ABOUT THE "BACKSTAGE BRILLIANCE" WORKSHOP
A workshop on how tech direction and stage management can support your small production. Why and when should you hire a stage manager or a technical director? What’s the difference and what kinds of productions benefit from what kinds of roles? And how can TDs and SMs make the experience of self-producing not just less stressful, but actually easeful for everyone involved. Specific topics will include:
- Demystify the roles and scope of work of technical directors, stage managers, and other production roles in the context of small to medium sized dance productions;
- Discuss reasonable pay rates and how to budget for them;
- Learn about the realities of hiring independent contractors through a legal and workers rights lens;
- Identify what kinds of productions benefit from certain production roles. When should you hire a technical director versus a stage manager? When do you need both? How is this different for the many variety of dance shows (traditional theaters, immersive & outdoor productions, mixed-bill etc);
- Discuss how producers and choreographers can maximize the support of these roles;
- Share templates and tools for artists, choreographers, and production crew to work efficiently and clearly together;
- Discuss the realities of working with venues as a self-producing artist;
- Think together about how working with TDs and SMs can make the production experience better for audiences, collaborators, and for you.
ABOUT DETOUR'S SUMMER 2024 INTENSIVE SERIES
- Participants will be immersed in Detour's approach to devised theater, experiential work, and drag artistry, with a focus on business, administration and producing;
- Each workshop is facilitated by Detour collaborators, offering unique vantage points into the company's creative process;
- Detour is offering sliding-scale tuition for each workshop with No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds (email directors@detour.productions for a NOTAFLOF code);
- All workshops are virtual (via Zoom), link to online meeting will be sent upon registration;
- All workshops will have live auto-captioning;
- If you have any access needs that you would like to share with us, please email directors@detour.productions
ABOUT JESSI BARBER
Jessi Barber (she/her) is a queer production manager, technical director, lighting designer, and stage manager with over a decade of professional arts experience in the Bay Area/Ohlone Land. Her experiences as a performer and choreographer greatly influence her approach to production work, which embraces the emotional realities of making art and people-centered communication and problem-solving while staying committed to straight-forward efficiency and clear production infrastructure as tools of ease. Jessi is a member of the Queering Dance Festival's non-hierarchical Steering Committee and the Technical Director for the 2024 Fresh Meat Festival. She is a house technician with CounterPulse and Brava, and has managed rental venues including Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and the Joe Goode Annex. Jessi has worked in various production capacities for Detour Productions, KH Fresh Festival, Sean Dorsey Dance, Nina Haft & Co., Melissa Lewis Wong, BANDALOOP and many more. She currently serves on the board of Bridge Live Arts.
Photo by Robbie Sweeny
