After many years of working as a freelance Actor, Playwright, Director, and Theatre Maker – I found that opportunities for accessible, sustainable pathways to production were few and far between. I personally have had my hand in the development of over a hundred new works and have seen less than 1% of them go on to be produced at a professional level with a sustainable salary for the makers involved. When New Rep was examining the prospect of relaunching, my primary goal was to remedy this, and this is how the Pipeline Project was born.
The Pipeline Project exists to directly invest in local performing artists and provide solid pathways to production at the professional level. The Pipeline Project does not confine itself to any traditional methods of commission or residency, though it is an artist residency program. The nature and structure of each residency will be different, catering to the needs of the artists involved. The Pipeline Project strives to help New Rep live up to its name – to create a new repertory of artists in the local community that can sustain themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially through their work.
While this first phase of the Pipeline Project will be by invitation only, the second phase will be an open submission platform, specifically providing opportunities for all types of performance makers to apply. Some examples of projects and people we are looking to invest in:
- Playwrights, who are in the process of writing or developing new work
- Directors seeking to revitalize classics, or take a new look at overlooked material: e.g. Site-specific productions, immersive or installation productions, revivals centered around identity-conscious casting
- Solo Artists, seeking time, space, and/or collaborators like Directors, Choreographers, and Composers to help refine their work
- Musicians and Composers looking to perform expand their work into a theatrical medium: Concept Albums, Immersive Concerts, Storytelling/Narrative infused concerts
- Choreographers and Mover-Makers looking to collaborate with other dancers/performers
My hope is for the Pipeline Project to be fluid, to grow with time and to find more effective ways to serve a greater swath of artists while providing detailed, nourishing, and specific attention to all people that come into residence. While I cannot at the moment guarantee a full production of any project that comes into residence at New Rep, I am committed to being able to make that guarantee in the future. My goal is to develop and produce at least one world premiere within one year of this project’s inception.
Our inaugural residents are:
Claire Koenig, Playwright of DYKER BYKES
Molly Houlahan, Director of DYKER BYKES
James Milord, Creator/Performer in The Fatherhood Project
Brandon G. Green, Creator/Director of The Fatherhood Project
JāQuan Malik Jones, Creator/Performer in The Fatherhood Project