Monday, November 4, 2013

Thomas Kriegsmann: Teacher of Touring 101



In this installment of our teacher profiles, we asked THOMAS KRIEGSMANN, founder of ArKtype and  teacher of this fall's Touring 101, about his thoughts on Resilience and how it relates to being a touring artist.

"On the topic of resilience and its place in a touring model, I would say that developing a viable touring model requires the artist to incorporate a touring repertoire that fits the markets they wish to access from a creative and community engagement perspective, and following that a marketing strategy that invites multiple communities in a few different ways, and gives the presenter tools to strategize toward those markets effectively.

"Resilience in the touring market is a matter of continuously moving work to new opportunities while coaxing former supporters into support for new ideas. This constant shape-shifting, internal and external dialogue, self-motivation and openness to community needs, and exploring what different opportunities offer you creatively and professionally and the dialogue and effect that has on the art is inherent to the practicalities above and will be a general theme we discuss." 


On a practical level, you can expect Thomas to address "developing a viable touring budget that is within the present fee structure of touring venues in the US and beyond, staffing, venue specifications and technical specifications as relates to viable tour budgets, what to expect from marketplace pricing and how to get what you need."



Producer, manager and curator who founded ArKtype in 2006 toward the long-term development, production and touring of new internationally based performance work on various scales. His work includes projects with venues worldwide and renowned artists including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Brook, Yael Farber, Annie-B Parsons & Paul Lazar, Lisa Peterson, Jay Scheib, Julie Taymor, and Tony Taccone. For three seasons he produced the Ringling International Arts Festival in Sarasota, FL and recently premiered Big Dance Theater / Mikhail Baryshnikov’s MAN IN A CASE and the U.S. premiere of Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater’s NOT BY BREAD ALONE. Current collaborations include Jay Scheib (Cambridge); Baryshnikov Productions (New York); Denis O’Hare & Lisa Peterson (New York); Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater (Tel Aviv); Big Dance Theater (New York); Byron Au Yong & Aaron Jafferis (Seattle/New Haven); Phantom Limb (New York); Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen (New York); Sam Green / Yo La Tengo (Brooklyn / Hoboken); Compagnia T.P.O. (Italy); Aurélia & Victoria Thiérrée-Chaplin (France); Joshua Light Show (New York); Dayna Hanson (Seattle); KMA (London); Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra (Brooklyn); Rude Mechs (Austin, TX); and Theatre for a New Audience (New York). Upcoming premieres include Jay Scheib’s PLATONOV from the story by Anton Chekhov (La Jolla Playhouse, September 2013), Dayna Hanson’s THE CLAY DUKE (Summer 2013) Jessica Black & Erik Jensen’s LESTER BANGS PROJECT (Spring 2014). www.arktype.org