International Association of Shakespeare Theatre Leaders to Convene at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, 1/7-12

Leaders from theatres around the world whose primary mission is to produce the works of William Shakespeare will meet at the home of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, Pennsylvania January 7 - 12, 2013.

From Stratford, Prague, Utah, Oregon, and Chicago, and from Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Poland, and England - Shakespeare artists, leaders, and educators will share their visions for the future and discuss their best practices and most pressing challenges.

The Shakespeare Theatre Association's 22nd annual meeting includes representatives from 49 companies, 26 states and 8 countries. The theme of the conference is What Dreams May Come: Vision into Action. Topics include how Shakespeare connects different cultures, faiths, and languages; environmental factors impacting the marketability of Shakespeare; and a wide range of others, from classical rhetoric in performance to Shakespeare in the classroom.

"The role of Shakespeare in our world continues to inspire and challenge artists and audiences, scholars and Shakespeare theatre leaders," says PSF Producing Artistic Director Patrick Mulcahy, "and we are honored to host this conference."

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is hosting the conference on the Center Valley campus of DeSales University, located 90 miles west of New York City and 45 miles north of Philadelphia. Since 1992, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has produced a summer season of Shakespeare plays and other world classics from master dramatists for more than 500,000 patrons from all 50 states. Artists in recent seasons have included Broadway headliners and winners and nominees of the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, Lortel, Jefferson, and Barrymore awards.

Shakespeare Theatre Association Pre-Conference

Select programming, Monday, January 7 - Wednesday, January 9
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Monday, January 7
9:00a - 9:30:
Warm-ups
9:45 - 12:00n:
Shakespeare's Geography of Thought

Presenter: Lisa Wolpe, Globe InterNational Theatre Fellow, Actor, Director, Playwright

Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company

1:00 - 3:15:
Voice & Movement

Presenter: Dennis Krausnick, Director of Training, Shakespeare & Company

3:30 - 6:00:
Gender-Crossing in Shakespeare

Presenter: Lisa Wolpe

Tuesday, January 8
9:45 - 12:00n and
Dennis Krausnick "Voice & Movement"
1:00 - 3:15

3:30 - 5:45:
New World Shakespeare
Presenter: Terry O'Brien, Founding Artistic Director, Hudson Valley Shakespeare
7:30 - 9:30:
Working with At-Risk Populations
Presenter: Curt Tofteland, Founder & Producing Director, Shakespeare Behind Bars

Wednesday, January 9
9:45 - 12:00: Original Practices and the Actor/Audience Connection
Presenter: Laura Cole, Director of Education and Training, Atlanta Shakespeare Co. (The Tavern)

Shakespeare Theatre Association Annual Conference
What Dreams May Come: Vision into Action

Wednesday, January 9
7:30 - 8:30pm
Welcome & Keynote
Susan Corbett, First Lady of Pennsylvania and Chair, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Philip Horn, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

Thursday, January 10
9:00 - 9:50am
Warm Ups - Steven Dennis, PSF Associate Artist & DSU faculty
10:00 - 11:50am Welcome and Member Updates
Plenary
Welcome to Pennsylvania and STA 2013 from Conference Host Patrick Mulcahy and
STA President Patrick Spottiswoode
Agenda:
a. Member Theatre Updates - 1 min each
b. Associate Members - one sentence introductions
c. New Member & International Organizations - 3 minutes
d. Update from Institute of Outdoor Drama - 10 minutes
e. Update from Internet Shakespeare Editions - 5 minutes

12:30 - 1:40pm Vision and Tribe
Plenary
A true organizational vision is worthy of your life...and is successful only if others believe in it, too. The session focuses on why a vision matters and how your tribe can help make it a reality.
Moderator: Patrick Mulcahy (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival)
Speaker: David Mallette (Management Consultants for the Arts)
2:00 - 3:10pm
Breakout Sessions
Session A: Crafting a Core Aesthetic
Moderator and Panelist: Jeff Watkins (Atlanta Shakespeare Company)
Panelists: Stephen Burdman (New York Classical Theatre); Terry O'Brien (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival)
Session B: Counting New Beans - Measuring the Intrinsic Impact of Live Theatre
We make art to make better human beings and to make being human better, but spend most our time evaluating the economics instead of the impact of what we do. This session will encourage a new way for theatre artists, administrators, patrons, and funders to talk about the value of the art they make and consume, drawing on a two-year national research project conducted by Theatre Bay Area and research firm WolfBrown.
Presenter: Patricia Miller (Theatre Bay Area)
Moderator: Rebecca Ennals (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival)
3:30 - 4:40pm
Tour of Theatre with presentations by PSF about its operations
4:50 - 6:00pm
Breakout Sessions by Budget Size
A group discussion of the successes and challenges facing Shakespeare theatres in the same budget size.