culture encourages creativity, celebrates success, and promotes personal development.

The retreat provided us with a day of no interruptions to celebrate our successes and make plans for the future. We are continually assessing our processes and identifying areas where we can be better.

Dallas
Last weekend I got to visit colleagues at Shakespeare Dallas where they are celebrating their 40th season with productions of As You Like It, Hamlet and Cyrano de Bergerac. Additionally I spent time with my buddy Kevin Moriarty, Artistic Director of Dallas Theatre Center , and he gave me a tour of their brand new, state-of-the-art facility. Upcoming this weekend I will be heading east to Illinois Shakespeare Festival in Normal to see The Winter's Tale.

New York Bound!
I'm getting very excited about our trip to NYC to see the Royal Shakespeare Company! In addition to the shows and the backstage tour of NY Shakespeare in the Park, we are attending the RSC's 50th Anniversary Open House and having lunch with Greg Reiner, Executive Director of Tectonic Theater Project , whose credits include Broadway's 33 Variations (starring Jane Fonda), I Am My Own Wife and the world-famous The Laramie Project. People are having a blast!

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #76: 7-14-11

2011-07-14T11:53:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Staff Retreat
Tomorrow the Festival staff will be off-site at our first annual staff retreat. Novus International is kindly hosting us at their campus in St. Charles. The Festival offices will be closed tomorrow and re-open with normal hours next week. The major goal of our retreat is to create an institutional calendar spanning the next two years.

Shakespeare Elsewhere
Last weekend I got to visit Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN. Lana Pepper joined me on the trip where we saw a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by St. Louisan Alec Wild. We were incredibly impressed how this small town has wholeheartedly embraced this young festival (this is only their eighth season). GRSF has created a schedule of weekly events presented all across town from their theatre lawn at Winona State University to coffee shops to post-show parties in patrons' homes. This coming weekend I'll be traveling down to Shakespeare Dallas for its production of As You Like It.

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #75: 7-7-11

2011-07-14T10:58:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Future of Mobile Giving

The Association of Fundraising Professionals just put out a new report about the success of text-to-give campaigns very similar to ours this year. "About 22 percent of active mobile giving programs raised over $10,000, with more than half these successful programs generating over $50,000." Our program raised $4,700 this year. Have any of you made contributions through other mobile-giving campaigns?

SFSTL is headed to NYC!

Later this month the Festival is taking an eager group of Shakespeare lovers to New York City for the Royal Shakespeare Company's residency that officially began yesterday. Their production of As You Like It has already caused a bit of controversy From July 30-August 3 we will see three plays by the world's leading Shakespeare company as well as get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park (home to NY Shakespeare in the Park). I will be tweeting and updating Facebook throughout our visit! Check out this video of the renovation of the Park Avenue Armory to fit the RSC's productions! and forced the company to make alterations to the show.

Cheers!

For our new home at 5715 Elizabeth Avenue, we are looking for a bar (think "Cheers" where everybody knows your name!). If you or someone you know has a bar, please let me know. The bar would be available for social gatherings as well as a place for staff to eat lunch

All my best,

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #74: 6-30-11

2011-07-14T10:51:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

Shakespeare High

Last weekend I watched Shakespeare High, a new full-length documentary chronicling a group of teens as they compete in the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California's annual Shakespeare scenes contest. Lana Pepper and Jack & Anne Bader all recommended this documentary to me, and it is exceptional! Be sure to check it out. Is this possible in St. Louis?

Othello 2012

On Tuesday I met with next year's director Bruce Longworth to lay out a ground-plan for creating OTHELLO. We discussed the themes of the play and specifically connected with the sense of "otherness" embodied in the title character.

Shakespeare in the Streets

On Wednesday I met with Tlaloc Rivas, the director who will helm our first "Shakespeare in the Streets" next spring. I'm curious to know if you all have connections to the Gravois Park neighborhood. And be sure to read Eric Grode's article supporting theatre collaborations with social service organizations.

American Theatre magazine on Facebook

For Facebook users, be sure to check out the American Theatre magazine page on Facebook. There are some excellent discussions and fun conversations happening about our industry. As a Southerner I was particularly intrigued by the responses to the question, "How important is it for an actor to shed or "correct" their regional accent?"

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Weekly Briefing #73: 6-23-11

2011-06-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

What a great season! I'm so incredibly proud of all the work by the staff, volunteers, artists and Board. Congratulations to everyone on a hugely successful 11th season!

Record-breaking Attendance
The Taming of the Shrew gave us record-breaking attendance for the second year in a row! Over 63,000 people saw the production. Awaiting final confirmation from Accounting, we raised $44,436 in donations in the park. This week we have been focused on "striking" the production and should be wrapped up by tomorrow. Having the new storage facilities has been a huge boost!

OTHELLO in 2012
We announced earlier this week our 2012 production: Othello. I'm thrilled that Bruce Longworth (director of 2010's Hamlet) will helm the project. Bruce and I are meeting next week to start planning the design team and major roles. Othello is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays recognized for its themes of racism, love, jealousy and betrayal. This coupled with Shakespeare in the Streets creates an exciting 2012 season!

All my best,

Rick

Weekly Briefing #72: 6-16-11

2011-06-18T13:07:00.006-05:00

Dear Friends,

Reviews keep coming in: Broadwayworld.com loved the show!
The conversation is happening! As of last night, over 43,000 people have seen the show. Our friends on Twitter and Facebook are also having lively conversations! The post-show talkbacks have attracted crowds as large as 50+ for discussion about the production. Four performances left!

Closing Night
We will close the show on Sunday, June 19. That evening is "Board Night" at the Festival.

What if...We cast off our non-profit status?
Chad Bauman is the Director of Communications for Arena Stage in Washington, DC, which first started as a for-profit entity before switching to not-for-profit status after its 15th season. His recent blog entry asks an interesting question. Considering our upcoming work with New Pathways for the Arts, I thought this an appropriate discussion topic. Let me know your thoughts.

All my best,

Rick

PS: Congratulations to Board member Tricia Bentley-Beal and our friends at Novus International who are celebrating 20 years of operation!

Weekly Briefing #71: 6-9-11

2011-06-09T12:14:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

Party on Art Hill
The return to Art Hill was a huge success! Two hundred people attended the event overlooking the Grand Basin and raised funds to support the artistic and education programs of the Festival. The Fund the Need moment raised $30,000! Big thanks to all who attended and participated!

Audience attendance and comments
To date over 25,000 people have seen The Taming of the Shrew!
Comments from Twitter include:

@AndreaNickrent Great show tonight! #AfterShrew party is a nice addition.

@MaidMarion Shrew was adorable and funny! So happy to be able to see another excellent (and free!) Shakespearean production! :D

@heelgrabber Interesting adaptation of the Shakespearean Taming of the Shrew. I rather enjoyed it and would like to see it again. #shrew

@AngWxGrl #Shrew was awesome! Great set and cast! Tons of laughs! And you can't beat the atmosphere #intheglen! Bravo!

@SnoopMK Still thinking about #Shrew at @shakesfestSTL. Very interesting interpretation, great production design, performances. Want to see it again!

@jessLyRo I would just like to say that @shakesfestSTL put on a super awesome production of The Taming of the Shrew last night! #kudos #soFun

"13% of online Americans use Twitter, up a full 5% from November 2010, according to a Pew Research Center study released Wednesday."

All my best,

Rick

Weekly Briefing #70: 6-2-11

2011-06-03T14:11:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

The reviews are in: SHREW is a hit!
Boo McLoughlin: "The production is delicious and the set is stunning!"
Judith Newmark: "massively entertaining...a great family outing!"
Joe Pollack: "Shakespeare in Forest Park has become an ingrained part of the St. Louis summer"
Facebook is all a buzz with comments!
To date over 7,000 people have seen SHREW in just five performances!

What can you do when you're at the Festival

Drop by the Hospitality Tent to thank donors
Visit the Info and Souvenir Tents to meet the team
Say 'thank you' to a volunteer!

Twitter and the Festival
Of all the performing arts groups on Twitter, the Festival has the third most successful activity (only the St. Louis Symphony and the Fox Theatre are ahead of us!). Of all the 244,000+ Tweeters in St. Louis, the Festival is ranked overall in the top 400 most active accounts!

This week at Marvin's
Friday, June 3 - Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers - sponsored by Pi Pizzeria
Saturday, June 4 - DJ Al SwackerParties begin promptly after the show at Marvin's, the lobby/lounge area at the top of the hill.

All my best,

Rick

PS: Mark your calendars for the 2012 Season Announcement on JUNE 15 at 7:25PM in Shakespeare Glen.

Weekly Briefing #69: 5-26-11

2011-05-26T16:43:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,
Opening Night tomorrow
Previews continue through this evening. Opening Night tomorrow will include over 30 different press outlets, more than we've ever had! Make your reservations ASAP with Roze: rwolownik@sfstl.com. Be sure to bring your Shrew cheat sheet courtesy of the Post-Dispatch!

Running Time
Act One: 1 hour. Act Two: 45 minutes. Including the 15-minute intermission, we are planning the show to end by 10pm.
Nightly Schedule
5:30pm Info Tent and Restaurant open
6:00pm Backstage Tour (private tours are available!)
6:30pm Green Show featuring Shrew in a Few, Shakespeare Word Series,
roaming performers and local artists
8:00pm The Taming of the Shrew
9:00pm Intermission - 15 minutes
10:05pm Post-show Talkbacks sponsored by Maryville University
10:00pm After Party at Marvin's: Fri/Sat only (except opening night)
11:00pm Site closed
This week at Marvin's
Saturday night will be our first after party featuring DJ Darren Snow!

Shake 38
A huge success! Soon we will post pics and videos. You can always check out our Facebook and Twitter. The reading of EVERY OTHER HAMLET IN THE UNIVERSE was a smashing success! Big thanks to Mont & Karen Levy for underwriting our first play reading by a living playwright!

SHREWS in the News
Excellent Feature story in St. Louis Magazine
Post-Dispatch covers Shake 38
Webster-Kirkwood Times ran a feature story
Broadwayworld.com picked up on our reading
Tomorrow I will be live on KMOV-Channel 4 at 6:40am and at 11am Sean Graney, Annie Worden (Kate) and I will be on KWMU!

All my best,

Rick

Weekly Briefing #68: 5-29-11

2011-05-19T20:26:00.006-05:00

Dear Friends,

SHAKE 38 Schedule
The marathon schedule is posted on our website! Featured events include:

5PM, Tuesday, May 24 - Antony & Cleopatra produced by Novus International at their St. Charles headquarters.
8 PM, Tuesday, May 24 - A Midsummer Night's Dream produced by Belas Artes at RAC - join us for the half-way point!
2AM, Wednesday, May 25 - All's Well That Ends Well at Steak & Shake, 8609 Watson Rd.
4PM, Wednesday, May 25 - Every Other Hamlet in the Universe produced by SFSTL in collaboration with Yale MFA Playwriting Program; generously underwritten by Mont Levy and Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation; reading at Old Orchard Rehearsal Space at Webster University.

PNC & NEA to underwrite 1st annual Shakespeare in the StreetsPNC Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts announced today they will support the 1st annual Shakespeare in the Streets in 2012. More details including director will be announced on June 15!

"10 out of 12's" this weekend
On Saturday and Sunday this weekend we will have "10 out of 12" rehearsals in the park. These rehearsals allow us to rehearse for 10 hours out of a 12-hour span of time. Each day we will rehearse from 11:30am-4:30pm and 6:30-11:30pm. The set looks stunning!

KMOV Interview next Thursday
I will be on KMOV Channel 4 on May 26 at 6:40am to talk about the show and opening night.

All my best,

Rick

PS: The Festival will close our offices on Tuesdays during the run of the show, May 25 - June 19. And meet our final cast member, Gary Glasgow (Gremio)!

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-05-13T13:32:00.006-05:00

13 May 2011: What is your most memorable theatrical experience?

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Weekly Briefing #67: 5-13-11

2011-05-13T13:21:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Shrew in process: The stage is up, and scenery is being assembled in the park right now. Actors arrive in the park next Wednesday followed by technical rehearsals through the weekend.

Visiting Providence and New Haven this week: Tomorrow I will head to New England for the weekend to see performances at Yale University, Brown University and Trinity Rep. I will be meeting with Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel to continue discussions about our new play collaboration. I will also be meeting with leadership at Brown/Trinity to continue discussions about our growing relationships (there are three Brown/Trinity grads in the show this summer!).

Chris Limber in Seattle: Chris Limber is attending the Theatre for Young Audiences National Gathering One World 2011 in Seattle this week.

Director of Development: The search for a new Director of Development is underway. The job is posted on our website and The Rome Group. Our goal is to identify the new team member by July with a start date at the beginning of August.
SFSTL in the NEWS:
Post-Dispatch ran a story on our bullying program
The Beacon featured a story on our bullying program
Dramatics Magazine (national high school drama publication) featured a story about Shake 38
Actors' Equity Association's national print newsletter ran articles on our bullying program and Shakespeare's birthday celebration at Tower Grove Park

Upcoming stories/interviews in St. Louis American, West End Word, Alton Telegraph, Alaska Airlines in-flight magazine, St. Louis Magazine, and KMOV-TV!

All my best,

Rick

PS: Meet David Graham Jones (Tranio)!

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-05-09T21:40:00.004-05:00

9 May 2011: When Did You Start Acting?

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Weekly Briefing #66: 5-5-11

2011-05-05T13:49:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

We are less than a month away from opening night of The Taming of the Shrew! Building of the stage began yesterday, so you're going to see lots of activity in the park. The scenery will begin assembly next week, and on May 18 the actors will start rehearsing outside! Get an inside look at the scenic design process featuring our interview with designer Scott Neale, his sketches of the set and his talk with the cast regarding their 1950s backyard! Just 22 days until the Festival opens!

Our message of community, conversation and collaboration continues! Yesterday, the Post-Dispatch featured an article about our bullying program, and on Friday be sure to tune into KWMU at 11am when Chris Limber and I will be talking about our education programs and Shrew. Plus, we're one of St. Louis' Magazine's Top 10 May events!

Upcoming dates you want in your calendar:

May 25 at 4pm - Shake 38 - Reading of Every Other Hamlet in the Universe by Kimberly Rosenstock at Old Orchard Rehearsal spaces in Webster Grove. This event is free! Generously underwritten by Mont Levy.

May 27 at 8pm - Opening Night of The Taming of the Shrew!

June 5 - Party on Art Hill: invitations are going out this week!

All my best,

Rick

PS: Meet ensemble members Justin Leibrecht, Laura Sexauer, and Pete Winfrey!

Weekly Briefing #65: 4-28-11

2011-04-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

Rehearsals are underway! The first reading of the play by the cast was HILARIOUS! On Tuesday the designers shared their work with the company, and last night I got to have dinner with Annie Worden (Kate) who kept saying, "This cast is really funny and amazing!" Rehearsals are being held at Union Avenue Christian Church in the CWE.

BIG NEWS: As previously reported, the Festival is participating in the New Pathways Program sponsored by RAC and EmcArts. This morning I found out we were selected as one of three St. Louis arts institutions to participate in the more in-depth Core Program. The Core Program of NPP is an eight-month process that helps local arts organizations incubate and test innovative strategies to address complex adaptive challenges. The program includes individual coaching, 15 days of facilitation and guidance including a full-day retreat, $1,500 towards work with a content expert of their choice, a $10,000 grant to support repeated prototyping of a new strategy, financial assessment of the company and a variety of support systems tailored to the needs of each organization. Board member Kiku Obata and Business Manager Susan Hagen have been working closely with me on this project. Other institutions chosen were the Contemporary Art Museum and Metro Theatre Company.

BREAKING NEWS: One of our sister institutions is in trouble. The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City must raise $100,000 by May 4 or it will be forced to cancel its 2011 season. Word of the festival's situation was announced on Monday. We wish them the best of luck in their efforts. Big thanks to those who have contributed names of personal contacts for our own fundraising purposes.

Big congrats to Shrew director Sean Graney and his Chicago theatre company, The Hypocrites, for receiving 14 Joseph Jefferson nominations, the most of any theatre company! Graney was nominated for his direction of The Pirates of Penzance (which was phenomenal!).

Please join us tonight for a performance of Cruel to Be Kind? hosted in partnership with the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. The performance begins at 7pm at Clayton High School. Board member Nancy Pechloff also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Institute. This partnership has been vital to our success of the bullying program.

Ad sales are $2000 away from our goal! If you or your company can purchase an ad in support of the Festival, please contact Assistant Director, Roze Wolownik ASAP: rwolownik@sfstl.com. Let's hit this goal!

All my best,

Rick

Weekly Briefing #64: 4-21-11

2011-04-21T13:52:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

We're home! The Festival relocated to our new home at 5715 Elizabeth Avenue in The Hill last Friday. Yes, there are still a few boxes to be unpacked, and yes, we had a handful of IT issues...but we like our new home. We've added 1300 square feet to our offices, and the storage is right here, too.

Costume construction began this week. Designer Alison Siple arrived on Monday, and the costume team went to work draping this season's show. They will be building the costumes right here in our new headquarters. This is also the stage manager's prep week. We will be rehearsing at Union Avenue Christian Church at the corner of Delmar and Union.

I was on KDHX's Breakaleg this past week, and Broadwayworld.com featured an article about our education program. I was also live on the air with McGraw Milhaven at KTRS The Big 550 AM, who mentioned he once played "The Wall" in A Midsummer Night's Dream!

This Saturday is William Shakespeare's 447th Birthday! We will celebrate the Bard's Birthday in Tower Grove Park this Saturday, April 23rd at 10am. Please join us for a short program, wreath laying and refreshments!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #63: 4-14-11

2011-04-14T10:01:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Our long awaited move is here! After a few minor setbacks, the Festival offices will relocate to our new home tomorrow, Friday, April 15. Our new address is 5715 Elizabeth Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110.

"Teen Shakespeare Month" is off to a great start! Shakespeare Squadronperformed this past weekend, and it was an amazing experience to see these young thespians perform three plays. The level of acting from this group is highly advanced. Kudos to our lead teachers/directors of the Squadron: Elana Kepner, Michael B. Perkins and Christopher Limber. This weekend, our flagship programMetro Youth Shakespeare will perform at Harris-Stowe State University on Friday and Saturday.

On Tuesday I joined former Board member Carol Carlson at Chandler Hill Wineries. We met with winery staff and talked about opportunities for collaboration between our two institutions. It's a gorgeous venue...anybody up for some wine and Shakespeare?

The Spring Luncheon was a smashing success! An overwhelming percentage of the attendees were new. Sean Graney and Alison Siple did a wonderful job of giving a sneak peek to this season's show; they shared costume and set designs with the crowd at the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus. Press attending included Editor-in-Chief Trisha Muyco of Ladue News, Fashion Editor Debra Bass and theatre critic Judith Newmark both of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV Channel 4. Click on the links to see their coverage! Co-chairs for the event were Leah Garabedian, Anna Lea Kerckhoff and Ginny Morgan. Check out pics from the event here!

Please make plans to join us for Shakespeare's Birthday at the annual wreath laying ceremony at the Shakespeare statue in Tower Grove Park on Saturday, April 23rd at 10AM. We are collaborating with TGP to make this a stand-out event to celebrate the Bard. There will be readings from local theatre leaders Steve Woolf, Ron Himes and myself.

Be on the look-out for the 2011 season brochure that goes out today! Articles about our education program will be in the St. Louis Beacon next week and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the week of April 18. If you didn't catch my KMOX interview on Sunday, listen to it here!

Community, conversation, collaboration! It's all happening at the Festival!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #62: 4-7-11

2011-04-07T10:27:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

If you missed Sean Graney's interview on"Why the 50s?," check it out! He and costume designer Alison Siple are in town tomorrow for our Spring Luncheon and our final production meeting before rehearsals begin on April 26. I got to see the set under construction this week at Switch; this is going to be an exciting production! Plus, the set includes a classic 1950s car!

This year's SHAKE 38 will feature a reading of a new play by Kimberly Rosenstock. In our first collaboration with Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel and the MFA Yale Playwriting program, we will assemble a team of St. Louis actors to work on Rosenstock's new play Every Other Hamlet in the Universe. A free public reading will be presented on May 25. A graduate of Yale and Amherst, Kim was a 2009 Wasserstein finalist and her play Tigers Be Still was a hit Off-Broadway last season; Charles Isherwood of the NY Times called it one of the Top 10 Plays of the 2010 theatre season. Based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, the play reading is directed by fellow Yale grad Trip Cullman, one of the country's most sought after young directors.

Mary McHugh has joined our team as Public Relations Manager. Mary has developed and coordinated publicity support programs for numerous clients including Anheuser-Busch, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., the Professional Theatre Awards Council (PTAC)/Kevin Kline Awards, and several nonprofit organizations. With more than 25 years experience in the field of public relations, she is also extensively involved in the arts, serving as a board member for the Professional Theatre Awards Council/Kevin Kline Awards and as a panelist for the Regional Arts Commission. Previous publicity support work developed for the Show-Me Institute, the City of Florissant, Consumer Credit Counseling, and Citizens for Missouri's Children.

This summer we are featuring St. Louis favorites Aaron Orion Baker (Biondello) and Steve Isom (Baptista) in the show! And I'm thrilled to introduce you to Paul Hurley (Petruchio).

All my best,

PS: I'll be doing a LIVE interview on KMOX this Sunday, April 10 at around 8:50AM. I'll be talking about "The Bard on Bullying" and Cruel to be Kind, our educational play that is currently touring schools throughout the Metro area.

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-04-04T23:31:00.002-05:00

1 April 2011 – “KHFAAOOTY.”

Six weeks? Time does fly! We wrapped up another week filled with workshops; we only had four shows this week, two of which were at Harris-Stowe State University for a public “double feature” of both touring productions (excellent turnout, by the way!). This week took us to Hazelwood West, our final stop in the marathon tour of the Hazelwood School District. It was here that I noticed the majority of students in our workshops were already familiar with a great deal of the vocabulary and central ideas we presented; the use of reporting bullying to teachers was an especially popular answer. But when I asked how many students actually reported, only one or two out of twenty would raise their hand.

I would encourage our readers, audiences, students to not merely talk about bullying or give the answer we want to hear: do it. Or as Master Shakespeare says, “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.” It’s not enough to only say the right things, when push comes to shove (literally) our strategies discussed in workshops will help you in practical application. For example, one student says she uses an acronym in many bullying situations: “KHFAAOOTY” (pronounced KAH-FOO-TEE), meaning “Keep Hands, Feet, And All Other Objects To Yourself.”

And here’s a sample of the feedback we’re receiving from our workshops thus far:

The teaching artists had great rapport with the students and were able to really connect and communicate with them.

The students loved the workshop and really responded to the games with the actors. We have used the language introduced in the workshops.

I was able to use aspects of the workshop I attended to remind students in Music Class about shared goals regarding Bullying.

All of the actors are professional and just have that extra "twinkle" which engages the children. I can't imagine a year without you.
Thanks for reading! Keep sending us your questions; we would love to hear from you: info@sfstl.com

Click here to see the video!

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Weekly Briefing #61: 3-31-11

2011-04-01T12:13:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

We won! The 2010 Kevin Kline Awards were handed out on Monday night, and the Festival won top honors for Best Play (Hamlet), Best Actor (Jim Butz) and Best Sound Design (Robin Weatherall & Ann Slayton). I was so incredibly proud to see our team honored by the St. Louis theatre community. We also received nominations for Best Director (Bruce Longworth), Best Supporting Actress (Kimiye Corwin), Best Costume Design (Dottie Marshall Englis) and Best Ensemble. Thank you to the staff, artists, and Board of Directors for your hard work to bring HAMLET to the stage. We were tweeting live all night, and you can visit our blog for more coverage.

Each year on March 27 World Theatre Day is celebrated. Hosted annually by Theatre Communications Group, this is the 49th year of celebrating our global theatre community. This year Tony Award winner Jeffrey Wright was asked to deliver the US message. Mr. Wright's moving speech is a beautiful testament to what theatre and art can do around the world.

There are public performances this Saturday, April 2, of both our educational touring plays Shrew in a Few and Cruel to be Kind? Performances begin at 7pm at Harris Stowe State University theatre. Please join us!

Rehearsals begin in less than a month! Meet cast members Megan Storti (Bianca), Will Shaw (Lucentio) and Kurt Ehrmann (Christopher Sly).

All my best,

Rick

"HAMLET" Wins Best Play for 2010!

2011-03-29T10:59:00.005-05:00

L to R: Rick Dildine, Matthew Koch, Robin Weatherall and Jim Butz accept 2010 Kevin Kline Awards for HAMLET:
Outstanding Production of a Play, Best Sound Design and Best Actor in a Play. Congratulations to all!

The Festival’s production of HAMLET was honored with the 2010 Kevin Kline Award for Best Play last night at the annual ceremony celebrating St. Louis’ theatre. In his remarks, Executive Director Rick Dildine thanked the cast, staff and Board of Directors for their hard work. “This was a pure St. Louis team behind this show. Two-thirds of the cast and the entire creative team are from St. Louis,” he noted.

Additionally, Jim Butz received the award for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of the title role, and Robin Weatherall and Ann Slayton were honored with Best Sound Design. HAMLET received nominations for Best Director (Bruce Longworth), Best Supporting Actress (Kimiye Corwin), Best Costume Design (Dottie Marshall Englis) and Best Ensemble.

The Festival congratulates all the nominees and winners! Big kudos to the Professional Theatre Council, Edward Coffield (producer) and Peter Sargent.

Slideshow of Kevin Kline Award photos:

Slideshow of HAMLET photos:

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-03-28T15:04:00.008-05:00

ENTRY 5- 25 March 2011 – “Not for naught.”

Welcome back readers!

What a week of workshops; Hazelwood Central HS hosted us all week (save for a day trip out to gracious hosts in Warrenton, MO) with performances of “Cruel to be Kind?” and the companion workshop “Bullies & Boundaries”. And my, did Monday start out with an unexpected surprise: while lunching in a nearby park, van doors open and basking in the warm sunlight, a woman walking her dog approached us and said, “Your [touring] show came to my daughter’s show ten years ago, and ever since then, she’s fallen in love with Shakespeare. You all do such amazing work, I wanted you to know it’s not for naught.” Wow, readers. I was stunned and overjoyed.

One other addition to our anti-bullying material was suggested to us by faculty at both Hazelwood Central and Warrenton HS: it cannot be solely the target of bullying that reports to a teacher, but as many bystanders as possible too. It’s not enough to say, “[This person] is picking on me.” If anyone sees it, they should go with you to corroborate the story; plus, the target will have added strength in numbers. Make sure it’s still possible to report any bullying anonymously and confidentially, a method all schools should have in place.

Lastly, I want to personally praise the student who sent in the question we answered in the above video. That took an incredible amount of courage, and I hope the many silent targets out there will come forward with questions, if not to us, then to a friendly ear, someone you can trust. No problem can be solved that isn’t first identified. Keep sending us your questions, we would love to hear from you: info@sfstl.com

Click here to see the video.

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Featured in this video Anna Blair*, Elana Kepner*, Khnemu Menu-Ra, Michael B. Perkins, Antonio Rodriguez and Jessica Shoemaker.

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

Weekly Brief #60: 3-24-11

2011-03-24T12:59:00.008-05:00

Dear Friends,

This week we met with representatives from Forest Park Forever and the City to finalize our plans for this summer. Production Manager Kelly O'Connell and Festival Manager Patti Walley have done a fantastic job developing strong relationships with the various park constituents. The park is truly excited to have us, and I am thrilled at the commitment from the staff to building a strong partnership.

Our blog has a new name: The Aside! Besides the weekly briefing, the Education Tour shares a "Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour." This past week included a very fun video about stage kissing! As the Festival approaches, we will be providing more resources via the blog including books to read, movies to see and even restaurants to visit before coming to see this summer's production of SHREW!

Our Spring Luncheon is just around the corner, on April 8! Tickets can be purchased online through 4/5...don't miss this fun "sneak peek" event!

Our Education and Shake 38 teams are collaborating on "Make Shake 38," a guide to organizing your own unexpected theatre! Some of the plays yet to be claimed for SHAKE 38 include: The Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline and Troilus and Cressida. Sign up today! Shake38@sfstl.com

All my best,

Rick

Luke's Link

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-03-24T12:34:00.007-05:00

Entry #4 - March 2011 - "Plus one."


Antonio Rodriguez, Elana Kepner* and Khnemu Menu-Ra enjoying lunch at St. John Vianney HS.

Hello again readers!

This was quite the performance-heavy week; only one workshop, plus we had an equal number of performances for both touring shows! Even better, we went to a school for whom we haven’t yet performed in the ten years that the Education Tour has been in existence: St. John Vianney High School. This is my fifth year with the touring company, and for us to be brought into a school for the first time is a HUGE pleasure. It’s icing on the cake to be welcomed so enthusiastically by faculty and students alike, everyone greeted us with a warm “Hi!” and told us how much they enjoyed our show; Mr. Al Book, Vianney’s theatre teacher pampered us at every turn, even treating us all to lunch at the school’s café with all sorts of scrumptious food! The school was even celebrating our March 16 arrival (and subsequent workshop) by calling the day “The Ides of March…plus one.” with T-shirts to match.

And in addition to another week of successful performances (including a lovely turnout at our public performance in the Robert Reim Theatre at Kirkwood’s Community Center), we had performances at two juvenile detention centers. In an example of why I personally love this career, one of the kids spoke briefly to our Tour Manager as they were filing out; he talked about how much he enjoyed our performance and how happy he was to be treated like other kids, concluding: “Thank you. Just, thank you.”

And THERE is the best thing about what we do on the Shakespeare Festival Education Tour; many of our performances are for young people who have never seen Shakespeare or even live theater before. Not only are they exposed to great art, but they GET it. Where at first glance, students tend to regard Shakespeare as inaccessible, on a lofty perch that can only be truly understood by intellectuals and academics, our tour gets rid of that stigma right away. The key is in the language, the words of Will. Every character says exactly what they’re thinking, and the most effective way to expand students’ understanding of Shakespeare’s canon is to read it ALOUD. When Londoners attended the Globe four centuries back, they said they were going to “hear” a play instead of “see” a play. That’s where “audience” comes from: the audio rather than the visual. “Speak the speech,” says Hamlet, “trippingly on the tongue.”

Don’t forget, we’re still taking any questions, comments, or fan mail you may have: info@sfstl.com. And next week, our March Madness in the Hazelwood School District continues, this time at Central High…we’ll be back with a full report! Until then, enjoy a quick shot of our delightful lunch at Vianney High School:

Until next time!

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour, Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

*Denotes member, Actors' Equity Association.

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-03-21T18:45:00.002-05:00

ENTRY 3: March 2011 – “I’ll moo with you.”

Oh my, have we been busy. For an entire week, we had the amazing privilege of bringing our “Bullies & Boundaries” workshops to the entire freshman class at Hazelwood East High School. The class of 2014 took our message to heart, and were very engaging, enlightening, and forthcoming with bullying in their own daily lives, realizing they have the most power to change their “roles” and become defenders rather than henchmen, favoring assertive behavior over aggression. Our findings will be presented to the Hazelwood School District, who is looking for ways to be proactive in curtailing bullying in their schools.

I was especially struck with the first time we performed the exercise “Animals,” which is meant to demonstrate the effects of exclusionary bullying; in this case, the students were randomly grouped into dogs, chickens, and a cow. The students found their groups by only making the sound of the animal; when the students discovered that only one of them was making the sound of a lone cow, that student’s friend left his respective group and joined his friend, saying: “I’ll moo with you.” I’ll take that as hope; it’s the shape of things to come.

When we’re not leading the bullying workshop in schools, the majority of our touring performances have been our SHREW IN A FEW. Several students (and faculty) asked variations of this provocative question at the heart of Shakespeare’s venerable comedy: “How do you deal with the issue of sexism in The Taming of the Shrew?” Our answer is that it is open to many interpretations, but what our company presents is a relationship in which neither spouse is superior to the other.

We posted that Katherina, independent spirit that she is, was labeled a “shrew” for so long that eventually she accepted it and behaved as such. Enter Petruchio, who isn’t content with a wife who will submit to his every whim; he finds that Kate can challenge him intellectually (and even sometimes physically). He decides that the best way to “curb her mad and headstrong humor” is to “kill [her] with kindness.” Teaching her cooperation and EMPATHY (a word that also features prominently in our bullying workshops), Petruchio shows Kate how “shrewish” behavior affects others. Kate is able to see the effects objectively, to the point where her final monologue, a public display of “submission,” is a game to trick onlookers. At the heart, Kate and Petruchio are on equal ground willing to do anything for the other.

Finally, since we were asked this question after every performance, we hope you enjoy this special video segment in which I and my fellow touring actors discuss kissing during the show:

Click here for the video.

Until next time!
-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Featured in this video Anna Blair*, Elana Kepner*, Khnemu Menu-Ra, Michael B. Perkins, Antonio Rodriguez and Jessica Shoemaker.

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

Weekly Briefing #59: 3-17-11

2011-03-21T12:05:00.012-05:00

Dear Friends,

Tuesday was the first convening of the New Pathways for the Arts program sponsored by RAC and EmcArts. Our team is composed of Board member Kiku Obata, Business Manager Susan Hagen and myself. As previously mentioned the goal of the project is to support organizational innovation. We spent the morning discussing our organization's "adaptive" challenges and how they differ from "technical" challenges. We also outlined some existing assumptions about our organization and proposed new assumptions. One of the highlights for me was the presenter's distinction between creativity and innovation. He shared that creativity is an individual capacity while innovation is a team capacity. We need creative people to be innovative, but they must be working together across many disciplines. Seventeen St. Louis-based arts organizations are involved in the program; shared areas of concern included the need to diversify income streams, lack of facilities to properly support growth, and community engagement. There will be two additional sessions over the next ten months.

Theatre in new, unexpected places is happening all over. New York Classical Theatre continues to make theatre in the World Financial Center. Last summer they staged Hamlet, and now they are tackling the 17th century comedy The Rover. Or how about using new unexpected technology? Popular blogger Shakespeare Geek has challenged all the new iPad2 owners to make a piece of Shakespeare with their new toy. SHAKE 38 is about performing theatre in unexpected places. What's the least likely place for you to make a piece of theatre?

April is "Teen Shakespeare Month" at the Festival! April 8 & 9 the Shakespeare Squadron will perform three Shakespeare Suites at 7pm each night. And mark your calendars for METRO YOUTH SHAKESPEARE on April 15th & 16th. Evening shows at 7pm and Saturday matinee at 2pm at Harris Stowe State University.

Finally, meet two members of this summer's cast: Karl Gregory and Michael James Reed!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #58: 3-10-11

2011-03-11T12:54:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends,

What an exciting response we've received to our 2011 SHREW Cast! I've gotten so many congrats from friends local and across the country about the company of actors we've put together. You have to read my interview with Annie Worden(Kate); she's a hoot! Over the next few weeks we will be featuring more of the actors making up this year's cast.

In searching for locations and partners for SHAKE 38, I have found myself in fascinating places throughout St. Louis. Last week I met with Jefferson Mansell who is the Executive Director of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis. We talked about all of the amazing buildings throughout St. Louis to use as backdrops to plays. On Tuesday we went on a private tour of the Lemp Brewery (built in 1864!) and dreamed of Shakespeare in the grain silos! Assistant Producer Carl Schneider is working closely with me to organize SHAKE 38 and is doing a magnificent job!

Artists and communities are reacting to the continued cuts to arts and humanities programs all over the country. Responding to these cuts, artists all over the country have called today for a national day of stopping culture. Originating in Providence, RI, CultureStops.org is asking us all "to imagine a world where writers put down their pens and artists put down their paints. Where architects stop designing our cities and poets, dancers and sculptors stop teaching our children. Where our national landmarks fall into decay. Where debate is no longer fostered in our universities, or on our radio dials. Where our symphony halls fall silent and our libraries go dark. Where our collective history is left unmade and unwritten." Can you imagine St. Louis without our cultural institutions and the artists who make them thrive?

I have said for a long time that theaters are able to produce because of the artists who subsidize the work through sometimes meager salaries. This wonderful article by Charles Isherwood in the NY Times gives voice to the many actors and theatre artists who work to entertain, enlighten and engage us on our stages across the country...sometimes for a pittance.

I cannot imagine a world without artists. On my way to work this morning, I saw this bumper sticker. We need art! Now more than ever!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #57: 3-3-11

2011-03-04T12:12:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Today we announced the cast for SHREW! This is a stellar company of actors and features some of St. Louis' favorite faces. Be the first to read my interview with Annie Worden, the actress who will play "Kate."

This past weekend I got to share my Saturday with our Board of Directors talking about what type of theater we want to be. As I read over the ideas and notes from the half-day retreat, I get butterflies in my stomach! We do not want to be just another theater. We want our work to be unexpected and extraordinary! The conversations and thoughts from our Board were inspiring. Plus, we welcomed new Board members Tricia Beal and Carol Voss.

Cities are starting to recognize their citizens who are embracing social media in a creative way. MetroMix handed out St. Louis' awards and the Texas winners included performing arts organizations.

Interesting article about judging our public spaces by the first 100 feet on www.nextstl.com today. The many public parks in St. Louis are discussed, particularly our home in Forest Park.

All my best,

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-03-02T15:44:00.002-06:00

ENTRY 2: 25 February 2011-- "It takes a village.”

4 weeks. 54 rehearsal hours. 2 shows. 1 workshop. And here we go! After successful previews of each touring show and test runs of our workshop, the 2011 Education Tour has officially hit the road, and we’re ecstatic to take you along for the ride. Our tour manager, Anna Blair, always likes to describe the production of each touring season with one phrase: “It takes a village.” The people you see onstage (five actors, one tour manager) are only a few of the many talents involved in bringing our productions and workshops to your venues.

Because it’s always a popular subject in our talkbacks after each show, I wanted to briefly take you through our intense rehearsal period. One of my favorite parts of rehearsing this tour (my fifth) is being able to work on original plays; neither script is set in stone. Throughout rehearsal, Chris and Bill directed with an “organic” style; my fellow actors and I were encouraged to bring our own ideas, our own input into the shows and characters, and both directors were great about looking at the big picture to tell us what worked and what didn’t. One of Chris’ oft-repeated phrases is “Create in a world of YES,” where instead of saying “no,” we’ll say “Let’s try it.” As a result, we’re able to demonstrate to our student audiences that theatre can be a team sport just like an athletic program. We’re only successful when we work together.

Oh, and did I mention that all the sets, costumes, props, tech (and our touring company) have to collapse and fit in one big white van? That doesn’t stop our company (onstage and off) from making these productions comparable in quality to any other professional theatre company. Our young audiences deserve quality art, and we bring it. Every time.

CRUEL TO BE KIND? was written and directed by Christopher Limber, SFSTL Education Director, and accomplished playwright, director, and composer; Chris also adapted SHREW IN A FEW (including original song lyrics), but was directed by William Whitaker, who has helmed scores of successful professional productions in addition to teaching in Washington University’s Performing Arts Department. Other production staff include: Patrick Huber (Scenic Design), Teresa Doggett (Costume Design), Dave Toretta (Composer, CRUEL TO BE KIND?), Robin Weatherall (Composer, SHREW IN A FEW), Andria Mantle (Props Design, Assistant Stage Manager), Lisa Drewel (Asst. Costumer), and last but never least, this tour does not happen without the unending support of the staff at our “home base,” namely Kelly O’Connell (Production Manager), Patti Walley (Tour Booking), Roze Wolownik (SFSTL Asst. Director), and our fearless leader, Executive Director Rick Dildine.

Take a look at the photo below (which I took during a particularly lovely sunrise on our first day at 7am with our beaming tour manager, Anna) and if you see us on the road, give us a honk! The touring company is still taking YOUR questions every week; if we visited your school or venue and there was a question we did not have the time to answer, please email us: info@sfstl.com and we’ll answer them in our weekly posts. For example, during one of our talkbacks, a student asked a popular question in a new, amusing way: “Did you have plastic on your lips when [Petruchio] kissed [Kate]?” as if she was trying to explain any possible way Khnemu and Elana could’ve kissed without actually kissing.

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Weekly Briefing #56: 2-24-11

2011-02-25T12:12:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends,

The great move has begun! This week our entire storage currently housed in Ferguson is being relocated to our new home in The Hill neighborhood. Our Production Manager Kelly O'Connell has been leading the team to move everything from costumes to props to archival materials. The move is ahead of schedule, and we anticipate wrapping up this phase by tomorrow afternoon. On March 25, the offices will be moved. Our new landlord Frank Schwaiger and the Columbia Foundation have been tremendous partners, and we are very grateful for Frank's commitment to supporting not-for-profit arts institutions in the city.

Next week we are making our NYC trip public. I am very excited about this opportunity to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform, especially King Lear, a play I have never seen live! The accommodations at the Kimberly Hotel are beautiful, and the trip includes a welcome cocktail reception on the roof of the Kimberly, lunches at the award-winning Casa Lever and the ever-so-hip Standard Hotel, a private walking tour of Chelsea and the High Line (NYC's newest public park) and a behind-the-scenes tour of the world-famous Shakespeare in Central Park. If you love Shakespeare, New York, theater, dining and being around other fun people who share your passions - you should come. I'll be there! Join me!

At this very moment, theaters across the country are asking the very same questions we are. Moises Kaufman and Greg Reiner who lead Tectonic Theatre Workshop in NYC wrote a great report on the unique challenges of theaters creating new work outside the traditional model. Though we do not fit exactly into this particular situation, the article provides insight into how theaters across the country are dealing with fundraising challenges when one's model doesn't include the three "S's": season, subscription and space (preferably a theater). We will start discussing our bold vision for the future of the Festival!

All my best,

Ride-Along Dispatch: On the Road with the Education Tour

2011-02-23T14:46:00.004-06:00

Our Education Tour reaches over 20,000 students annually. Composed of five actors and one stage manager, the touring ensemble travels to over 125 schools and community venues each spring performing two 50-minute plays. The group has been recognized with back to back Kevin Kline Awards for Outstanding Theatre for Young Audiences. Tour member Michael Perkins shares the first week on the road.

ENTRY 1: 19 February 2011 – “I guess you can change any day.”
For the past four weeks, the company of the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour has worked tirelessly to produce an unprecedented amount of material; in addition to our two touring productions, we’re offering a brand new workshop called “Bullies & Boundaries” devised by teaching artists Dan Kelly and John Wolbers.

This workshop coincides with our new touring production CRUEL TO BE KIND? written by Education Director Christopher Limber. Set in Elizabethan England, Shakespeare learns an apprentice at his Globe Theatre is bullying another young apprentice; the Bard uses scenes from a new play he’s writing to help these apprentices work through their conflicts to a hopeful, forgiving resolution, which later gives him inspiration to complete the play that would eventually be called As You Like It.

So far, CRUEL TO BE KIND? has only had one performance: a Feb. 18 preview at City Academy, an elementary school that has a long relationship with the Festival. They were the perfect preview audience. Not only were they incredibly responsive and immersed in Shakespeare’s world, but they immediately connected with the bullying situations amongst the various characters.

Some of the faculty at City Academy informed us that bullying was a problem in the school and was being addressed, adding our performance came at the perfect time. One teacher even told us after the show she overheard one student (who was known for bullying others) telling another student “I guess you can change any day.” As we hit the road to visit venues across the bi-state area (even as far as St. Joseph, Missouri), our morning at City Academy was incredibly encouraging.

It’s going to be a great ride, and thanks for coming along with us. Not only are we using this blog to further discussions regarding bullying in schools, but we’ll give you a peek behind the scenes of this fast-paced, award-winning tour. The touring company is also taking YOUR questions; if we visited your school or venue and there was a question we did not have the time to answer, please email us: info@sfstl.com and we’ll answer them in our weekly posts.

Until next time!

-Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Education Tour
Michael B. Perkins, Contributor

Khnemu Menu-ra, Jessica Shoemaker, Elana Kepner*, Michael Perkins, Antonio Rodriguez
*Denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association

Weekly Briefing #55: 2-17-11

2011-02-18T12:29:00.008-06:00

Dear Friends,

The Festival has been chosen to participate in an exciting project sponsored by the Regional Arts Commission and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "New Pathways for the Arts"is a national initiative, now being implemented by EmcArts through locally tailored programs across the country. Launched in New Haven, CT in 2010, the program is now active in Denver, CO, New York, NY and now St. Louis, MO and San Jose, CA. To date, more than 30 arts and cultural organizations have taken part in New Pathways programs. The Initiative was established to spread knowledge of how to innovate organizationally to arts communities across the country, and to enable selected organizations in those communities to engage in developing significant new projects. By focusing on innovative responses to major challenges and opportunities, the Initiative aims to directly impact the future health and public value of participating nonprofit arts and culture organizations across the country, significantly assisting organizations in enhancing their ability to realize their artistic and public service goals."

Want to see all of our social media efforts in one simple place? Go to our about.me site! Here you can easily see everything we're doing online and get connected yourself!

Tomorrow our production team will gather again to discuss the status of this summer's show. The set design has been finalized, and Switch will be building it again this year. We are now moving into the costume design, and I must say, Alison Siple's costume renderings are classic 1950s with a high fashion twist! I wish I could wear some of these outfits!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #54: 2-10-11

2011-02-11T11:52:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Right now we are incredibly busy planning the season, preparing the Education Tour and getting ready to relocate the offices and storage. Relocating over 7500 square feet of space is quite a large task, and Charlene Buckley has been working closely with Roze Wolownik, Kelly O'Connell and me to organize the move. We have some great plans for our next home! Open house on Shakespeare's birthday April 23??...

This week I saw rehearsals of our Education Tour plays. The tour is officially... SOLD OUT! We are making plans to extend the Tour into next fall, thus nearly doubling next year's touring possibilities.

I'm thrilled to announce that our Spring Luncheon is in motion! We will hold the April 8 event at Neiman Marcus. Co-chairs for the event are Ginny Morgan, Anna Lea Kirckoff, and Leah Garabedian. Tickets are $55 and include lunch, program, and gift bag! Special guests include director Sean Graney and costume designer Alison Siple who will show off the designs for SHREW. You can reserve tickets with Brittany: bcompton@sfstl.com.

Tickets are already selling for Party on Art Hill! Our co-chairs Jack & Anne Bader and Brendan & Kim Johnson are working closely with our planner Susan Werremeyer to produce a great event. Please reserve your sponsorship opportunities today! mspirt@sfstl.com It's going to be outside under a tent overlooking Art Hill on June 5.

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #53: 2-3-11

2011-02-04T12:18:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

I hope you all are warm and safe following this week's winter storm. This past weekend I was in LA for a few days of sun; needless to say, it wasn't snowing there!

Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, "touched a theatrical nerve" this week when he suggested there may be too much theatre. "You can either increase demand or decrease supply. Demand is not going to increase, so it is time to think about decreasing supply." Every day we talk about why the Festival exists and how we can continue to highlight our niche. What do you think about Mr. Rocco's comments?

While we are planning SHAKE 38, the Globe in London is planning their own run of the Bard's 38 plays...in 38 different languages performed by theatre troupes from around the world! To celebrate London's 2012 Olympic Games, the Globe will host the international event marking the first time the entire canon is performed in one season. We have received interest from corporations in hosting SHAKE 38 in their offices and compensating a local artist to coordinate internally.

We extend our deepest thoughts and best wishes to Board member Jessica Holzer and her family after the recent loss of her father this past weekend.

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #52: 1-27-11

2011-01-28T11:57:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

HAMLET has received seven Kevin Kline nominations for 2010, including one for Outstanding Play! Kudos to our entire team for these honors. In addition to the entire cast being nominated for Outstanding Ensemble, individual nominations went to Jim Butz (Lead Actor), Kimiye Corwin (Supporting Actress), Robin Weatherall & Ann Slayton (Sound Design), Dorothy Marshall Englis (Costumes) and Bruce Longworth (Director). The awards will be handed out on Monday, March 28.

This week we welcome to the Weekly Briefing the newly formed (and to be re-titled) Young Friends group. The core team is made up of Peter LeBlanc, Anne Schuermann, Leah Garabedian, Jeff Jarrett and Jasmine Huda. This group will be working with me to develop the After-Parties on Friday and Saturday nights during the Festival.

Our interns make this place buzz! We have an amazing group of interns this spring: Carl Schneider (Administrative intern from SLU), Adrienne Smith (Marketing & PR intern, SLU), Natasha Nelson (Artistic intern, Webster University), Sarah Jacobsen (Development intern, SIUE), Kate Hefler (Special Events intern, Emerson College), Sam Rayburn (Education intern, Webster) and Stephen Hayes (Social Media intern, George Washington University graduate).

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #51: 1-20-11

2011-01-21T11:50:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

Ladies and gents, meet "Katharina!" Annie Worden mesmerized us at auditions, and we are thrilled that she has accepted the lead role in this season's production. In addition to being a phenomenal actress, Annie is an accomplished puppeteer and ukulele player (maybe she'll give us a solo at Marvin's)! Auditions are complete, and we have sent out offers. I hope to share the entire cast with you in February. Of the 14 actors, half will be from in town and the other half will be from out of town.

Gilbert & Sullivan would have stood up and cheered at Sean Graney's production of Pirates of Penzance! Well, they would have been standing anyway because there were no chairs for this promenade-style show where the audience can move around to follow the performance throughout the basement theater. I was so happy that I got to see this production. Sean turned an old operetta into a party!

Speaking of great productions, CYMBELINE just opened Off-Broadway and Ben Brantley of the NY Times wrote them a "love letter" of a review! You may remember this is the production we want to bring to St. Louis.

This past Tuesday, Education Director Christopher Limber had the privilege of speaking at the Hazelwood School District's Board of Directors' meeting. He shared information about Cruel to Be Kind? that will be seen throughout the district. I emailed him after to find out how it went. He wrote back: "Better than I ever would have expected. We were previewed by students asking questions about addressing the Bully problems. The last student said 'We need more than a PSA - we need activities that help us understand and talk about the problem.' And then we got introduced. :) THE ACTORS WERE HOT. There were lots of kids of all ages in the audience and the VP of the school board commented: 'If the young people here tonight are any indication of how connected the students are going to be to your play then you're going to make a big difference.'"

Folks, the Festival is rockin'! I am so proud of the energy that is bubbling! Let's stay Shrew-ed!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #50: 1-13-10

2011-01-18T23:47:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

Tonight I head to Chicago to see Sean Graney's critically-acclaimed production of The Pirates of Penzance, and tomorrow we will have our final day of auditions for The Taming of the Shrew. We're still looking for a leading man! Sean and I spent last week together watching actors, talking with designers and getting folks excited about the Shrew! We hope to announce our cast in early February. Next week I hope to give you a sneak peek!

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at the Arts & Educational Council's Workplace Giving Campaign Kick-off when A&E unveiled the "I Am Art. Are You?" campaign video. I firmly believe art is most effective when it creates conversation and allows the viewer to relate personally. Just from the conversation that happened at the November salon I can tell Shrew is going to spur some personal insights! We can all recall the moment a play, a painting or a musical piece affected us. We are all art. Art is personal.

Yesterday was also the first day for our new Development Assistant Brittany Compton. We are thrilled to have her on our team!

The Performing Arts Convention posted "32 Ways to Make Legislators Feel Good About What Your Arts Organization Does." As a matter of fact, this stuff makes everyone feel good! Are you friends with an elected official? If so, post your answer below!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #49: 1-6-11

2011-01-18T23:43:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

I'm writing you from New York City where I am with director Sean Graney on our final day of audition before flying back to St. Louis tonight to start local auditions first thing Friday morning. We've been here since Monday seeing actors and actresses vie for roles; by the time we're done, we will have seen over 300 people for 17 slots.

Charlene Buckley has been engaged as our Relocation Manager. Charlene brings vast experience working with Rex Sinquefeld and his company. She will be coordinating the relocation of our offices and storage in late February.

The Party on Art Hill will be held Sunday, June 5 at the Saint Louis statue in front of the Art Museum. I'm thrilled to announce that Jack & Anne Bader and Brendan & Kim Johnson will serve as Co-Chairs of the event. More details to follow soon. Please contact Marilyn ASAP to plan your sponsorship as there are limited seats available: mspirt@sfstl.com.

Happy New Year!

Weekly Briefing #48: 12-30-10

2011-01-18T23:41:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

Brittany Compton will be joining our team in January as the new Development Assistant. Brittany is currently the Donor Relations Manager at Optimist International Foundation. She has previously worked for the St. Charles Community College Foundation and the Boys & Girls Town of Missouri. She has been working almost exclusively in Raiser's Edge since 2007 and holds a Master's in Public Administration from SIUE and a Bachelor's in studio art and design from SIUC.

Auditions begin next Tuesday! For more information, visit our website at www.shakespearefestivalstlouis.org. We hope to have the show cast by the end of January!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #47: 12-23-10

2011-01-18T23:38:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

Over the past couple of weeks we have laid out some bold ideas for the Festival's next decade. By 2020 we will be one of the premier Shakespeare companies in America. The Strategic Planning Committee shared our "big, hairy, audacious goal" with the Board of Directors and the staff recently. Over the next few months we are going to outline just what it means to be "one of the premier Shakespeare companies in America." I want the Festival to be cool!

Being "cool" means having a great place to call home. This week the Executive Committee approved the relocation of our offices and storage. I am thrilled to announce that in March we will bring our entire operation under one roof. We will be consolidating all our resources at 5715 Elizabeth Avenue in "The Hill." Our new landlord will be the Columbia Foundation, whose founder Frank Schwaiger is a very big supporter of ours and an accomplished artist himself. Frank's generosity will allow us to dramatically upgrade our facilities and provide a new, exciting environment for the next decade of the Festival. Board member Rebecca Nolan is also offering the services of HOK as we conceive the needs and desires of our new space.

Speaking of premier Shakespeare companies, Oregon Shakespeare Festival had record-breaking attendance for their 2010 season. The outdoor stage ran at almost 100% capacity! The big show of the season: a new play commissioned by OSF as part of their impressive new play initiative.

As we approach the new year, we have many exciting plans on the horizon: our Education Tour, Shake 38, Sean Graney's The Taming of the Shrew, summer camps, and the return of the Party on Art Hill. Next year's season planning will start up in February. I'm excited to share my ideas about our 12th season which include producing one of Shakespeare's most exciting, polarizing tragedies on our mainstage, an indoor production of a Shakespeare classic with a new pop twist, the arrival of "Shakespeare in the Streets" and the expansion of our successful Metro Youth program to junior high students.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday!

Weekly Briefing #46: 12-16-10

2011-01-18T23:33:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

I spent last Saturday morning with our Shakespeare Squadron students. I was most impressed with the work of these young people! This is a new program for us, and I'm thrilled that it will continue in the second semester. This training is so important since we plan to use a small number of high school students in this summer's production. Big kudos to Elana Kepner and Christopher Limber who have been meeting with these students every Saturday morning this semester. They will have a final showing of their work this Saturday night at 7pm at Union Avenue Church at Delmar and Union. We will have a short reception afterward and would be thrilled to have you attend.

As mentioned last week, we are going to have post-show after parties on Friday and Saturday nights during the Festival.The new atmosphere will give patrons an opportunity to hang out and chat about the show as traffic clears out! Be sure to make plans to stop by Marvin's...the new after-party bar where everyone will know your name!

A recent Guidestar Report shows that contributions to not-for-profits are on the upswing. The worst may be behind us.

All my best,

PS: Sean Graney just got a rave review from the Chicago Tribune for his production of G&S' Pirates of Penzance!

Weekly Briefing #45: 12-9-10

2011-01-18T23:29:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

We are going to NYC to see the RSC! The Royal Shakespeare Company is coming in 2011 to perform five shows in repertory. On the Map Travel is putting together a package for us. I am going for sure during the six-week residency running July/August 2011.

As previously mentioned, this year we are going to provide more opportunities for our patrons to talk about the show. This year each performance will be followed by a 20-minute talkback with one of our talkback leaders. Plus, our after-parties on Friday and Saturday night will give patrons the opportunity to stay after the show, hang out in the bar area and listen to some of St. Louis' best musicians all while chatting about the Shrew! Next week I'll share with you the name of our after-party bar!

Our strategic planning process has been an incredible journey for me. Our big conversation is beginning. This week the Strategic Planning Committee will share their work thus far with the Board and staff for their input. We are all about to take a leap together towards the future! Let's start talking!

The leap, not the step, is what makes the experience possible.

- Heiner Muller, German playwright

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #44: 12-2-10

2011-01-18T23:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

The Education Tour has surpassed its 2011 goal by $9,000 and climbing! I am incredibly proud of Christopher Limber and Patti Walley as they have reached out to many new school districts and leaders to share the work we are doing. When our work is directly linked to what is going on in our community, amazing things happen!

Cornerstone Theatre Company is one of the most well regarded classical theaters in the nation for the specific work they do in their communities. Theater Journal called it "possibly the closest entity to a National Theater the United States may ever have." From 1986 to 1991 the company worked in rural communities before settling in 1992 in Los Angeles, CA, to begin urban residency work. The company's community-based projects in L.A. have played with definitions of community, including collaborations with communities of faith, geographic neighborhoods, workplaces, communities that share culture and language, age, birthday and transportation. They have used primarily Shakespeare as their source material. In 2002 Worth Magazine named CTC to its list of "100 Best Charities in America." CTC founder Bill Rauch now leads Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Check out some of CTC's amazing programming and watch this video!

The CTC Ensemble writes on the website: "We began with only an idea of the diversity of our nation, and we have been welcomed into a rich and specific tapestry of human lives, cultural realities and community connections that continues to humble us with its breadth. We began with only an idea of the vitality of theater, and have discovered again and again that exhilarating, far-reaching works of art can be created when people come together." CTC's work and an interview with Artistic Director Michael John Garces are featured in the current issue of American Theatre Magazine.

Because of the role SFSL plays in our community, I think there's a lot to learn from Cornerstone. I want to be a theater that is performing work that speaks to our community's needs, and in turn, asks our community to speak back to us. Shake 38 and the bullying project are proof that it works!

All my best,

Weekly Briefing #43: 11-18-10

2011-01-18T23:19:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends,

TCG and the NEA just released Stage Matters?, a short video on why / how / if theatre matters in America. The STAGE MATTERS video captures artists, theatre leaders, patrons, educators, corporate executives and politicians around the country as they emphatically speak about the value of theatre and challenges we face in an ever-changing environment. Post your thoughts and share this with your friends and colleagues. This is why we do what we do!

I spent last week in NYC at the TCG Fall Forum on Governance. The forum is designed specifically for executive directors and trustees of theaters. We heard a great discussion about the success of planned giving programs (initiatives at Baltimore's Center Stage and Chicago's Goodman Theater were specifically mentioned for their success). Theaters around the country are also dealing with succession planning (particularly after the departure of a founder), monitoring staff burn-out and creating alternative staffing structures to respond to "the new normal." I have been attending the Fall Forum for the past four years, and the conversation from before the recession to now after the recession has changed dramatically. In 2008 many theaters were completely shocked and mystified by how to respond to the economy, but two years later theaters across the country have learned how to live with less while still doing more. The tone was incredibly positive, and theaters are initiating new programs across the country. I was tremendously proud to represent the Festival (no other Missouri theater was in attendance).

Shake 38 is accepting entries! Over 20% of the slots are full at this time. Our goal this year is for Shake 38 to have an extended presence in neighborhoods by adding "triggers." A trigger is someone who is a mover-and-shaker in his/her community...a person who makes things happen! A trigger is responsible for hosting a Shake 38 event and finding at least two more events in his/her area thus making it a neighborhood-wide happening! If you want to be a trigger or know someone who should be, contact Emily Koch: shake38@sfstl.com.

BIG need: We are seeking rehearsal space for our 2011 production. Our space requirements are listed here. Traditionally, this space has been donated as an in-kind service. If you have any ideas, please contact our Production Manager Kelly O'Connell: koconnell@sfstl.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly Briefing #42: 11-11-10

2011-01-18T23:14:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,

As you're reading this, I'm flying to NYC for the TCG Fall Forum on Governance. I've attended the Fall Forum for three years now and find it to be an exhilarating two days of conversation amongst executives and trustees from theaters around the country. Featured speakers include Douglas B. Wilson, Asst. Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and William Baldwin with Forbes Media.

The National Endowment for the Arts has just released its first-ever survey of more than 1,000 outdoor festivals. "Live From Your Neighborhood: A National Study of Outdoor Arts Festivals" tracked festivals from April to October 2009. The majority of the festivals (59%) are free, and most offer some element of music (81%). In cities with populations under 250,000 outdoor festivals account for 77% of the overall attractions!

This week we welcomed Sean Graney to St. Louis with two events. On Tuesday night Jean and Hal Gentry hosted the Board of Directors and staff in their home for a very fun evening! On Wednesday night Rob and Kathy Thomure hosted a salon in their home. At both events Sean discussed the production and we unveiled the 2011 poster designed once again by Rich Nelson of Kiku Obata & Company. While Sean was in town, we also had our first designers' meeting.

There is so much exciting growth happening at the Festival! The Task Force on Volunteerism had its first meeting, and it was exciting to hear all the different ways volunteers have contributed to the Festival over the past decade. The task force's charge is to create a structure that grows and sustains volunteer opportunities for SFSL. The Strategic Planning Committee had its third, very productive meeting and is moving along quite quickly and will be sharing information with staff and Board in the coming months. Additionally, we are developing a "yet-to-be-titled" group of under-40-somethings. I met with the steering committee of this group last week, and I was greatly inspired by what they see as issues affecting St. Louis and how the Festival fits into the cultural landscape of the city. They believe race and citywide transportation are the significant issues keeping St. Louis from being a major cultural hub.

Our Education Tour is 50% booked! We also just got confirmation from the Hazelwood School District that our original touring show Cruel to be Kind? and workshop "Bullies and Boundaries" will be scheduled for all of their freshmen - approximately 2,000 students!

All my best,