Goodbye, July - Hello, August!August is just around the corner and it is gearing up to be an awesomely August month indeed! In fact, the first week of August alone is enough to make you think, "WOW! This is going to be a good month!" And, so, without further ado, here are the TOP THREE things happening in THE FIRST WEEK of August:
AUGUST 1st: Dallas Comedy Festival Submissions Officially Open. Now is the time to get videos of your sketch/improv/stand-up! Submissions to the 2017 Dallas Comedy Festival open up the first day in August. Save $15 off your submission if you get your video and application in during the month of August. Learn more at www.dallascomedyfestival.com. AUGUST 3rd: Early Bird Registration for Term 5A Close. If you know you're going to take classes in Term 5A, sign up before August 3rd to save $30 on registration. Don't be a procrastinator, be a "yes and-inator" and get that all taken care of before you miss the boat. AUGUST 6th: Ewing Auditions for September and October Ewing Teams. If you are enrolled in Level 3 or above, take advantage of the Ewing Audition (and potential opportunity to be on a Ewing Team!) The audition process is something everyone should go through as a performer. And, as an added bonus, if you make a Ewing Team you are guaranteed eight shows on the schedule, a coach, and rehearsal space during your run. Plus you meet great people, make memories, laugh a lot, etc. etc. Learn more on the AUDITIONS PAGE.
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Everything.This post is dedicated to my number one biggest fan - Raye Maddox.
What's Up Wednesday? Everything. It's a very busy week up at DCH (oh! exciting!) Here are some fun things to know:
Anything else? Yeah. Probably lots that I'm leaving off this. Did I say anything about Raye Maddox? That was the important thing. xoxoxoxo, Maggie Summer Summer Summer TimeSummer is halfway through,* but that doesn't mean the fun needs to stop! As part of upping our course offerings, we are closing out this summer with a brand-spanking new Summer Workshop Series. If you are a graduate of DCH or a current performer looking for an intensive to continue honing your skills, look no further than the week of August 16-20th!
The four-day series includes different instructors and workshops focusing on unique areas of performance. You can learn more and register by visiting our workshops & electives page. As Maggie (oh hi, this is Maggie writing this blog post in third person) works to curate the 2017 course catalog and fall workshop offerings, please reach out if you have ideas or feel something is missing from current course offerings (e-mail [email protected]). Additionally, you can fill out this form if you have a special skill and/or interest in learning something new outside of comedy (ex: how to build a website, best practices for commercial auditions, etc). For those of you still enrolled in classes, have no fear! This blog post is also a reminder that tonight is Early Bird Registration deadline for Term 4B (click here to register for Improv Levels 1-4). And, this Sunday is the deadline to apply to be an intern for Term 5A (click here to apply!) Another addition to DCHBackstage - following the Town Hall last week - is the Health & Well-Being Resources tab. The list of resources is in now way exhaustive: if you have a resource you think would be helpful to add, send it to Maggie to add to the page. *the halfway point of summer has not been mathematically calculated - more of a "gut feeling" about summer. Town Hall Spark NotesThank you for everyone who attended last night's Town Hall! It was great to hear your questions and ideas about what could make DCH a stronger community. Below is the Spark Notes version of the meeting notes (and it's still a super long post)!
WHO TO GO TO FOR WHAT As the theater and training center continue to grow, so has our staff. Below is a list of who to go to for what as roles adjust. All full-time staff will begin hosting office hours, which will be posted at the beginning of each month starting in August.
SAVE THE DATES:
REIMAGINE CROWDUS The Deep Ellum Foundation is organizing a re-imagining of the Crowdus street corridor with a pop-up “park” during the entire month of September. If you have ideas or want to help volunteer, let Amanda know. Click here for a calendar of events! DART D-2 DART is planning an second alignment through downtown that would come up Good Latimer from Commerce Street and essentially gut the entrance to our neighborhood, put us on the opposite side of the tracks from downtown, and cause major vehicular congestion to an already congested intersection at Elm and Main. The Farmer's Market rallied very hard in the past for DART to consider alternate alignments through downtown and their neighborhood and now it's our turn to fight our neighborhood. Read more about it here. If you want to take action, you can call/e-mail Councilman Medrano and/or send individual comments to DART at [email protected]. DEPRESSION & SUICIDE RESOURCES As part of a community that supports and loves each other, it is important to be equipped with knowledge and resources to support our friends who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression. Most importantly: know that having the conversation if you think someone might be considering suicide is critical. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, here are some resources:
Q&A HIGHLIGHTS What is call time and dress code for performing? 30-minutes prior to the show (even if you're the second act) no matter what. Check-in with tech when you arrive so they know you are here. Dress code includes: Slacks or Jeans, close-toed shoes, nice shirt/collard shirt. No shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, backless tops, see-through tops, yoga pants, etc. Look nice to be taken seriously. Why do some teams get so many shows and others so few? There is an artistic committee made up of diverse perspectives and opinions that watches every show that is submitted or proposed. The committee is volunteers and they are not paid. This last term, 96 shows were submitted for the schedule, and everyone got at least one show. Consistency is key for getting more show slots. A lot of groups that get more time slots have demonstrated over the years that they can put on a consistent show. If you ever have a question about your group, email [email protected] Can we fix lighting in PDogs? Starting July 18, we will be working on building a set in the PDogs theater (hooray!) which will adjust the lights and lots of other things. This place is like high school. What are you doing to fix it? If you would liken DCH to high school, Amanda is the principal and cannot get involved in every dispute or day-to-day drama: for the most part, students in a high school can self-regulate. However, if something begins to affect ones well-being or the business as a whole (theater/training center), Amanda should be looped in to help find a solution. Student "expulsion" (or being asked to leave the theater) boil down to these reasons: 1) If someone poses physical harm or sexual harassment, that person will be asked to immediately leave DCH. 2) If someone has refused to change destructive actions after repeated attempts to resolve an outstanding issue. This would be after multiple extended conversations and attempts to realign. Examples of destructive actions include but are not limited to: bullying, defamation, drug/alcohol abuse, continued disregard for policies & procedures. As a clarification: no one would be asked to leave DCH because of a difference of opinion or for providing feedback to the theater. What opportunities are there for continuing your comedy education? Part of Maggie's new role as Training Center Director will be curating workshops for advanced studies and one-off experiences, including a summer advanced study immersion the week of August 16-19. Workshops that have already been suggested to offer include musical improv, puppeteering, and storytelling. To submit your own ideas for a workshop, click here. The goal is to utilize the strength of our community to bring a diverse selection of course offerings. In the coming months, we'll unveil our new course catalogue outlining all of the current and new course/workshop offerings. What's going on with the construction across Hall? A 17-story high-end high rise with an industrial Deep Ellum feel is being built. It will have retail on the bottom floor that will be private to only the residents. It is supposed to open October 2016. As soon as it is complete, they will break ground right next to it with one that is identical. The buildings have parking for their residents. How do you become a teacher or TA? We are currently looking to revamp our Teacher Training Program and Teaching Assistant Program. If you are interested in becoming a TA and have not TA-ed in the past, you can learn more about the program on the After Graduation |
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March 2020
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