Dear Friends of Treehouse Shakers,

This year Mara McEwin, Treehouse Shakers' Artistic Director, was invited to a networking event where she had the incredible opportunity to meet and hear Kathy LeMay of Raising Change. After the evening, she was so motivated to apply her immediate lessons. As the Artistic Director of an arts organization it feels that as though she's always asking for money. Kathy lays out the “ask” in a way that is mind-blowing, no kidding. She is changing the world!

We would like to invite you to meet and hear Kathy at special event that Treehouse Shakers will be hosting on February 21, 2012 from 9:00 am to 12:00 PM. Proceeds support Treehouse Shakers, a non-profit dance and theater company, and our low-income ticket program. Kathy LeMay, the country's leading activist and fundraiser, will be giving a powerful lecture event, and we want to include you. Whether you are a donor, run a non-profit, are on a board of a charity, help with school fundraisers, work in the matching gifts department of your business, or simply want some inspiration for your life, this is a powerful presentation on how to make real changes through fundraising. Kathy will advise on how to ask for the "Big Gift" while unleashing the change agent within.

These days the news is filled with stories and headlines about philanthropy: big names, big causes, big wallets. Amid this, what is the role for the rest of us? This is a three-hour event that will inspire you to unleash within yourself and your unique skills and capacities to change the world.

"When Kathy speaks, she changes people’s DNA. I’ve never witnessed anything like it before."
See Jane Do participant, Grass Valley, CA

Details:

Date: 2/21/12
Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: 250 Greenwich Street, 7 World Trade Center, Suite 3900, New York, NY 10007
Price: $150 (Space is Limited)
RSVP: 917-749-0786
Payment: Visit us online and make a donation for the amount, be sure to note that it is for the Kathy Le May Event. A portion is tax-deductible.

"The word “fundraising” has been replaced by “philanthropic partnerships,” “fundraiser” has become Director of Generosity and Justice, and “institutional advancement” has become strategic change and impact in the world that you can generate with and through Auburn. These changes are more than words and signify new attitudes, energy, joy and success around discovering with donors the deep satisfaction of changing the world through generosity."
Katharine Henderson, President, Auburn Seminary

About Kathy
Kathy LeMay is the founder, president, and CEO of Raising Change, which helps organizations raise capital to advance social change agendas and individuals create Generosity Plans to help change the world. LeMay, who began her global activism in war-torn Yugoslavia where she worked with women survivors of the siege and rape-genocide camps, has been a social change fundraiser for 15 years, raising more than $150 million dollars in the fields of women’s human rights, hunger and poverty relief, and movement-building. In addition she has directed an additional $100 million in philanthropic dollars to organizations working to make a difference. LeMay serves as an adviser and consultant to Fortune 100 companies, universities, international NGOs, and the United Nations. She is a sought-after speaker on strategies for social justice and empowering women to come into their voice. In the year 2000 LeMay was nominated for a Reebok Human Rights Award for her 15 years of service as a human rights activist. She was just named one of Business West Magazine’s “40 Under 40” and, in January 2010, she released her first book, The Generosity Plan, published by Simon & Schuster/Atria and Beyond Words.
Kathy has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including Oxygen TV and The Oprah Show. She is a contributing columnist to World Pulse Magazine, where she also serves as the Board Chair.

Treehouse Shakers Presents Hatched: A Seedling Drama

An Interactive Performance About Life On The Farm For Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers and Their Siblings

Told Through Puppets, Live Music, Dance, and Story

Hatched, written and directed by Mara McEwin, is the original performance of a newborn chick emerging from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Told to the youngest of audience members 0-6, it is a first introduction into the theatre, while incorporating both the museum and farm. Performed through movement, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, the story is set amidst an American family farm. The chick is met by a feisty old rooster, a wobbly calf learning to walk, a gaggle of dancing chicks, a lamb, and a noisy nest of baby birds.

Intimately staged, young audience members are encouraged to interact with the newborn animals as they explore their worlds. Through movement and music, the calf learns to walk, the baby birds attempt to fly, and the lamb makes a new friend with the curious hatched chick. Audience members interact and play with the characters on stage; they give the chicks their feed, milk bottles to the lamb, are licked by the cow, and feed worms to the baby birds. Babies in the audience will be enticed by the animal sounds and textures, while toddlers will love watching and imitating their favorite farm animals as they come to life. Preschoolers will delight in learning about life on the farm and older kids will be entertained by the delightful storytelling, live music and dance. Hatched is a beautiful tale, told through exquisite visuals, music, and the exploration of baby animals on the farm. Fantastic for the whole family!

Details:

When: May 3-4, May 10-11 & May 19 @ 11 am
Where: The Ailey Citgroup Studio Theater, 405 W. 55th St., Corner of 9th Ave., NYC
Tickets: $20
Reservations, Tickets and Info: (212) 715-1914 or http://www.treehouseshakers.com

Transportation: A, B, C, D, 1 to Columbus Circle, Or N,Q,R to 57th St.
Written By: Mara McEwin
Performers: Amber Ford, Josh Tag, Sarah Young
Costumes By: Patti Gilstrap
Scenic Design By: Lauren Rockman
Lighting By: Dan Ozminkowski

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund, New York State Council On The Arts, and Individual Contributions to Treehouse Shakers.
 

IPAY is one of my favorite conferences and showcases because it by the shear nature of what it's about - performing arts for youth - it truly embraces imagination and creativity.  It encourages us as administrators to let go and get out of our always critiquing brains and just be, just enjoy.  It asks us to watch the reaction of the children and dare if we may to enjoy a similar sense of wonder.

My two favorite showcases provided this sense of wonder.  The first one was hardly a showcase, hardly a performance but rather a visual installation.  The UK based Architects of Air create amazing luminarium sculptures that you walk through, almost like a kid's bouncey castle, sans the bounce.  I had a few colleagues say they wished there had been something more going on inside (dancers, movement, balls), but for me, it was glorious. It was enough for my senses.  For once I brought a real camera (not my phone's) and snapped away and thought of all the incredible abstract paintings I could make using this as inspiration.  I thought of blowing up a few of these shots and framing them.  I think we forget that simple can be great.  The irony of course is that the scultpures are far from simple.

The industry's national conference - APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) - has come and gone but not without leaving us all in a whirlwhind of ideas, inspiration, strategic thoughts, leads, follow ups, and of course, inundated with performances.  To each his own and my own is very much circus arts, physical theatre and dance.  I had the pleasure to take in two terrific physical theatre performance while in NYC -- Traces by Seven Fingers and Leo by Circle of Eleven.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Parallel Exit showcases “Exit Stage Left” at International Performing Arts for Youth
A full length spotlight showcase production at the leading conference for young audience programming

New York – Physical theatre company Parallel Exit announce the company’s selection to showcase “Exit Stage Left” at International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY). Originally created in 2010, the company has performed the theatrical piece internationally to sold-out audiences. The IPAY showcase will take place at The State Theatre in Austin, TX.

“Exit Stage Left” - a rollicking speed-of-light comedy - features highlights from the company’s expanding repertoire. Harkening back to the days of vaudeville, “Exit Stage Left” packs more entertainment in a single show than a three-ring circus. An ensemble of five present a wide range of old-fashioned family entertainment, from tap dance to live music to slapstick comedy in a series of well directed vignettes. It is one of several selected showcases at a conference that services and supports the professional community of performing arts for young audiences. “Exit Stage Left” is the final artist showcase at IPAY and features the full company cast.

Parallel Exit, based in New York, has been creating, producing and touring original physical comedy and theatre productions since 1997. The company is devoted to a process of pure collaboration from the ground up. The company creates through improvisation, workshopping, audience feedback, and rehearsing and reflecting until the material is shaped, edited and refined into a full production. Past performances include “Time Step” at the New Victory Theater in 2010, “Cut to the Chase,” and “This Way That Way,” among others. They have consistently presented visually stunning, inventive and engaging performances to audiences of all ages.

“Exit Stage Left” runs approximately sixty minutes in the showcase slot. A family matinee runs sixty minutes and an evening length performance runs seventy-five minutes. Various physical theatre workshops are available to venue programming directors to compliment the performance. The company’s productions are appropriate for all ages and languages.

Date and Time:
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 8:45pm

Location:
The State Theatre
713 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
http://www.austintheatre.org

Tickets:
The showcase is for registered conference attendees but several complimentary tickets are available to the public. Please contact Jane Stojack – jane@ipayweb.org.

Reviews from performances:

“They can get laughs simply by breathing.” – The New York Times

“Featuring enough slamming doors, pratfalls, songs, magic tricks, tap-dancing and slapstick to fuel a dozen shows.” – The New York Post

“Their clever and genuinely funny work draws inspiration from such great dancers as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.” - The New Yorker

"Parallel Exit's kinetic style says so much without uttering a single syllable." - Time Out New York

About Parallel Exit
Parallel Exit is a New York based physical theatre company. Founded by Artistic Director Mark Lonergan in 1997, the company blends theatre, dance and music into original and innovative works of physical theatre that transcend age, language and cultural barriers. The company’s mission is to create moments of simple magic for audiences of all ages. The company’s first production, “WHITE/NOISE/JUMP” introduced an aesthetic that has continued throughout the past ten years: highly energized, razor-sharp choreography combined with simple and striking visual storytelling. “WHITE/NOISE/JUMP” launched Parallel Exit in New York City, where it received "Best in The Fringe Festival - Excellence in Theatre" in the inaugural New York City Fringe Festival.

Parallel Exit’s work has explored a wide range of physical forms, from dance (“1+1,” 1998 and “POWERHOUSE,” 2005), to vaudeville (“AUTOMATIC VAUDEVILLE,” 1999 and “CUT TO THE CHASE,” 2008), to live-action silent film (“VELOCITY,” 1999; “PENNY’S WORTH”, 2001; “THIS WAY THAT WAY”, 2005; and ROOM 17B, 2011), to tap (“TIME STEP,” 2008). The work has been presented in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and has received two Drama Desk nominations for Unique Theatrical Experience and a “Spirit of the Fringe” award from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Parallel Exit values collaboration, improvisation, the process of creation.

http://parallelexit.com
http://ipayweb.org

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For a PDF version, click here.

Press contact:
Mark Lonergan | Parallel Exit
175 Eastern Parkway #1K
Brooklyn, NY 11238
917.407.7537
mark@parallelexit.net

APAP

Piccadilly Arts and Betsy DuBois Agency head to annual APAP conference later this week in New York, NY.  The national conference takes place January 6-10, 2012 and brings together artists, agents and managers, producers, artists, and programming directors and their staff from all over the world.  Conference headquarters is the Hilton New York located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas.  With hundreds of showcases occuring simultaneously, marketplace time, professional development and various keynotes and session, it's a jam packed weekend for all in the industry.

Please visit us at Booth 538 in Americas Hall I.

IPAY

Later in January we travel south to Austin, TX for the INternational performing Arts for Youth showcase.  Typically referred to as IPAY's Showcase, it moves around the country each year providing a professioanl networking and business conference for those of us that produce, promote and present work for young audiences.  IPAY is January 18-21, 2012 and conference headquarters is the Paramount Theatre and Radisson Hotel in Austin, TX.

Visit us at booth 42 in the exhibit hall.

Roster artist Alex the Jester showcases Friday, January 20 during the evening Twighlight showcases.
Consulting client Parallel Exit showcase late Saturday evening January 21 prior to the closing party.

For years December 31 would fill me with nostalgia - whether I was happy to put the year behind me or grateful for all it had been, I was always reflective on the year's challenges, accomplishments, lessons, blessings, etc.  I'm also a forward thinker. With the nostlagia, or perhaps in spite of, I am always looking ahead, excited for new beginnings. 

I do love new beginnings.  January 1 is a natural one but there are other less obvious ones too.  This December 31 I'm less reflective than usual.  I suppose it's because there has been so much going on - it's hard to find the time to sit and really reflect - at least the way I am used to reflecting.  That said, I'm taking a few minutes now - in between a preschooler's demands and beckoning work - to give thanks for the many blessings, accomplishments and support I've had this past year.

Professionally, I've done a tremendous amount in a year.  It's a funny business in that one can't look back over a week or month ands see the progress she makes but rather, look back every six months or so and take stock.  I took my company into more of an agency representing performing artists and added two artists to the roster by the summer.  I had a beautiful roster brochure designed and dropped my first big mailer to my presenter colleagues, and added a few more conferences into the marketing mix.  The biggest accomplishment would be saying yes to merging with my colleague Betsy DuBois (and her agency) and in 2012, growing the roster again to represent many of her artists as she retires. 

My network has grown exponentially: I have more and better relationships, amazing mentors, and artist colleagues who teach me something new each day.  I'm constantly thrown into new situations, sometimes unprepared, but always with the attitude that I'll somehow figure it out.

I've had opportunities to contribute to various blogs and grow my own blog with posts and page views.  My alma mater interviewed me for a great feature in their business school publication - such an honor.  And it goes without saying that this industry affords me the opportunities to see a number of performances, many comped. 

I'm grateful for the support of my family especially in these early startup times.  I'm grateful for the time I can carve out to have lunch with my son, pick him up and head to the park, or visit the museum or see a children's show.  Being self employed has its challenges but it also allows me some flexibility in balancing work and family. 

So what does 2012 have in store?  I can't say.  And many moons ago this goal oriented over achiever stopped making resolutions - because something was always going awry, like, well, being laid off, and it was forever making me feel like a huge failure - so I said no more resolutions (back in like, 2005).  I already know what I want but it's best to be open to how it can look and all means of how to get there.

To you and yours --- many blessings for a happy 2012. 

A fellow blogger - Making Lemonade - recently posted about how she'd been inspired by one of my favorite movies, Love Actually, and the words "Love really is all around." She let those words be her guide as she decorated her house - specifically her Christmas tree - for the holiday. Stenciling those words on ribbon she encircled the entire tree in the ribbon and adorned it with handcrafted framed ornaments of her family.

It got me thinking. If I had the time to do something similar, what would it look like?  Most likely "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.  Then I thought - in lieu of ribbon on my tree - I'd write a holiday blog post about my favorite things, especially at this time of year.

Classic Movies
I am watching Meet Me In St. Louis as I type.  My Pop Pop introduced me to classics with the Sound of Music around the age of 5 so it's no surprise that I love that movie, and tons of others, and feel the need to watch them all one right after the other during these relaxing post holiday days. Best of all...My Amazon Prime Membership means I get a ton of these for free! 

Cocoa and Lights
A cup of cocoa and a stroll through a park, Macy's Light Show, or even South Philly looking at all the lights (and plastic praying Blessed Mother hands) goes a long way, especially with a 3 year old in tow. I love white lights most of all, especially when entire streets are lined in them.  Cue a little Celtic music and it's the most romantic setting.  My son is entranced with all lights (and scary blow up Santas, etc.) but it's OK...it's all magical to him and experiencing the holiday through his eyes is joy.

Vintage ornaments from an auction and lights on my tree

Vintage
My love of vintage runs the gamut but this time of year I especially love gorgeous vintage dresses, old photographs (in general but mostly of my family), mid century ornaments, and Christmas albums on vinyl.

A Christmas album and yes, that would be me in the background photo, age 6 (1984) rocking my awesome Strawberry Shortcake roller skates.

Handmade
It was something of a lean holiday in this house but it made me grateful for my artistic side.  For years I've given paintings from various classes, b/w photographs taken and framed, and most recently, hand crocheted scarves and dishcloths.  Needless to say, a few daycare teachers received Trader Joe's coffee, cookies, mugs and a crocheted dishcloth.   I appreciate all handmade goodies, be it jewelry, little ceramic magnets and stones, ornaments, pottery, you name it.  And I love spending time hunting for that perfect handmade item for the artists and creative folk in my life.

Italian cookies
My Grandmom nails pizzelles as well as her lemon cookies.  I experiment with ricotta ones but I have yet to try the pizzelle iron.

Pointsetta
Red, white, and tons of them.  My Pop Pop would get them for my mom every year and they would adorn the house.  Flanked with evergreen swag and red bows, it's so classic Christmas to me. And it ties into my next favorite thing.

Nature
I know it's dreary out and we almost never get a White Christmas but I love nothing more than bits of nature brought indoors this time of year -- pine cones, green, berries.  If it was up to me I'd have THE Charlie Brown tree (I'm not a fan of fat bushy trees).  Brandywine River Museum has an annual "critter sale" - critters made from all natural elements, assembled by their volunteers - and I have a duck, osterich, and dog and they are the coolest and simplest ornaments. There's also a bit of hope that shines on December 22, the first day of winter, knowing we gain a little more light with each day until June...always worth celebrating.

Critters compliments of Brandywine River Museum

These are just a few of my favorite things...and if I look around I can see a little piece of each in my holiday decor, mood, and spirit.  Piccadilly wishes you all a wonderful holiday season and Winter Solstice.  May you find the time to rest and recharge, be with your friends and family and to quote one of my favorite bands, "Be here now." Enjoy and be grateful for the gift of the present moment.

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC.  Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as an entertainment – in performance – and ceremonially in rituals and celebrations such as carnivals. There are similarities and differences depending on the country of origin – like Africa, Asia, European. For example, they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects. Most puppetry involves storytelling, sometimes movement and music.

With so many types of puppets from all over the globe, it's easy to be overwhelmed.  I like to think of it as visiting an art museum - I get to see art from all over.  Puppetry, when handcrafted in meticulous detail, is absolutely gorgeous.  When I take an anthropological look at the art form and consider each country's time, rituals and religion, societal and gender roles, cultural expectations, and more, it really amazes me how despite the varying techniques and craftsmanship, all puppetry conveys simple and timeless messages and human emotions.

In a performance setting - a festival or theater, even a parade - it's important the puppet have a contex.  Even in a parade when it's more about presentation and show, there should still be attention to detail, emotion and a story of sorts that a bystander can imagine.  In a theatrical setting, even simple stories should follow a thoughtful techniques and/or narrative, with attention to the movement and any music.  It's good to have a director involved in any theatrical performance. 

Over the next two weeks, I'm going to highlight a few popular forms of puppetry we see in performance today and encourage my readers to keep an open mind and go beyond what you might already know about puppetry.  Since puppetry has deep roots in ancient cultures, it is often misunderstood in the States, or worse, done very poorly in a jouvenile, childish way.  Forget all that and put your college learning hat on - the one that always wanted to take an art history class. That is the lens to view these posts.

Week 1 -- Three Forms of Puppetry

Black light puppets are operated on a stage lit only with ultraviolet lighting, which both hides the puppeteer and accentuates the colours of the puppet. The best modern day example of this is ImaginOcean.

ImaginOcean

Bunraku puppets are a type of wood-carved puppet originally made to stand out through torch illumination. Developed in Japan over a thousand years ago, the puppeteers dress in black although their presence as kind of 'shadow' figures adds an element of mystery to the performance. Bunraku traditionally uses three puppeteers to operate a puppet that is 2/3 life size.

2 Bunraku puppets

Carnival/Body puppets are the life sized puppets we see in various parades and carnivals (especially international), operated by one or more persons. The puppets may often be suspended from aerial rigs (similar to the American float). An example of wonderful carnival puppets can be found at the annual Italian Carnival of Viareggio (Italian: Carnevale di Viareggio) held in the Tuscan city of Viareggio. The masks and puppets are made of paper mache, depicting caricatures of popular people.

Top: Carnival of Viareggio; Bottom: Puppet and puppeteer in Hong Kong

Stay tuned...I'll be back before the holiday with Part II.

Back in April of this year, my alma mater, Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, PA) interviewed me for a the fall issue of the School's business publication. The Haub School of Business publishes a quarterly magazine with various updates on the school, majors, professors, books, business, and typically has a special interest focus pertaining to business. This fall, aligning with the announcement of an additional major, the focus was on entrepreneurs and family business. The school interviewed a few of us alumni who have either started small businesses or joined family businesses and highlighted our personal stories, challenges, and successes. I'm honored to be part of this issue. Small business is such a backbone of our economy and both small and family businesses have their own set of unique challenges that larger companies do not. I love that SJU recognizes this, has added it to their list of majors, and holds up its own as examples.

You can click through to the publication and hit "expand." I am featured on pages 24-25.
Haub School Review - Fall 2011

I loved my experience at SJU and happy to talk anyone's ear off about the school.