The LA STAGE Alliance has announced LA Stage Talks, a series of panel discussions moderated by LA STAGE Alliance CEO Terence McFarland, exploring various aspects of the creation of performing arts in the Southern California region.

The four remaining panels explore the creation of performing arts in Southern California Region, select Monday nights through July 9, 2012.

All events are free, but space is limited.  RSVP is required and can be obtained here.

For questions regarding tickets to the LA STAGE Talks, you may contact events@lastagealliance.com

The schedule of future LA Stage Talks includes the following:

Arts Criticism – How Does It Serve Los Angeles?

Monday, April 30, 2012

7 PM — 9 PM Co-hosted by Southern California Public Radio at KPCC Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena.

Location: KPCC’s Crawford Family Forum
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA, 91105

We know the first thing that arts criticism accomplishes – it tells the critic’s readers if they should attend the arts event or not. But does arts criticism bring other benefits to our communities and our society?

With a panel of leading film and theatre critics paired with arts academics and historians and the artists themselves, this Talk will explore the history and impact of arts criticism and what other ways our communities have utilized the writings of critics – or what new ways we might want to start!

Speakers include LA STAGE Watch columnist Don Shirley, LA WEEKLY Critic-at-Large Steven Leigh Morris, and several other speakers currently TBA.

Why Are Theatre-Makers the Masters of Collaboration?

Monday, May 14, 2012

7 PM — 9 PM Co-hosted by LA County Arts Commission/Ford Theatres at Inside the Ford.

Location: [Inside] the Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd East
Los Angeles, CA 90068

When we go to the theatre, we are (hopefully) presented with a seamless combination of creation, crossing many mediums, including lights, sounds, physical sets and furniture, costumes, language, and action, that all fuse together into one unified message and experience. But in most cases this unified creation is the product of many different artists, each with their own creativity and vision for how their part of the puzzle can best serve the script and the story being told. Just look in a program and you’ll see a huge list of artists, often running into multiple pages. So how does the director bring those many disparate creative voices together, collaborate in a constructive and exciting way to bring out the best of each artist’s talent, but also to make sure everything works together?

A collective of directors and designers will speak about the creative process, with stories of how they’ve found wonderful ways (and sometimes not so wonderful ways) to make this collaborative process work. The Talk will also include multi-media elements, so the participants can experience in sped-up form how creative ideas are born and then move through the process of collaboration to the final product we see on stage.

Speakers currently TBA.

What Is Artistic Direction and How Can You Tell When Someone Is Doing It? Monday, June 11, 2012

7 PM — 9 PM Co-hosted by the Geffen Playhouse, at the Geffen.

Location: The Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Theatres are arts organizations, and are led (in most cases) by an Artistic Director. But what does an Artistic Director actually do? Is it different than what Artistic Directors used to do, decades ago? And how can you tell if an Artistic Director is doing their job well or poorly? What are the qualities and talents that are most important for an Artistic Director to have? How do Boards and Consulting agencies find a new Artistic Director when someone retires or moves on? And what, exactly, should the relationship be between an Artistic Director and the artists, the audience, and their staff?

This dynamic Talk will move beyond the usual issues of finances, subscribers and ‘finding new audiences’ to dig into what’s at the core of being an artistic leader, and what sorts of people and behavior can best lead the cultural life of Los Angeles into the future.

Speakers currently include Randall Arney, Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse, and other speakers TBA.

What Am I Hearing? The Aural Life of the Theatre

Monday, July 9, 2012.

7 PM — 9 PM Co-hosted by the Colburn School at Zipper Hall.
Location: Zipper Hall
200 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Composers. Music Directors. Arrangers. Sound Designers. Sound Engineers. So many different artists and technicians are intimately involved in what you HEAR when you attend the theatre. But what do they all do and how do they work together? How can you tell who created that particular bit of auditory magic that worked so well to tell the story?

In this interactive session, including many samples of music and sound from a variety of Los Angeles artists and productions, sound-based artists will shine a light into the inner workings of how they work together every day.

Speakers currently TBA.

LA Stage Alliance CEO Terence McFarland will moderate all discussions, with special guests.

All LA Stage Talks will be livestreamed, and panelists will take questions from online viewers during the events. Information on how to view and how to ask questions will be posted on each event date here, where further information on the LA Stage Talks program is available now.

LA STAGE Alliance, a non-profit organization empowering artists and engaging audiences since 1975, is dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles by strengthening the sector through community building, collaborative marketing, audience engagement, professional development, and advocacy.

LA STAGE Alliance serves over 900 arts organizations annually, including over 450 dues-paying member professional, educational, and community based producing and presenting performing arts organizations in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa  Barbara, and Ventura. LA STAGE Alliance’s constituents operate in intimate sized venues (99 seats or less), mid-sized venues (100-499 seats), and in large venues (500+ seats), and include independent producers, educational groups, and social service organizations that have a performing arts component.

 

Additionally, LA STAGE Alliance directly serves over 50,000 diverse local, regional, national, and international performing arts patrons and, indirectly, three million unique patron households by conducting research on their behavior and buying habits. Providing access to the performing arts for patrons and access to resources for organizations has been our focus for 35 years.

 

LA STAGE Alliance programs are sponsored, in part, by Actors Equity Association, The Angell Foundation, Arts Council for Long Beach, California Arts Council, California Community Foundation, City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA), City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Goldstar, the James Irvine Foundation, Los Angeles County Supervisors through the LA County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Times, MusiCares/Grammy Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, SDC, The Shubert Foundation, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.