Welcome to ‘What the What?’ – A Blog Journey that curates posts, observations and revelations about the state of Theater.
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Featured Venue: Meriden Public Library
Shout out to Libraries across the state who allow access to Theater Makers to create public performances in their beautiful spaces. This is the first of many posts in the coming months that highlight available venues for no or low cost to theater makers and playwrights who are looking for spaces where they can present…
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Theater Makers and IDEA
We are pleased to announce our final draft on a significant governing document for Theater Makers Lab. This document was crafted by Pamela Gagnon and Jon Slifka and submitted for board approval this past week. We have formally adopted the language in this document as our North Star. We hope that other Theater Makers find…
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2023 in the Rearview
The heartfelt longing for meaning and the encouragement of some powerful friends, the pent-up energy of isolation brought on by a pandemic, and conversations with frustrated theater makers, brought Theater Makers Lab into focus and into being. Last December, a few talented theater maker collaborators, met for our first Social Hour at the FREE CENTER…
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CRAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY Ten-Minute Play Festival!
UPDATE: Thanks to all for supporting our first Annual Festival! We look forward to more of these in the future. Keeney Ballroom was a fantastic spot and the evening was perfect thanks to all of the incredible Theater Makers, sharing their gifts with all of us who were lucky enough to catch it. After the…
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Theater Makers Mixer and Open Mic at Fable!
Fable is teaming up with Theater Makers Lab for a MIXER! This month we are mixing things up both figuratively and literally! Instead of our monthly social hour we are taking our community networking event to the beautiful Fable on Center Street in Southington. Lots of changes coming to our social hour including a move…
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Theater and the Curate’s Egg
In trying to understand the barriers that the privilege pipeline in theater creates systemically, it is important to acknowledge that it is not all bad. It is like the Curate’s egg. Since I personally believe that art itself is class blind and so belongs to all of us, it stands to reason that the privilege…
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Trouble in Discomfort
I was lucky enough to catch Alice Childress’ “Trouble in Mind” last night at Hartford Stage and it stirred up a lot. The play was written in 1957 (the year of my birth) and the conversations in the play could have taken place today. That we are still having the same conversations about race and…
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Makers Make
Welcome to Theater Makers Lab. Our purpose is to connect theater makers from all disciplines for honest discussions and opportunities to build new relationships and capacity in our community, with diversity at the inception – not as an afterthought. The COVID years have decimated audiences, frustrated producers and otherwise disrupted theater making. Let’s face it…