New London Little Theatre Small Stages Artist Residency Welcomes Steve Ackerman
Little Theatre is pleased to welcome Steve Ackerman to the stage for the month of August. We are all invited to participate in Steve's art making process as he develops a new puppet play based on New London’s geological environments, our stories, places, hopes and fears. We’ll be offering open rehearsals, puppet making workshops and in progress showings with a final showing the first week of September! Keep an eye on the calendar as event times are posted and sign up if you’d like to be involved!
About Steve
Steve is a playwright and puppet artist currently on staff at the Heart of the Beast in Minneapolis, MN. He focuses on quick, crude, high-energy art making. He has his BFA in Acting from East Carolina University and MFA in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University. Previous projects include Action Sequence, Kaboom, and Cartooon!
Events & Activities
-- The following dates are subject to change --
-- Please note: masks are required to attend these events. --
Puppet Artist Meet & Greet
Mon Aug 9 - 6:30-8pm
Snacks, beer & wine
Puppet making workshops - Learn basic puppet making
skills and help create the puppets that will be in Steve's
puppet show!
Fri Aug 20 1pm-4pm Puppet making workshop 1
Sat Aug 21 1pm-4pm Puppet making workshop 2
Free, open to the public - Sugg. donation $5-$10
Water, Soda, concessions
Open Studio - Drop in and see Steve building the set, music production and puppet making in process!
Fri Aug 27: 1pm-4pm Open Studio 1
Sat Aug 28: 1pm-4pm Open Studio 2
Free, open to the public - Sugg. donation $5-$10
Water, Soda, concessions
Puppet show performance "Cyclops"
Fri Sep 3 & 4, 7-9pm
Sugg. donation $15. Cash bar
About Small Stages
Residency Overview
New London Little Theatre invites place-based performance artists who are residents or returning residents of the State of Minnesota to apply to New London’s inaugural Small Stages Artist Residency. This program is an opportunity for one performance artist to develop, expand or adapt their practice in place-based performance-making to interactive art experiences, or performance installations designed for small audiences. We hope this program will create new approaches for how our citizens engage with each other and with shared spaces, especially in this time of isolation, divisiveness and uncertainty.
To be eligible:
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You must be a US Citizen at least one year prior to applying. MN residents will be given preference.
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Applicants from any demographic or geography are welcome to apply, however, preference will be given to BIPOC and Native artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, womxn artists, immigrant artists, artists from rural communities, and artists with disabilities.
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You must be 18+ years of age and complete a background check (Note: past felonies are not an automatic dismissal).
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You must be at a Mid-Career or beyond stage in your artistic career. What is a Mid-Career Artist? Mid-career artists are recognized by their peers and arts professionals, have produced an independent body of work and have a record of commissions, projects, or exhibitions. (as defined by Forecast Public Art)
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Collaborative groups are welcome to apply but the stipend and housing is the same
Selection Criteria
Our criteria for selecting a Small Stages artist is based on a combination of experience as a practicing artist:
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who has a focus on community engagement
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who has an interest in, connections to, and / or experience working in and with community members from a diverse range of social, cultural, economic, and political backgrounds
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with an interest in, connections to, and / or experience working in a rural context and, professional capacity, and
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how the residency fits into the artist’s life and practice.
Partners:
New London Little Theatre (https://www.newlondonlittletheatre.org/)
New London Arts Alliance (https://www.nlartsalliance.org/)
City of New London (https://www.newlondonmn.net/)
The New London Little Theatre Small Stages Artist Residency was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Creative Support for Organizations grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Email nllittletheatre@gmail.com to find out how your organization can be a partner and support more community activities like this!