Fractured Atlas’s Open Arts Network (OAN) is all about strength in numbers: arts organizations joining forces with a common mission of helping artists do what they do best. Not so different, really, from the mission of Network of Ensemble Theaters, an OAN partner which, with its emphasis on collaboration, also believes in the strength of multiple voices within its field. Mark Valdez, the National Coordinator of Network of Ensemble Theaters, gives us some perspective…

According to your website, the purpose of Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) is three-fold: to advocate for, build knowledge about and work to sustain ensemble theaters. How do you carry out this mission?

Tirelessly. Basically, everything we do comes back to these three items. Regarding advocacy, we focus our energy on organizing the field. With the emergence of NET, we now see ensembles as a specific sector of the theater field with specific needs. Our advocacy is not about lobbying Congress, but about bringing ensembles/ensemble practices to local and national conversations.

For instance, we met with a group of funders in San Francisco to explain how ensembles tend to operate (longer project gestation, large number of artists participating for long periods of time, the role of training as part of development, etc). As for knowledge building/sharing, we saw a new generation of ensembles emerging who were asking the same questions and dealing with the same problems as their predecessors. We wanted to find a way to capture knowledge and experience, which too often stays within an individual or an organization, and deliver that to the field. We created Ensembles All-Together Building Capacity (Ensembles ABC) as a “next wave bootstrapping” program to encourage peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge and experience. We also commission case studies of best practices and profiles of great ideas to inspire the field.

Through these efforts, combined with our gatherings, festivals and touring support/exchanges, we’re organizing the field, connecting ensembles, sharing and gathering information all in an effort to create healthy companies and artists, so that we can, indeed, sustain ensemble theaters.

How many member-theaters do you have and where are they located?

Our membership is national and has grown pretty quickly over the last few years. We’re averaging about 50 new members a year. Right now we’re just under 150 members, representing 28 states.

Are there areas of the U.S. where you would like to gain members?

Presently, we’re well represented in New York and California but we’d love to reach more ensembles in the south and central plains. Are you there, ensembles in South Dakota? Idaho? Alabama? Call me!

What programs and services do you provide for artists and/or member-theaters?

Much of our work I’ve described above, but in bullet-point form:

• Gatherings/convenings
• Ensembles ABC’s (Sessions for touring, financial literacy and
organizational strategies for ensembles)
• Festivals
• Touring subsidies
• Case studies
• Access to other service organization conferences
• Playwright/Ensemble partnership program with the Playwrights Center
• Showcase opportunities around presenting conferences
• Community-building. To be sure, within our sector, community building
amounts to capacity building.

What are “Micro-Festivals”?

We realized that we were starting to outgrow one annual conference. The conversations that were coming up needed more time to be properly discussed and considered. At the same time, our membership was growing and we needed to provide more opportunities for participation in more places. As a result, we created “Micro-Fest: USA.” Billed as a “national regional festival,” micro-fests will intentionally take a deep look at pressing field issues in each of the three cities where we are hosting an event. In Atlanta, we’ll look at race, culture and aesthetics (What are the aesthetics of diversity?); in Los Angeles, we’ll look at new play development processes (How are ensembles creating new work?); and in Philadelphia, we’ll explore work that defies genre (What are the economic, practice and politics of genre?).

Each event will include performances, dialogue, studio time and panel conversations around each of these topics. Because these events take place over a weekend to provide a “microscopic” view of the issue, we created the “micro-festival” moniker.

What is one fact about your organization that you wish was more widely known?

I’m gonna cheat and list two! First, I want folks to know that we are here. There’s a lot of ensembles out there and we’ve only uncovered the tip of the iceberg. Second, I wish more people knew that we represent a wide breadth of work and experience in our membership (community-based, dance theater, puppeteers, comedy improv, musicians, form/aesthetic driven, etc.). If you don’t think NET is for you, think again!

What’s the most inspired play you’ve seen recently?

I was at the Humana Festival in March and saw the Rude Mech production of The Method Gun. It tells the story of a company working on a production of A Streetcar Named Desire –- without Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch. The production was beautiful, insightful and took some great unexpected turns. It made me want to get in a rehearsal room and make art.

Do you have any conferences/workshops/meetings coming up?

Micro-Fest: USA, Ensembles ABC, and the 2011 National Summit of Ensemble Theaters, July 2011 in Minneapolis (more info on website to follow).

When and how do you know that you are succeeding in your mission?

There’s a certain amount of faith that’s required, isn’t there? We’re building a movement and we know it takes time; alas, there’s no checklist that lets you know the task is done. That said, as benchmarks we look at membership (are ensembles coming to and staying with NET?). Are our conversations advancing or are we just having the same discussion over again? Can we see more effective support structures for ensembles/ensemble generated work?, etc.

How can people get involved with Network of Ensemble Theaters?

We welcome and invite ensembles, individuals and affiliate organizations to join NET. Visit our website. We know that some people aren’t joiners, but if you want to help us organize an event, bring a NET workshop to your community or just come to our gatherings/festivals, that’s good too. Send me (Mark Valdez) an email: ensembletheaters@gmail.net.

* * * * *
If you are an arts organization based in the United States with 50 or more members, or if you have a defined constituency of 50+ artists who you support, you may be eligible to participate in Fractured Atlas’s Open Arts Network. Contact Adam Natale for more information: adam.natale@fracturedatlas.org, 212-277-8023.