Which objects symbolize the adventure for you?
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@shunpikefiles
Which objects symbolize the adventure for you?
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Do you keep track of your adventures ?
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Summer is almost over, but your adventures are just beginning !
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Ready for an adventure ?
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Where would you want to go ?
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Whether you prefer to explore alone or enjoy the company of friends, you're welcome to join the fun at GOLDEN 2014.
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Look at these beverages of the world! Does that make you thirsty??
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Grab your map and compass and let's hit the high seas at GOLDEN 2014. Who knows where we'll end up...
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Life is an adventure and you are the hero! Join 200 other heroes at GOLDEN 2014.
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Are you "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" or "From the Earth to the Moon"? You can be whatever you wish at GOLDEN 2014!
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Which cocktails symbolize an adventure for you ?
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
GOLDEN 2014 is SO SOON! WIll you be there??
FILE VIII: Theatre22
“One of most important things ever told to me,” Corey McDaniel said outside of Theatre22’s production of The Lisbon Traviata, “No matter what position you are in a theatre company, the company does not belong to you. It belongs to the people you are there for. It’s a community service. It’s a community resource.” That is the foundation of his small but growing theatre company. Putting on its inaugural season, Theatre22 has already caught the attention of Seattle’s LGBT community as a source of dramatic productions made by and for them. McDaniel’s dream of starting his own theatre company was a long time coming after an impressive career in dance and arts education. Performing and teaching around the United States and overseas in Japan and Brazil, Corey settled down in Seattle with his husband and a vision of a nonprofit organization that would teach as well as entertain audiences. With a focus on artistic development and education outreach, Theatre22 is on it’s way to becoming a powerhouse of empathy and expression manifested on stage.
Shunpike: What was the inspiration for Theatre22?
Corey McDaniel: I’ve spent the last twenty years being brought on board many theaters and educational groups and what I’ve learned through that is how to administer, how to fundraise, and all that stuff. I started out as a dancer for the Dallas Ballet Company. After a few years, I decided to move out to Los Angeles and try to get into the entertainment industry. I ended up finding a job dancing overseas, first in Japan and then in Sao Paulo, where I met my husband. When we decided to move back to the states, we asked ourselves where we would like to live and Seattle was always at the top of my list. So we moved up here. I started to get to an age where I had to decide if I was going to continue freelancing or do something I’ve always wanted to do. It was, for lack of better words a “shit or get off the pot” moment.
It [Theatre22] was something I’ve always wanted to do and I started to realize that there were no companies that catered to the gay community and helped support and develop gay playwrights. Don’t get me wrong, Seattle has many companies that put on amazing gay and lesbian productions, but it’s never been in their missions to do so. Being a closeted gay man until I moved to Seattle, I wanted that aspect to be an integral part of the organization and we’ve gotten a positive response from our audiences and they want us to continue in that direction.
SPK: What challenges does Theatre22 face?
CM: I could talk for days on this. Within this first year, we’ve grown to a staff of eight who are all volunteers. We have people who have bought on to this idea, but the hardest part for me is the fact that I still hold all the keys. It’s tough to pass things on to other people. There is usually only one of us who knows how to do a certain job and that can be a challenge when you are trying to grow. On top of that, I’m already working 60 hours a week with my freelance work and my day job. Even when there is no show going on, Theatre22 requires about 50 hours per week from me. I just don’t stop.
SPK: How has Shunpike helped Theatre22?
CM: I’ve lived in areas where there are no resources like [Shunpike] and it terrifies me to just to have a fraction of a thought of it not existing. Shunpike has 200 organizations under their belt; that’s 200 organizations that could not be doing what they are doing if it wasn’t for Shunpike. We would not be able to do this without them and we would not be able to do it at the level that we are at. The first, primary benefit we are getting from them is fiscal sponsorship: the ability to raise money and function as a nonprofit when we are not federally sanctioned as one. It takes years to apply for 501c3 status and Shunpike helps us keep on track with that. They are essentially training us to know how to cross our t’s and dot our i’s and do it right. Another thing is that we have the ability to call someone from their office directly with a question and get help. Artists are great at making art, but when you ask them to play by the numbers, they usually don’t know how to navigate those areas. Being able to get in direct contact with someone to help you through those processes is a great thing. But what I really want to reiterate is the fact that there would be 200 organizations that wouldn’t be doing what they are doing if Shunpike didn’t exist.
SPK: Where do see Theatre22 in 5 years?
CM: One of our first major goals is to find a permanent home. We, like most art organizations in Seattle, are currently nomadic. We really want to find an establish place for our productions. The next big thing on our docket is with our education programs. I believe so much in arts education. I’ve spent most of my career within that realm. It’s where I found myself and I need to pay that forward. I need to create that resource for other people, to build skills and self-esteem, so that’s where I believe Theatre22 is heading. We also want to provide professional development for established actors and playwrights.
SPK: How has Theatre22 changed your life?
CM: I love being able to give opportunity. It a great feeling knowing that I am able to give this resource for actors who want to act, designers whop want to design, and patrons who want to be patrons. Going through this experience, I feel like I’ve had to grow up. Men have a problem growing up anyway (laughs) but I feel like I’ve really stepped into the position of being a leader instead of just being a really good follower.
Find out more about Theatre22 at http://www.theatre22.org.
Join us for GOLDEN 2014: Choose Your Own Adventure on October 10, 2014.
Drinks, performances, auctions, mysteries, volcanoes, giant boulders, challenging feats of strength, and ice cream floats. What more could you ask for?
(Get ahead of the curve and purchase your tickets now for GOLDEN 2014...)
Some photos from our super sweet South Lake Union Storefronts Art Tour last Friday (8/1/14). We had such a great time walking the streets in the sun with some of our gorgeous Storefronts artists!
Gallery BOOM!
Lovely, lovely Storefronts artists Harmony Boom are opening Tumwater's first art gallery: Gallery Boom!
Head down to Tumwater on August 9 for their Grand Opening, featuring art, bunnies, snacks, and crafts for the kiddos.
FILE VII: Lily Divine Productions
Lily Divine Productions is a small production company that aims build a supportive community for queer individuals. They do this in three ways: by creating community spaces, helping develop queer artists through workshops and mentoring, and providing grant funding for health and social service organizations that cater to the queer. Liz Cruz started the idea for Lily Divine Productions over seven years ago in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a queer performer herself whose routines straddle the border between burlesque and stripping, she found frustration in the segregation of the two styles. What she initially decided to create was an open and welcoming environment for people to explore their gender identities. The end result is Lily Divine’s monthly centerpiece production: DEBAUCHERY.
Focusing on the celebration of our bodies, DEBAUCHERY invites amateurs and professionals alike to give two-minute performances that express sexuality, lust, love, loss, and humor, all in the name of community, support, and philanthropy. DEBAUCHERY still happens every month in the Bay Area and for three years, Liz has worked hard to build up the monthly show here in Seattle. Making a home base at the LGBQT nightclub Neighbors, Lily Divine Productions has expanded from their DEBAUCHERY show to put on other productions, with all the proceeds going to different organizations that support the queer community in the Puget Sound area. So far, Lily Divine Productions has given out over $10,000.
Shunpike: What inspired Lily Divine Productions?
Liz Cruz: I went to school for contemporary dance and when I graduated I knew I wanted to use dance in way that would support communities. I loved the idea of connecting with people in real and down-to-earth ways but realized that contemporary dance is something that is not accessible to many people. I found that people didn’t know how to understand that style. It was a tough time for me because I wanted to find a way to express my own style and still make it accessible for people who aren’t versed in dance.
Then, my partner came home and told me that he wanted to do a 1,000 mile bike ride to raise money for HIV/AIDS research and he was really excited about the ride but there was a hitch: he had to raise $2,500 at a minimum to participate. He asked me for some help and, in the spur of the moment, I suggested we do a strip-tease fundraiser. I had a few friends who did something similar that was successful, so I called up some friends and asked if they would be willing to do a strip-tease for charity. A few people signed on, we secured a night at our local bar and we had a fun night of drinking, stripping and raising money for a good cause.
It was supposed to be a one-night thing but people enjoyed it so much, they wanted to do it again. They told me how much they loved to see the positive reflections of queer people on stage, expressing themselves in a fun way and exciting way… So we kept on doing it.
SPK: What challenges does Lily Divine Productions face?
LC: Starting DEBAUCHERY in Seattle, I was facing the challenge of whether it was different enough from the popular burlesque scene in the city. We started to realize that it is: we have completely different audiences and we were the only event that catered directly to the queer community.
The bigger challenges for us as an organization come from the fact that we have grown bigger than I had ever thought we would. In the beginning, it was just me producing a show. I never thought it would grow to the point where there needed to be a bigger organizational structure to deal with everything. We are the point where other queer organizations see us a solid partner and we help produce things outside of our own programming. It’s the toughest part but it also the most exciting! We have a lot of opportunities, but I, myself can’t do more. At this point, we’re in the process of figuring that aspect out.
SPK: How has Shunpike helped Lily Divine Productions?
LC: We applied for fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike after our first show in Seattle and it was the best decision we ever made; they enable us to do what we do. For example, we can have a board meeting to figure out who to give this money that we raised to and not have to worry about the legal aspects. If we have question, they will answer it. Shunpike balances our books and files our taxes. Just having Shunpike as a foundational support for those financial and legal aspects has been a gift. They also care a lot about the development of our organization. We can go in and talk with someone about how to grow effectively. We have been able to attend their workshops, which are amazingly helpful. I can’t think of another place where you can attend an organizational development workshop for $25. I mean that’s incredible.
SPK: How has this endeavor changed your life?
LC: There is so much that has changed me through this whole experience. Not only is Lily Divine the name of the organization, it is also the name of my character when I perform. Lily Divine, the performer, has really given me the opportunity to express things in a way that I would have never been able to do otherwise. I mean, I have the ability to get on stage, pour a bottle of champagne all over myself and have a hundred people screaming for me to take off my clothes! (laughs) It’s truly an empowering experience and to be able to create that experience for myself AND for other people, it’s something I am grateful for.
The company and DEBAUCHERY especially, have given me an outlet to support the community that I love. In a way, Lily Divine Productions holds a space for people to discover their truth, to come to a more authentic experience of themselves. This is the thing that really keeps me going when the going gets tough. It has given me my life and my foundation.
SPK: Where do you see Lily Divine Productions in 5 years?
LC: I really think of our work and where I want us to be in terms of our impact. I would love to see us strengthening the way we have partnered with other organizations, specifically organizations like Queer Youth Space. The reorganizing we are doing now will hopefully set us up to be able to do more of these special things and continue these partnership. It may look like we want to do more shows, and we do, but for the sake of developing these partnerships for the community. I would also love to be more active in artist development, such as putting on more workshops for performers and other artists.
You can find out more about Lily Divine Productions on the website: http://www.lilydivine.com/