I’m a day late with this entry…sorry, ‘bout that. This week’s just been kinda crazy, ALREADY.
Let me say that the one thing I appreciate about this internship, and about the Arts sector in general, is the flexibility one can have with scheduling. It’s a gross generalization, but as long as you’re a good person who gets the work done, most of the organizations I’ve been involved with tend to be fairly understanding with other conflicts and commitments, as long as they’re not excessive and are communicated in a timely fashion.
Yesterday I wasn’t at Fort Fringe at all, although I did start off the morning checking my Capital Fringe email address to take care of whatever I could before my other obligations that day.
So here’s the past 36 hours, in a nutshell:
I started off the day with the 3rd of 3 all-day Small Grant Panels for FY2009 at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. I had serendipitously met someone who worked at the commission at an event with the DC Advocates for the Arts and was subsequently invited to sit on the panel. We reviewed over 60 applications during the course of the day.
Then I had to book it over to the French Embassy for an organization's Fundraiser. I’d actually taught middle and high school Jazz classes at this organization during the ’07-’08 school season, but a classmate of mine at AU currently has an internship at CityDance, and asked me to be a table captain. In addition to some other classmates and a friend, I invited my mom. It was a fun event, and an interesting case study from an Arts Management lens in cultivating donors.
Then today, I managed to make it in to Fort Fringe to continue proofing the guide and the index, which I was in charge of compiling, as we’re sending the Copy to print tomorrow at noon. I had to cross reference and check the spread sheet, with the guide, with the master board set up in one room, wall to wall, of the 10 or so venues, over the course of 3 weeks, with more than 100 artists and companies, performing 2 to 6 times each…
Yeah…
Then I had to take a break to run to a Performing Arts Department meeting at the high school I teach dance at, the National Cathedral School , to wrap up this year and talk about the ’09-’10 school year.
Stopped by the Fort after that, to continue proofing for a hot second, before I had to head over to the National Portrait Gallery for a scavenger hunt before the one summer class I’m taking, Performing Arts Programming, which was being held at the Gallery. Our teacher, Tia Harris (who currently teaches at Duke Ellington School of the Arts as well) used to work there, and brought us in the space to meet and hear from a guest speaker and colleague of hers whom she’s kept in touch with, Jewell Robinson, a truly fascinating, inspiring, and passionate woman.
Then I headed back to Fort Fringe (around 9pm) to do what I could to catch up with email and further proofing before calling it a night. Still not finished, but will take care of it in the morning.
I can’t lie, I’ll be glad when this gets sent to print. Creating the index, and making sure the dates and times are right hasn’t been the worst of dealing with the guide, however. I’d say the hardest part was when our image deadline came around, and all of the artists had to have their Web, Guide, and optional PR image in. There were certain specifications for width and height, resolution, and format. While most were on point, there were some that were…technologically challenged.
If anything, it was definitely a learning opportunity for me and hopefully for the artists I attempted to help coach in fixing their images, identifying what was not to the specifications, and electronically holding their hand via email until they sent an image that was the right size, or at least close enough.
I realize I’m rambling a bit, and realize this was a bit off the topic of my internship, until the end, but those were the couple of surprises I hinted at, at the end of last week’s entry. Although, the Small Grants Panel wasn’t completely unrelated; one of the applicants was actually a guy working on a production that’s going to be in the Capital Fringe Festival this summer…small world, right?
Anyway, that’s it for now.
Until next week,
JR
Next Week: Sense of community and festival at Capital Fringe, plus a midmonth bulletin
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The E-Blast Strikes Back
So today the monthly email was sent out, through Constant Contact. I’d already proofed my section yesterday, the Button Discount portion. But that meant today, I had to update the Button Discount info on our website…
And on our Facebook group , and the blog on the MySpace page.
Now, if you aren’t familiar with the Fringe Festival, and haven’t checked out the website yet, you’re probably asking yourself, what is the “Button Discount”. To do that, I’m going to have to explain the Button.
The Capital Fringe Festival implemented the Button for the first time last year, but Fringe Festivals the world over have used it to varying degrees. During the festival, it functions as the Festival Pass. You only need to purchase it once and $5, but must have it to attend any Capital Fringe Festival performance. This is one of the ways Capital Fringe is able to support and pay the artists who participate. And it becomes a nice collector’s item as the Button changes from year to year.
But the Button wasn’t finished after the Capital Fringe Festival ended last July. Throughout the year various organizations and establishments have partnered with Capital Fringe to offer Fringers various discounts to patronize them. When I started my internship, I became the point person for finding and communicating with these monthly Button Discount partners.
Those that choose to be a Button Discount for the month could offer any Discount they think will appeal to our e-mail subscribers and website visitors, whether it be monetary or some in-kind item that Fringers receive with a purchase. In return, they are included in our monthly email which goes out to over 12,000 subscribers, and on the Button Discount page on our website until the next month’s email.
Now as this is the final month before the Festival, I’m going to be focusing my efforts in the area that Capital Fringe is in, Penn Quarter. Last year, the Festival Venues were a little spread out, but this year, all locations are located within several blocks of each other and Fort Fringe, our home on 6th & New York Ave. Four of those venues are actually IN Fort Fringe.
And with the number of bars and restaurants in the area, it will be a great way to compliment the festival atmosphere. We already have La Tasca and Penn Quarter Sports Tavern on board to be Button Discounts during the festival in July, and that’s just the beginning. Keep an eye out to see what other Button Discounts there will be by opening night.
Until next week,
JR
Next Week: Proofing the Festival Guide and sending it to print, receiving Artists’ images for it and making sure they fit the specifications, and a couple of surprises.
And on our Facebook group , and the blog on the MySpace page.
Now, if you aren’t familiar with the Fringe Festival, and haven’t checked out the website yet, you’re probably asking yourself, what is the “Button Discount”. To do that, I’m going to have to explain the Button.
The Capital Fringe Festival implemented the Button for the first time last year, but Fringe Festivals the world over have used it to varying degrees. During the festival, it functions as the Festival Pass. You only need to purchase it once and $5, but must have it to attend any Capital Fringe Festival performance. This is one of the ways Capital Fringe is able to support and pay the artists who participate. And it becomes a nice collector’s item as the Button changes from year to year.
But the Button wasn’t finished after the Capital Fringe Festival ended last July. Throughout the year various organizations and establishments have partnered with Capital Fringe to offer Fringers various discounts to patronize them. When I started my internship, I became the point person for finding and communicating with these monthly Button Discount partners.
Those that choose to be a Button Discount for the month could offer any Discount they think will appeal to our e-mail subscribers and website visitors, whether it be monetary or some in-kind item that Fringers receive with a purchase. In return, they are included in our monthly email which goes out to over 12,000 subscribers, and on the Button Discount page on our website until the next month’s email.
Now as this is the final month before the Festival, I’m going to be focusing my efforts in the area that Capital Fringe is in, Penn Quarter. Last year, the Festival Venues were a little spread out, but this year, all locations are located within several blocks of each other and Fort Fringe, our home on 6th & New York Ave. Four of those venues are actually IN Fort Fringe.
And with the number of bars and restaurants in the area, it will be a great way to compliment the festival atmosphere. We already have La Tasca and Penn Quarter Sports Tavern on board to be Button Discounts during the festival in July, and that’s just the beginning. Keep an eye out to see what other Button Discounts there will be by opening night.
Until next week,
JR
Next Week: Proofing the Festival Guide and sending it to print, receiving Artists’ images for it and making sure they fit the specifications, and a couple of surprises.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
In the beginning...
Hey, thanks for coming to check out my blog. Welcome to the first entry.
My name’s JR and I’m the Marketing/Press intern at the Capital Fringe Festival. I’m currently in between my first and second year of the Arts Management program at American University. Before I get to the internship and the Capital Fringe Festival, here’s how I ended up there, so apologies as this entry won’t be as Internship-centric as the rest will be.
I’m from DC, born and raised. I was a Dance major at the University of Maryland and have been working in the Performing Arts sector in the area for the past several years. Not only have I been performing and teaching (the last performance I was in was Underground, with David Dorfman Dance), but I had steadily gotten more involved in the production side of things, culminating in a job as Production Manager at Adventure Theatre for most of 2008.
It was as I started in my position at Adventure Theatre (the longest running children’s theatre in the Washington area), that I realized I was ready and actually willing to go back to school. I’d already heard about AU’s program, particularly as one of the oldest and best Arts Management programs in the country, from various colleagues and mentors. Honestly, I’m still not quite sure what I want to do when I graduate next year, but I figured the degree would give me the most options with doing anything I might want to do in the future, whether it be a year or a decade down the line. I will say ultimately I’m going to start my own production company, and this is part of why my path led me to the Capital Fringe Festival.
So there were three organizations I had as my top choices, with regards to where I would like to intern. One was the Capital Fringe Festival, another was Americans for the Arts, and the third was Woolly Mammoth Theatre. I would’ve been happy with any three, but what ultimately drew me Capital Fringe was something that happened purely circumstantially.
I was actually at Woolly Mammoth one night to see a production of How Theatre Failed America, written and performed by Mike Daisey, and I stayed after to watch a panel discussion that’d been set up, with theatre professionals in the area, and would be moderated by Mike Daisey himself to discuss the state of the theatre. The Executive Director of the Capital Fringe Festival, Julianne Brienza, was on one of these panels. Now I’d already been in touch with her via email regarding an internship with Capital Fringe, but after the panel discussion and listening to her speak I knew which organization I wanted to work with.
Other than Julianne, part of what drew my to Capital Fringe is that it’s still a fresh organization. Founded in 2005, it’s only going into its fourth year of putting on the summer festival. Another aspect of Capital Fringe is what is at the essence of most Fringe Festivals. It is a festival geared towards being able to give creative artists and performers a chance to premiere new and, at times, unconventional work, while providing audiences low-cost tickets to these performances (each show at Capital Fringe is $15). If you’re interested in learning more about the Fringe ethos and movement, you could start by checking out the one that started it all, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. One final element I’ve come to learn about the Capital Fringe Festival, which really brings it back to my own aspiration to start a production company, is that it really mentors every participant to be a self-producing artist.
Now, as I said, the Capital Fringe is only in its fourth year. When I contacted Julianne, while there’d been interns before, there wasn’t a specific internship for me to apply to and show up for. So she and I created an internship position for me, which became the Marketing/Press Internship. This was based out of the interests I listed, particularly skills I wanted to develop, matched with what needed to be done leading up to the festival and throughout the end of it. And that’s how I ended up as an Intern at the Capital Fringe Festival.
I guess I’ll leave it at that. Hope I didn’t ramble too much. Just wanted to give you the abridged version of my life and certain events which led up to this Internship.
Until next week,
JR
Next Week:
Capital Fringe Button Discounts, my role with them, and how the Capital Fringe Festival has worked with local establishments and organizations to encourage our audience members to support them.
My name’s JR and I’m the Marketing/Press intern at the Capital Fringe Festival. I’m currently in between my first and second year of the Arts Management program at American University. Before I get to the internship and the Capital Fringe Festival, here’s how I ended up there, so apologies as this entry won’t be as Internship-centric as the rest will be.
I’m from DC, born and raised. I was a Dance major at the University of Maryland and have been working in the Performing Arts sector in the area for the past several years. Not only have I been performing and teaching (the last performance I was in was Underground, with David Dorfman Dance), but I had steadily gotten more involved in the production side of things, culminating in a job as Production Manager at Adventure Theatre for most of 2008.
It was as I started in my position at Adventure Theatre (the longest running children’s theatre in the Washington area), that I realized I was ready and actually willing to go back to school. I’d already heard about AU’s program, particularly as one of the oldest and best Arts Management programs in the country, from various colleagues and mentors. Honestly, I’m still not quite sure what I want to do when I graduate next year, but I figured the degree would give me the most options with doing anything I might want to do in the future, whether it be a year or a decade down the line. I will say ultimately I’m going to start my own production company, and this is part of why my path led me to the Capital Fringe Festival.
So there were three organizations I had as my top choices, with regards to where I would like to intern. One was the Capital Fringe Festival, another was Americans for the Arts, and the third was Woolly Mammoth Theatre. I would’ve been happy with any three, but what ultimately drew me Capital Fringe was something that happened purely circumstantially.
I was actually at Woolly Mammoth one night to see a production of How Theatre Failed America, written and performed by Mike Daisey, and I stayed after to watch a panel discussion that’d been set up, with theatre professionals in the area, and would be moderated by Mike Daisey himself to discuss the state of the theatre. The Executive Director of the Capital Fringe Festival, Julianne Brienza, was on one of these panels. Now I’d already been in touch with her via email regarding an internship with Capital Fringe, but after the panel discussion and listening to her speak I knew which organization I wanted to work with.
Other than Julianne, part of what drew my to Capital Fringe is that it’s still a fresh organization. Founded in 2005, it’s only going into its fourth year of putting on the summer festival. Another aspect of Capital Fringe is what is at the essence of most Fringe Festivals. It is a festival geared towards being able to give creative artists and performers a chance to premiere new and, at times, unconventional work, while providing audiences low-cost tickets to these performances (each show at Capital Fringe is $15). If you’re interested in learning more about the Fringe ethos and movement, you could start by checking out the one that started it all, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. One final element I’ve come to learn about the Capital Fringe Festival, which really brings it back to my own aspiration to start a production company, is that it really mentors every participant to be a self-producing artist.
Now, as I said, the Capital Fringe is only in its fourth year. When I contacted Julianne, while there’d been interns before, there wasn’t a specific internship for me to apply to and show up for. So she and I created an internship position for me, which became the Marketing/Press Internship. This was based out of the interests I listed, particularly skills I wanted to develop, matched with what needed to be done leading up to the festival and throughout the end of it. And that’s how I ended up as an Intern at the Capital Fringe Festival.
I guess I’ll leave it at that. Hope I didn’t ramble too much. Just wanted to give you the abridged version of my life and certain events which led up to this Internship.
Until next week,
JR
Next Week:
Capital Fringe Button Discounts, my role with them, and how the Capital Fringe Festival has worked with local establishments and organizations to encourage our audience members to support them.
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